Jim Malone, Illinois House 66th District Democratic candidate profile

Candidate profile

Jim Malone

Running for: State Representative - District 66

Political/civic background: Village of Carpentersville Trustee; Precinct Committeeperson for Dundee 32; Treasurer of the Dundee Township Democrats.

Occupation:Sheet Metal Worker

Education: High School, Apprenticeship Training Program, SMART Local 265 (5 years), some community college.

Campaign website: JimMalone.com

Facebook: @MaloneForIllinois

Twitter: @MaloneFor66

Instagram: @maloneforillinois66

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. Jim Malone 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 a Trustee for the Village of Carpentersville, I’ve worked with members of the Board to keep property tax levies flat and to raise revenue in other ways. I volunteer at our local food pantries, donate to animal rescue organizations and advocate for less privileged residents in our community. I also volunteer for campaigns I feel will help strengthen our community.

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.

There is a very serious need for good-paying jobs in our district. The kind of jobs that will provide economic security and stability to residents and build up our tax base. Needed Infrastructure improvements could bring good-paying jobs and make our district more attractive to the businesses if done thoughtfully.

The State, not the property owners, should be the primary source of revenue for school funding. I will fight to get State funds for our schools to improve the education our children receive and alleviate the burden put on property owners.

Wealthy corporations need to pay their fair share and give back to the communities that make them successful rather than take from our communities or hold us hostage to corporate tax breaks.

What are your other top legislative priorities?

The rights of working people are the most important thing to me. We are the ones who make this country great, and I will be a voice for all working people in Springfield. I will fight to make sure our rights are protected and our contributions are respected.

What is your position on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax? Please explain.

I believe a graduated income tax structure will help with the Illinois revenue shortfall and is a more fair way of taxing income. The majority of states and the federal government agree. Middle and working-class residents have been paying more than our fair share for many years, and it’s time to fix that. If our legislators are serious about providing meaningful tax relief to residents this is where to start.

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?

I believe we should stop giving tax breaks to corporations who can afford to pay. Our State is losing revenue while many companies are making record profits. Every tax they don’t pay, the middle class has to make up for. If any full-time employee is unable to afford basic necessities, taxpayers of this state shouldn’t be asked to subsidize tax breaks for those companies. Companies need to prove annually with the jobs and wages they promised when they apply for their tax breaks.

Should Illinois consider taxing the retirement incomes of its very wealthiest residents, as most states do? And your argument is?

My concern with taxing retirement income is the slippery slope argument in that doing so would make it easier to start taxing retirement income of the not so wealthy.

What can Illinois do to improve its elementary and high schools?

Increase teachers pay to ensure we have good people teaching our children.

Mass shootings and gun violence plague America. What can or should the Legislature do, if anything, to address this problem in Illinois?

I believe in the Second Amendment as it is written and I support firearm safety laws such as background checks so people with a history of violence cannot purchase firearms. We also need to close the loopholes that exist in our current laws regarding gun shows and private sales.

Do you favor or oppose term limits for any elected official in Illinois? Please explain.

I believe we have term limits, the voting booth! We need to encourage more people to vote and make it easier and more convenient. Mandating that civics classes be taught in schools was a great start.

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?

District lines should more closely follow Village and geographical boundaries. In our district, boundaries include portions of many Villages but not full towns and that seems ridiculous to me and it confuses voters about who represents them.

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?

The number one concern for lawmakers should be enriching the lives of the people who sent them to Springfield and not themselves.

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?

I believe companies should not be allowed to sell or gather people’s personal information without their permission and people should be able to opt-out of this practice. The legislature needs to stand on the side of the people when it comes to issues of privacy and companies exploiting people to their benefit. Privacy policies should be simplified because people don’t read privacy agreements.

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?

We need to make tuition affordable and more competitive with neighboring states.

What is your top legislative priority with respect to the environment?

I believe a simple and important thing we could do is drastically reduce the use of single use plastic, like grocery bags.

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.

I admire Hillary Clinton because she devoted her life to public service, she takes a lot of bashing, but keeps going. She has been a First Lady, Senator, Secretary of State, and a Presidential Candidate. I believe she is someone young girls can look up to.

What’s your favorite TV, streaming or web-based show of all time. Why?

Star Trek - all of the incarnations. There are moral lessons, it takes you away from reality for a while, and it’s fun. Many times it shows the way humans should behave and gives hope for the future of mankind.