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Political affiliation: Libertarian Party

City: West Dundee

Marital status: Divorced

Occupation/Firm name: Controller/Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.

Campaign HQ address: PO Box 1906, Arlington Heights, IL 60006-1906

Campaign website: FoxforComptroller.com

What is your campaign budget- $15,000

What do you consider to be the most important roles and responsibilities of this office-

Accurate and transparent financial reporting to Illinois residents of how their tax dollars are being spent, and ensuring that financial controls are in place to reduce the possibility of fraud and unintentional over-spending.

What role should the comptroller play in solving the state's budget crisis-

As Comptroller I will push towards a more accurate depiction of Illinois' current financial position by doing what I can to implement accrual based accounting methods and other reporting methods that include all financial obligations owed by the state. In the interim I will introduce new types of financial reports that will help depict Illinois true current financial position. We can't solve the budget crisis until we have a clear picture of Illniois' current financial position, which is not the case currently given the system of financial reporting used by the state.

Do you support or reject increasing the state income tax- What about expanding the sales tax base-

I reject increasing the state income tax. I am opposed as well to expanding the sales tax base. Increasing taxes at a time when many residents have lost their jobs and are threatened with losing their homes is unconscionable. Big government is what brought about the mess Illinois is in now; more of the same thing is not the solution! Residents and businesses in Illinois are tightening their belts. It's time that state officials learn to do the same thing.

What, if anything, can the comptroller's office do to speed up payment to state vendors-

Slow down spending. That will increase the speed of payments over the long term. There isn't much that can be done in the short term other than laying off staff, considering how far behind the state is currently on its payments to vendors.

Given the state's budget crisis, list which payments you would make first as comptroller- What would be your top payment priorities-

I've managed cashflow for years as a Controller in the private sector. I would basically pay the bills in the order in which they came due. I would lay off unnecessary staff in order to get caught up on vendor payments. The Comptroller, unfortunately, does not have a lot of control over the situation. The solution is to cut back on spending, otherwise the issue will continue with no end in sight.

What is your opinion of the state's practice of borrowing to pay bills, including to pay pension obligations-

The state borrowing to pay bills is the same as an individual paying their utility bill with their credit card, a clear sign that there is a major financial problem, and that a significant immediate reduction in spending is absolutely necessary. It should not be done. It only prolongs the issue. It does nothing to resolve it.

Should the comptroller have the authority to block state payment requests he or she thinks are fiscally unsound or inappropriate-

While the Comptroller has that authority, blocking of state payments for services already rendered is a violation of basic contract law. What the Comptroller should do instead is to make fiscally unsound and inappropriate payments known to the public. Their reaction to such spending should resonate at the polls in the next election.

Should the state's unfunded pension liability and retiree health care costs be accounted for in state budgets- How would you make the state's true fiscal condition more transparent to taxpayers-

In the private sector ALL financial obligations must be reported and there must be an adequate value of sound assets to offset them. There is no reason why the same should not be true in the public sector.

I have used cash accounting in the past as Treasurer of the Libertarian Party of IL and also as Treasurer of the Dundee Township Library District board. When payments to vendors are behind, one can supplement the cash-basis reports with reports of bills waiting to be paid. I would also create special reports to cover pension liabilities and retiree health care costs that are not currently required to be reported.

How would you improve public access to data generated by the comptroller's office, including access to contracting and payroll databases-

I cannot answer this question until I am in the position of Comptroller and have a better understanding of what options are available in the Comptroller's office to improve public access from a cost and IT perspective.

Should the Legislature make any changes to the campaign finance law passed in 2009- Would you support capping donations from party leaders during general elections-

No, I don't support capping donations. Doing so can hurt the "little guy" as much as it can help the "big guy". Campaign finance laws are complicated and confusing. Increasing their number and scope in 2009 makes reporting even more intimidating to potential candidates. This makes it less likely that average citizens will step up and run for office, and more likely that the status quo career politicians who can afford to hire lawyers and specialists to keep up with complicated and changing reporting requirements will be the only names that appear on the ballot.

Do you support combining the functions of the offices of the comptroller and treasurer-

Yes. I have been publically supporting combining the offices since I ran for Comptroller in 2002. 40 states have already done so.

List your educational background

B.S. with Distinction in Biochemistry, University of IL Champaign-Urbana, 1980. B.S. with Honors in Biology, Univ. of IL Chicago, 1981. 30 hours of accounting courses at Harper Community College in Palatine, 1989-1994. Passed Certified Public Accountancy exam February 1995.

Please list civic, professional, fraternal or other organizations to which you belong

National Geographic Society, Special Olympics Illinois.

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

Elected to Dundee Public Library District Board in 2001. Re-elected in 2005. Served as Treasurer 2003-2005. Resigned in 2005 due to moving out of the district.

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

None.

Name your five biggest campaign contributors and the amount they contributed

I do not think it is appropriate to list that information here. Information is available through my campaign committee's campaign finance reports.

Please paste a brief biography here

Julie Fox was born in 1957 in Chicago. She has lived most of her life in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Julie has considered the Fox Valley her home for most of the last 33 years. She has been a resident of Dundee for 14 of the last 16 years, and currently resides in West Dundee.

Fox has grown up in a tight-knit family of mostly Irish descent, which settled in the Chicago area in the late 1800s. She is one of eight siblings. She is the mother of two grown children and aunt to seven nieces and nephews. Most of her family remains in the Chicago land area.

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