These responses were submitted by Democrat Ben Webb, who faces Republican state Rep. Dan Brady. The questionnaire was prepared by GLT in partnership with the League of Women Voters of McLean County. See more candidate responses.
Do you support moving Illinois to a progressive/graduated income tax? Why or why not?
I am a stark proponent of a graduated, progressive income tax. We have been using the proposal from the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability on the campaign trail which estimates $2 billion in new revenue which would allow our state to begin fully funding our public education as our state constitution mandates; we believe this proposal is only a benchmark for how our state can begin to lessen the tax burden on working and middle-class families. Our campaign also asserts that as our taxable base increases, this would provide for a year-over-year plan to stabilize our budget and lower taxes in other areas as we see our state work itself out of its current backlog of payments and promises over the next 10-20 years.
Do you think there should be term limits for lawmakers, legislative leaders, or statewide officers?
I am opposed to term limits for State House and Senate seats. If the voters of a district find their current representation accurate to their values and see a representative doing the job, it should be the choice of the voter to continue to have that representation and it is their right that should not be taken away from them. Regarding limits and restrictions on leadership positions and officers in statewide parties who also serve in the General Assembly, I would be open the discussion as a means to address real issues of campaign finance reform and the power of unchecked incumbency.
What changes would you support to stabilize Illinois’ pension systems?
A promise is a promise, and Illinois needs to honor the promises it made by making sure state workers receive the pensions they worked for and are constitutionally ensured. Moving forward, we need to make sure that our pension funds are fully funded and more is paid into the system in order to overcorrect for the pension decisions of past assemblies. State workers and their union must be at the table to have a say in negotiations while our state looks for new sources of revenue. Beyond a fair tax, the decriminalization of marijuana also provides a new taxable source of revenue. Closing corporate loopholes such as the rebate on sales tax collections so as to not refund rebates back to the retailer which some legislators estimate to house $150-200 million in revenue are just a few ways in which we increase our revenue to correct from the errors of the past.
Illinois’ higher education system is bleeding students to other states. How would you make Illinois’ public universities and colleges more competitive and financially stable?
Prioritizing education funding and continuing education programs to incentivize students in our state to attend Illinois colleges, universities, and trade schools has be a major talking point on the campaign trail. As an employee at Illinois State, I observed what the budget impasse has done to expedite our student exodus from Illinois schools. These are local and high-quality institutions that are well worth the investment by our state, and making sure that students stay in Illinois while pursuing higher education needs to be a top priority. Expanding MAP grant funding and access to MAP and accessibility to PELL grants to extend financial assistance to those not currently qualified. We must expand job training programs in order to have a workforce that remains attractive to businesses considering locating in Illinois. At the university level, we must end an era of cuts and underfunding which causes our population to celebrate a 2% increase despite a history of underfunding and unequal funding when compared to our other state schools.
Do you support legalizing recreational adult use of marijuana? Why or why not?
I believe it should be legal, regulated, taxed, and available to adults to smoke recreationally and should be available medicinally to those under the age of 21 by the prescription of a doctor - our focus should not be on the use of marijuana or as criminal justice but that of public health and decriminalization.
Illinois has many infrastructure needs. Do you support another comprehensive capital bill at this time? If so, how would you pay for it?
With a crumbling transportation network, investing in our infrastructure is another way to create jobs for thousands of Illinoisans. Repairing roads and bridges is an important part of investing in infrastructure, but this should include the 105th district as a potential transit epicenter in the heartland of Illinois and the Midwest. To pay for it, we must look at what will bring jobs back into the state. Beyond the sign of stability with a budget, small businesses provide more than 75% of new jobs in Illinois. In order to be successful, these businesses rely upon the GA's investment in Illinois’ future projects and long-term solutions rather than the "band-aid" repair which will not be longstanding.
Do you think Illinois’ business climate is adequately “friendly”? Do you think the state needs to make any changes to encourage businesses to move or expand in Illinois?
I think we are seeing a business climate which operates amongst a "friendly" understanding of limited trust. Without creating a dangerous spiral of incentive-based reasons for a company to move or expand in Illinois, I see the opportunity for the General Assembly to incentivize businesses investing in the professional development, facilities, and workforce of their companies in order to retrain, retain, and grow our population. While our schools train the next generation of job-seekers, businesses investing in their employees help retrain the nation to believe in Illinois as a state to lay foundations in.
