Ricky Gandhi, Illinois House 32nd District Democratic candidate profile

His top priorities include public safety, access to good schools and job creation.

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Ricky Gandhi, 2020 Illinois House 32nd District Democratic primary election candidate

Ricky Gandhi, Illinois House 32nd District Democratic primary candidate.

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Candidate profile

Ricky Gandhi

Running for:IL State Representative, 32nd District

Political/civic background: Economist for the Joint Economic Committee, US Congress; Economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics; op-ed contributor for Independent Voter Network and American Security Project

Occupation:Economist

Education: B.A. in Political Science, with Economics minor; B.S. in Biology, with Chemistry and Physics minors; MS in Economics and Policy Analysis -- all at DePaul University

Campaign website: rickyforil32.com

Facebook: @rickyforIL32

Twitter: @rickyforIL32

Instagram: @rickyforIL32


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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. Ricky Gandhi 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. 

I served as an economist with the Joint Economic Committee in the US Congress. While there, we worked on a plethora of issues, including protecting Social Security and Medicare from Republican-advocated cuts, promoting gun violence prevention research, and seeking to reduce the taxes on homeowners by increasing the SALT (State and Local Tax) deduction.

I also served on the board of Young Professionals in International Affairs, where we aimed to help young professionals navigate the D.C. landscape through networking events, discussion groups, and social outings.

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. 

Job opportunities, access to good schools, and public safety are the concerns I hear about most often when I speak to residents in the 32nd District. First, good local jobs are the anchors of strong families and healthy communities. This is why I am committed to promoting smart economic development by ensuring our state invests in local businesses, entrepreneurship, and job training for our residents. Second, we can all agree that strong schools make strong communities. I will work to ensure every neighborhood has fully and equitably funded schools and that our educators have the resources and support they need to provide every child an opportunity to succeed. Finally, our families and seniors deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods. I will work to prevent crime by supporting local investments, programs for youth, access to social services, job training programs, and access to affordable housing.

What are your other top legislative priorities? 

Our state is losing residents at an alarming rate. This is in part because of an unfair, regressive tax system that is not adequately funding vital human-services programs and local governments. We need to redefine our revenue structure such that the very wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share, and local working families are not forced to shoulder most of the burden.

Residents should have confidence in our government, and we need reform in order to restore that trust. I will hold the highest standards of honesty and accountability in state government, and work to end the legacy of corruption, harassment, and pay-to-play politics that has harmed our state for too long.

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

I am in favor of a graduated income tax; however, the current plan is more similar to two flat taxes rather than a progressive income tax. The marginal rate for those making $100,001-$250,000 is 4.95%, while the next income bracket’s marginal rate jumps to 7.75%. Compared to other states with progressive tax systems, none have such a big jump. A more progressive system should have more brackets, which could bring in more resources while also being more fair. That said, I will be supporting the Fair Tax initiative in the fall.

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? 

There are two ways to address this. One is to restructure the tax system to make it more fair and equitable and to prevent residents from leaving the state. For example, I support taxes on high end goods and services, increasing the real estate transfer tax, and removing restrictions from local governments from being able to levy these types of taxes.

The other is to expand the taxpayer base by providing ample, high-paying job opportunities, and investment in infrastructure and vital capital programs, which generate revenue for the state through increased economic activity.

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

Before committing to this policy, the state should invest in a study to evaluate the risk of accelerating flight to other states and to project how much income this would raise, and make a calculated decision from there.

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

We must first create a more fair funding mechanism for our schools that is less reliant on property taxes. Relying on property taxes creates inequitable funding across schools like we see in the city of Chicago or smaller suburbs. In south suburban municipalities, which have fewer businesses, it also creates a very heavy tax burden on homeowners.

Second, I’m an advocate for reducing the role of standardized testing. These tests have consistently been shown to be ineffective, and take vital resources and teaching time away from our students.

Finally, I’m in favor of updating our curriculum to better prepare our students in a globalized economy. That means emphasizing critical thinking skills, coding, languages, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) education.

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

First and foremost, we must address each type of gun violence with the appropriate action and resources. This means improving access to mental health to address suicides, which account for 60% of gun-related deaths. For gang-related shootings, we have to invest in communities to provide good paying jobs and stability to households. We should also empower local organizations on the ground focused on reducing violence and shootings. The legislature should also fund gun violence research to study which programs and laws are most effective in reducing gun deaths.

We can’t afford to do nothing. A report we worked on at the Joint Economic Committee found that gun violence costs Illinois $7.2 billion a year.

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

Term limits do not directly impact our greatest problems in government right now, which are corruption, and money in politics. In fact, elections function as a form of term limits when it is clear to voters that a lawmaker has done a poor job or betrayed the public’s trust. Furthermore, I’m uncomfortable with taking away the voter’s choice to reelect a lawmaker they believe has done an excellent job.

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? 

We must implement a fair maps system -- one created by an independent commission similar to California’s system. Voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around.

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? 

Adding disclosure and transparency is always a good thing, and I’m happy that it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Springfield definitely needs to do more, though. Chicago City Council recently approved a ban preventing aldermen from working as paid lobbyists, and barred other elected officials from lobbying the city. Springfield should do the same. Additionally, we need to implement a revolving door policy for all elected officials: a minimum five-year ban from lobbying activities after serving as a legislator and a one-year ban for staff of a legislator. We should also strengthen conflict of interest laws.

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? 

We can follow California’s lead by requiring companies to disclose the type of information they share to third parties. The Legislature can also empower consumers by allowing them to opt out of businesses selling their personal information.

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? 

Illinois will need to better fund universities to keep the costs of tuition low. In addition, the Legislature should encourage more aggressive recruitment of out-of-state students as Alabama has done in Illinois. Increasing overall enrollment will hedge against potentially lower enrollment figures in the future while also generating more revenue for universities that can be spent on scholarships and lower tuition.

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

We have to do as much as we can to combat climate change. Part of this includes expanding clean energy sources to improve air and water quality, both of which tend to be worse in communities of color.

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. 

Jane Addams. She not only broke barriers -- she crushed them. Her advocacy on social issues, peace, and providing services to community members should be emulated by everyone. She is my personal hero.

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

Game of Thrones is, I believe, one of the best shows of all time (though the last season was rushed in my opinion).

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