Illinois Senate District 22, Democratic Primary

Education:

Civic, professional, fraternal or other affiliations:

Executives' Club of Chicago.
NAHU Life Underwriters

Have you held elective or appointive political office or been employed by any branch of government?

I worked for the Chicago Park District from 1982 to 1993 Left the CPD in 1993 to start my own insurance brokerage company Elenz & Associates. I have since been successfully self-employed.

Please list jobs or contracts you, members of your immediate family or business partners have had with government.

none

Education:

Please see resume.

Civic, professional, fraternal or other affiliations:

N/A

Have you held elective or appointive political office or been employed by any branch of government?

Illinois Senate

Please list jobs or contracts you, members of your immediate family or business partners have had with government.

N/A

Campaign headquarters: 15 S. Spring Street, Elgin IL 60120
Website: www.Citizens4Elenz.com
Campaign manager: Denise Rothheimer
Campaign budget: $100,000.00
Name your five biggest campaign contributors and the amount they contributed.
Bob Wirtz $1,000.00
Paul Edwards$1,000.00
Stan and Tina Domanski $250.00
Scott Silver $1,000.00
Tom and Ann Nash $250.00
Suparossa $1,000.00

Campaign headquarters: PO Box 1025, Elgin, IL 60121
Website: noland.org
Campaign manager: Self
Campaign budget: N/A
Name your five biggest campaign contributors and the amount they contributed.
N/A

As the Senator of District 22, I will establish a relationship built on trust with my constituents and represent their interests in Springfield as a public servant. One of my top priorities for District 22 is to open the lines of communication between the Senator and both House Representatives to work effectively together to bring resources back to the district. Whenever both representatives vote one way and the Senator opposes that vote the constituents are at a stand still and progress in the district cannot be made. As Senator of the 22nd District I will work with every elected official regardless of their political affiliation to curb tax and cost of living expenses, improve education, grow jobs and other resources in the community. First, I will focus on legislation that will attract businesses to return to our district due to the recent loss of thousands of jobs, as well as attract new businesses.
Secondly, I will pursue legislation to slow down foreclosures in the district through public and private sources.
Thirdly, I will work to address and resolve the issues with U46 School District by bringing together all parties involved.
Fourthly, I will work with all Cook County Board members to bring an out-patient, health care center to the district that will provide accessible, quality health care. Additionally, I would meet with local doctors and hospitals to utilize viable public and private resources.

Economic growth brought by structural tax reform in Springfield.

Top priorities for the State is to reach across the aisle and work to:

1) Attract and bring new businesses to Illinois
2) Reform pensions
3) Roll back income-tax increase
4) Build trust and communication with elected officials in and out-of-district
5) Slow down foreclosures
6) Eliminate wasteful government spending
7) Reform health care and welfare programs
8) Create health risk management programs for State employees
9) Provide accessible, quality health care (not medical insurance, there is a difference) for all residents by reforming the public health care system

Economic growth brought by structural tax reform in Springfield.

I have an ability to bring people together and build a consensus by finding common ground and establishing a win-win solution for all involved.

In addition to $22M for School District U-46 alone, I have secured over $30 million in state funds brought back to 22nd District for....

Kane County

$400,000: OSLAD grants to Kane County Forest Preserve District

$400,000: OSLAD grants to Dundee Township Open Spaces

Carpentersville

$400,000: OSLAD grants to Dundee Township for Open Space

$300,000: Road Resurfacing

$50,000: Early Childhood Development Tom Thumb Early Childhood Education Center

East Dundee

$25,000: VFW Post 2298

Elgin

$11 Million: River's Edge Project

$150,000: Business Retention Siemens/Winergy

$125,000: Community Crisis Center

$100,000: Greater Elgin Family Health Care Center

$90,000: Association for Individual Development

$50,000: YMCA – Youth Outreach and Obesity Reduction



Elgin Cont.

$50,000: Services for At-Risk Youth
Illinois Coalition for Community Services

$50,000: Senior Services Associates, Inc.

$20,000: YWCA – Computer Lab and Job Training

$20,000: American Legion Post 57

South Elgin

$225,000: OSLAD grants for open spaces

Cook County

$18 million: Barrington Road/I-90 Interchange

Hanover Park

$50,000: Astor Avenue Community Center

Hoffman Estates

$325,000: Hoffman Estates Park District

Schaumburg

$45,000: Day Care Services Woodfield Area Children's Organization

Streamwood

$300,000: Road Resurfacing

No, I do not support SB512. No, I do not think police officers and firefighters should be included in a reduced pension system.

While I believe benefits already earned are protected under the Illinois contitution, under the U.S. constitution, benefits not yet earned can be altered. I would vote to alter future benefits to avoid continued soveriegn insolvency. For police officers and firefighters, we must provide pension and health care benefits that duly address the particularly hazardous nature of their work.

I will sit down and work with trade unions and others to provide health care and welfare programs for State employees similar to those in the private sector. That would solve a huge part of the issue immediately. Some of the best health care and welfare programs in this country are run by Unions and are run very well.

Structural Tax Reform, in part, by passing a constitutional amendment to provide for a graduated income tax that assisted in meeting this liability.

I want the 2 percent point income tax increase to expire in 2014 as planned.

Any increase in the state's flat rate for income tax should be coupled with property tax relief similar to that contemplated by HB 174 in the 96th General Assembly.

Yes, I support changes to the corporate income tax rate and other changes to the state's business tax structure. The current system does not encourage businesses to locate in Illinois due to the uncertainty of our current economic climate.

We need structural tax reform, tax modernization in Illinois. The corporate income tax must be competitive with that of surrounding states and we need to take up issues such as the streamlined sales tax, tax on internet sales and the single sales factor. We have deferred these issues for too long. We need to broaden our tax base and make it more fair and efficient.

State legislators should assess, initiate and execute policies that establish long-term plans to improve growth and stability by provide incentives for businesses that create a more favorable business climate and to promote job growth.

Structural Tax Reform. Pass a capital bill more frequently to address the continuing need to maintain inferstructure.

No, I will not support borrowing to pay down the billions owed to schools, universities, human service providers and others. Instead, I will structure a plan to pay down debt by implementing a service tax on services that have little impact on working families.

HB 174 or a graduated income tax (in addition to the other tax modernization outlined above). No more borrowing. Add to my list of accomplishments being one of two Democrats in the senate that prevented further borrowing during the last General Assembly.

The General Assembly should not have a role in negotiating contracts with state labor unions because it is not in the pension business. In my opinion, an outside firm that specializes in union contracts should be hired with no influence what so ever from the GA. I believe that state union employees should have the same pay and fringe package as their counterparts in the private sector.

The governor is the chief executive. He/she needs to be our point person for negotiations.

My district includes the Grand Victoria casino so I would vote "NO" on any expansion of casino gambling. The one thing I may consider upon further research would be a Chicago casino. If and only if:
1) Our district would not lose more revenues as it has because of the past expansion;
2) The City of Elgin, Kane County and the other areas in the 22nd District were made whole as a result of expansion.
3) Most importantly that the City of Elgin, Kane County, Cook County and the rest of my district agreed to the terms of a deal for expansion.

While I would support a Chicago casino, and, perhaps downstate, I would not support expanded gambling that would further jeopardize local revenues derived from the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin.

Yes, I would support capping what state party leaders can donate during a general election.

Yes and yes. I would support publically financed elections and term limit leadership.

Yes, I would back a constitutional amendment to shift from a flat income tax to a progressive income tax system.

Yes.

My plan is to review last year's plan to make adjustments for this year's plan.

Again, HB 174 and/or the tax modernization stated above.

I believe any man or woman can leave living wills, power of attorneys, estates etc. to whomever they want to assign them to with or without a marriage contract.

If marriage is right for two consenting adults then I believe the government should honor people's wishes. I support gay marriage for all legal purposes.

I do believe that a church/religion has the right to choose to participate in gay marriage or not without pressure from the government.

It is a matter of personal privacy. Should it come for a vote, like civil unions, I would support it.