Candidate profile
R. Cary Capparelli
Running for: Illinois House 20
Political/civic background:Past Member-Illinois International Port District (governor appointed), 2000-2009, Chairman of the Legislative Committee, Chairman of the Marketing Committee, Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, Member of the Executive Committee.
Past Member (Public Member)-Illinois Banking and Real Estate Board (governor appointed), 1997-1999
Occupation: Self-employed (global management and marketing) and Instructor in Geography and Geo-Sciences (online), South Dakota State University
Education: BAJ - Drake University
MSJ - Medill, Northwestern University
MA - Northeastern Illinois University
PhD - Birkbeck, University of London
Campaign website: carycapparelli.com
Facebook: R. Cary Capparelli for Illinois House 20
The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board sent candidates for the Illinois House of Representatives a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues facing the state of Illinois and their districts. R. Cary Capparelli submitted the following responses:
Please tell us about your civic work in the last two years, whether it’s legislation you have sponsored or work you have done in other ways to improve your community.
As I have not been an elected official or otherwise the past two years, there is no new civil work to report at this time.
Please list three concerns that are specific to your district, such as a project that should be undertaken or a state policy related to an important local issue that should be revised.
The three major concerns specific to Illinois House 20 are largely the same as those throughout the State of Illinois. Two are specific to the economy: 1) the high rate of taxation suffered by our residents and 2) the unbalanced state budget that upsets the ability of its government to function in an effective and sustainable manner. The third concern is more specific to House 20, which is local to thousands of police and firefighters, whereas there is a constant need to support legislation that is friendly to this integral constituency.
What are your other top legislative priorities?
There are two top legislative priorities on my immediate agenda: 1) the overhaul of the state pension program, and 2) repair the state infra-structure. Both are a burden on every resident, not only in House 20, but the entire state.
Moving forward, the state must adopt a sustainable pension program for its employees meaning its present employee force is safe and grandfathered in. It’s no secret the present program is unhealthy and damaging to the state budget. Within the next 5-10 years, the state needs to implement a viable, non-expendable pension method like those in most private sectors.
Our highway and bridges throughout Illinois are in various state of disarray. The wife of the previous elected Representative (McAuliffe) for House 20 was awarded a $6.5 million public relations contract from the Illinois Tollway Board. This is ludicrous. The Illinois Tollway does not need public relations; it does need to repair roads and $6.5 million can fix a lot of roadway.
What is your position on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax? Please explain.
No, I would not support Governor Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax because its structure is unfair to some individuals and potentially suffocates business. Tax basis should encourage business and this is profoundly missing in Illinois.
Illinois continues to struggle financially, with a backlog of unpaid bills that tops $6 billion. In addition to a progressive state income tax — or in lieu of such a tax — what should the state do to pay its bills, meet its pension obligations and fund core services such as higher education?
High taxation is not the solution because it will only cause people to leave Illinois. Illinois needs better management, not committed to biased politics, that pledges to expend less by eliminating needless spending, determined to be more cost-effective, and functioning in a sustainable economy. In my opinion, as stated previously, its present pension program is a tremendous burden that needs to be overhauled. Higher education will always remain a top priority (this is answered in more detail below).
Should Illinois consider taxing the retirement incomes of its very wealthiest residents, as most states do? And your argument is?
Although I’d be ‘open’ to such an idea, we must be cognizant that it may cause a greater exodus from the state. It’s relatively easy for our wealthiest retired residents to find greater tax shelters and better weather elsewhere and should not risk losing this important income sector.
What can Illinois do to improve its elementary and high schools?
There are two parts to this answer: 1) respected teachers are grossly underpaid and newly generated income can be allocated to attract the best instructors and keep the ‘motivated’ ones that remain in the system; particularly at the elementary levels, and 2) at the high school level, course design should focus equally on trade education where there is a need and job availability after graduation.
Mass shootings and gun violence plague America. What can or should the Legislature do, if anything, to address this problem in Illinois?
Laws are in place in every state in the country to protect citizens but enforcement of those laws is lacking. There is a need for the House to protect its citizens by allowing law enforcement officials to do their job and for the judicial system to imprison those who commit high crimes. If there is ‘something’ hindering those processes then it is the responsibility of the Legislature to make law that will allow those agencies and the courts to be more effective to ‘serve and protect’.
Do you favor or oppose term limits for any elected official in Illinois? Please explain.
I’m absolutely ‘for’ term limits.
In fact, I pledge not to serve more than 2 two years terms.
Career politicians are inclined to favor special interests and oneself, and do not serve society justly overall.
Everybody says gerrymandering is bad, but the party in power in every state — Democrats in Illinois — resist doing anything about it. Or do we have that wrong? What should be done?
Gerrymandering is very wrong. It’s a deliberate and unfair process designed to protect individuals and groups but not in the best interest of everybody. It’s ridiculous to view maps of districts that have no sense of true measurement.
Districts needs to be building blocks proliferated by population with distinct lines that are easily identifiable.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago is investigating possible official corruption by state and local officials. This prompted the Legislature to pass an ethics reform measure to amend the Lobbyist Registration Act (SB 1639). It was signed into law in December. What’s your take on this and what more should be done?
No doubt, I’d support any ethics reform that has real substance. Reiterating, any ethics reform bill must have a strong code of integrity that can not be pierced.
And, no retired legislature or elected official should be allowed to be a lobbyist for a minimum of 5 years after that person has left the House, Senate, or other state office.
When people use the internet and wireless devices, companies collect data about us. Oftentimes, the information is sold to other companies, which can use it to track our movements or invade our privacy in other ways. When companies share this data, we also face a greater risk of identity theft. What should the Legislature do, if anything?
Privacy, or lack of privacy, is a growing matter and a great concern. In short, the Legislature needs to protect its citizens by limiting most, if not all, information presently allowed to be shared by these companies. Furthermore, state government needs to create a realistic violation policy for companies that breach law and invade privacy to encourage them to only use information responsibly.
The number of Illinois public high school graduates who enroll in out-of-state universities continues to climb. What can Illinois do to make its state universities more attractive to Illinois high school students?
This is a difficult question to answer because it is a situation experienced by other states. Universities are now advertising extensively for new students outside of its own territories and a new competition has been established.
Academic creativity is a possible solution because it can promote new kinds of education based on future job demand.
Geography is one example whereas GIS (Geographical Information Systems) has now dominated traditional courses and a new name, Geo-Sciences, is now utilized at some schools. GIS has opened up a new realm in employment possibilities.
What is your top legislative priority with respect to the environment?
Environmental priorities are often inter-twined because past damages to our environment are compounded. My top concern is water - polluted water. It is imperative we begin to clean up our waterways and the dumping areas that have surround a water systems. Water management is often overlooked but water, like air, is needed to live.
What historical figure from Illinois, other than Abraham Lincoln (because everybody’s big on Abe), do you most admire or draw inspiration from? Please explain.
This is a big question because nobody has attained the stature of Abraham Lincoln in Illinois.
That said, Illinois does have some prominent people that can be honorably mentioned like Chief Black Hawk of Sauk, author Ernest Hemingway, President Ronald Reagan (all from Illinois), and President Ulysses Grant lived in Illinois.
As I share my birthday with Abe Lincoln, I can draw some inspiration from that situation.
What’s your favorite TV, streaming or web-based show of all time. Why?
Per se, I typically only watch the news and Blackhawk hockey games because that’s my interest and what my time allows.
