State Representative, 70th District: Chuck Sauer

The state of public education in much of DeKalb county is, at best, troubling.

DeKalb and Sycamore high schools are becoming overcrowded, but property owners are already heavily strained because of high property taxes, meaning the money to fund new educational facilities needs to come from other venues.

Chuck Sauer has an idea for change. The 70th District State Representative candidate thinks public school funding could come from other resources, like income tax, which would relieve pocket-stung taxpayers and possibly provide more funding for education.

In contrast, Sauer’s opponent, Bob Pritchard, contends the solution lies in giving tax credits to parents who choose to send their children to private schools. We feel that to do this is to abandon public schooling. Instead of funneling money to private schools, that funding should be spent to restore and strengthen public schools.

Pritchard agrees that our current education system is “not achieving the desired outcomes,” but only offers vague solutions to the problem. Pritchard says he hopes to rework the state’s education funding policies, but given that Illinois is faced with growing debt, the likelihood of the state providing more funding for local schools is slim to nil. Pritchard also says that increased funding is not the answer to the education problem, and that the state must “do more to mentor and hold accountable districts that are failing to deliver annual student progress.”

Of course, districts must be held accountable, but how? If these districts can’t get the funding they need for books, equipment and facilities, how are they expected to grow?

We feel Sauer is committed to fixing a public education system that is obviously flawed, but not yet beyond repair. Sauer addresses the problem of education but also poses specific solutions, not ones that are likely to fall through the political cracks in Springfield.

Sauer has ideas we feel are a fresh prospective. We encourage voters to choose Sauer, and hope that if elected, Sauer will follow through with his innovative campaign promises.

U.S. Congressional Representative: John Laesch

J. Dennis Hastert has spent 11 terms in Congress, without much political initiative to show for it. The Democrats, knowing the incumbent candidate held the seat for so long, presented John Laesch as their candidate. They didn’t, however, provide him with the party support needed to present a formidable opposition.

Before the wave of negative publicity given to former Florida Congressman Mark Foley, the Democrats had no reason to believe Hastert wouldn’t get re-elected. However, the poor light in which Foley was portrayed reflected upon Hastert as well. In turn, this poor light shone an equally positive light on Laesch.

In the last weeks, Hastert’s knowledge of congressional corruption — the Foley scandal is the just most recent example — poses the question of whether he’s fit for re-election. Even in light of recent negative press, Hastert hasn’t made much effort to reinforce his presence with the voters.

Despite the lack of support from his own party, John Laesch is the congressional candidate we feel stands for change. Voting for Laesch isn’t about the lackluster support he’s received from his own party, but rather the change brought by any new candidate. During his campaign trail, he shared anecdotes of his experiences in Iraq. While speaking of past experiences is a far cry from living those experiences every day, it shows he has the passion and initiative to make a change. Voters — regardless of their stance on the U.S. presence in Iraq — are concerned about what their elected officials will do in regard to the future. Hastert’s history of political stagnancy isn’t convincing that he will do much of anything.

Illinois Governor: Rich Whitney

It has been said to be virtually impossible for an independent candidate to win a substantial position such as that of governor. Yet, the Northern Star feels that Green Party candidate Rich Whitney has a much deserved chance.

As Illinois’ current political heavyweights Judy Baar Topinka and Gov. Rod Blagojevich duke it out for the coveted governor’s title, they have ended up exposing more of their viciousness than their actual plans to make change.

Illinois residents have struggled to sift through the heap of smear ads and public accusations that Topinka and Blagojevich have made defining aspects of the 2006 gubernatorial elections to simply learn where the candidates stand.

Once one does look at these candidates political agendas, however, their powerful personas become even more undesirable. With the recent suspicion over the state job given to the man who wrote Gov. Blagojevich’s daughter a “friendly” check, to Topinka’s perceived involvement with former Gov. George Ryan’s scandalous term, it becomes less clear as to why a candidate should be at a voting advantage simply because of their public prowess.

Whitney offers a refreshingly umblemished vision of how to improve education, health care, the environment, the economy, and gay rights in Illinois.

While Topinka suggested building a casino in Chicago to spur funding for education and Blagojevich recommended “Preschool for All,” Whitney proposed a property/income tax swap where a 20 to 25 percent property tax credit would appear on taxpayer’s bills and could subsequentially provide nine billion dollars for school funding.

Topinka recommends diverting funds to support the FutureGen project and Blagojevich provides a $500 sales rebate to those who buy fuel-efficient cars.

Whitney seeks to preserve our woodlands and wetlands and focuses on smart urban planning and the overuse of pesticides, among other solutions.

It may seem like giving your vote to a party because they are established makes sense, but we feel that you should choose the candidate that will make the most positive change: Rich Whitney.