Beth C. Goncher, Illinois Senate 25th District Republican candidate profile

Candidate profile

Beth C. Goncher

Running for: Illinois Senate, #25

Political/civic background: I am very proud of my involvement in Republican Politics around the western suburbs which includes working with different elected officials, including Former Congressman Hultgren and Representative Tim Schmitz, both as a volunteer and as a full-time staff member. I have served as a volunteer board member for: The Compassion Foundation, SciTech Museum, and The RiverFront Playhouse in Aurora.

Occupation: Executive Director, Sugar Grove Chamber and independent consultant

Education: BA, Dominican University

Campaign website: bethforillinois.com

The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board sent candidates for the Illinois Senate a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues facing their districts and the state of Illinois. Beth C. Goncher 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 single mother, I feel blessed to have been able to focus on improving our community every day. My work locally has included constituent case work, community outreach, and helping to advance the legislative priorities on both the National and State level. I have also volunteered for many political candidates over the years, candidates who I know to be good public servants.

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.

1. Property tax relief

2. Rooting out corruption

3. Jobs

What are your other top legislative priorities?

Illinois government has always existed under the stigma of Chicago corruption, but recently this corruption has reached a fever pitch. Multiple indictments and FBI investigations have plagued the State Senate and State House this past year. It’s not just Mike Madigan, it is his allies and enablers in the Democratic Party that don’t want to rock the boat. Rooting out corruption should be the top priority for any state legislator in Illinois.

As a State Senator I will file the following legislation:

1. Banning state legislators from side gigs as lobbyists. It is entirely impossible to be objective if a legislator is also being paid to influence government.

2. Increasing penalties for legislators who do not disclose their financial interests as required by law and for those who violate ethics laws related to their office.

3. Term limits for legislators. The position of State Senator or Representative was never designed to be a career.

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

I am opposed to the graduated income tax as well as any tax scheme that allows the General Assembly to tax one group more than the next. The Democratic Party has made it clear that they believe everyone must pay more in taxes with the most recent evidence being the increased taxes and fees passed in 2019 (increased vehicle registration and fees, increased gas taxes, etc.) This capricious sliding scale proposed by the Democratic Party is designed to allow Illinois Government to pick winners and losers instead of treating everyone equally; the way our forefathers wanted.

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?

The State of Illinois is in a sorry financial state; that is not debatable. What is debatable is how do we find our way out of the red. I believe that a strong and growing economy coupled with a focus on fiscal responsibility will give us the tools to pay our debts down over time. To achieve a healthy economy, we need to provide business (both new and current) a long-term tax and regulatory structure to base a business plan on. We need to show job creators that we have reliable business environment if we want investment in our economy.

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

No. Taxing retirement income will drive our aging population to leave Illinois even faster than we are seeing now. They pay property taxes, sales taxes and are the same seniors that retire and give back to our communities through volunteering and mentoring programs. Why push these Illinoisans’ to look for greener pastures?

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

I think Illinois could do more to support the link between workforce development and the very valuable role our academic and business community can play in partnering with our elementary, middle schools and high schools to interest our future generations in industries the individual student may have never considered or had exposure to as well as shape a skilled future workforce.

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

If we are to curb gun violence in Illinois, the very first thing that needs to be corrected is the current FOID card structure. Currently, the State Police have a backlog of FOID card applications in the thousands. That is unacceptable. This backlog puts too much stress on the system to prevent gun violence from bad actors. We saw evidence of that in the aftermath of the horrific shooting in Aurora where the shooter should never be given a FOID card but somehow slipped through the cracks. A good place to start would be to have a third-party audit of the FOID card and Concealed Carry license process.

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

I believe in term limits. Elected office was meant to be a calling, not a career.

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?

I support a fair maps amendment. The voters of Illinois should be appalled that one party draws political district boundaries to protect their majorities. I believe that an independent third party should use computer systems to draw legislative district boundaries.

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?

Senate Bill 1639 along with the creation of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform are good first steps in addressing corruption in our state. But they are not enough and I suspect much of what has been done has been for show rather than a desire for true reform. One cause for alarm is the make-up of the commission. To have 12 members appointed by democrats and only 4 members appointed by republicans seems absurd to me. If our democrat leaders are serious about real change, they would allow for a more equitable make-up of the commission as well as allow legislation drafted to address the issue to move forward in the process rather than languish in committee. One example of this would be SB 2300, which would prevent members of the State Board of Elections from funding or controlling political committees.

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?

Technology is expanding at such a fantastic rate that it is hard to predict what unintended consequences may result. It is my understanding that companies are guided by federal and state regulations as well as case law regarding consumer privacy and identity theft. That being said, the legislature needs to take a proactive role when obvious misuse of data collected by technology companies comes to our attention. I stand committed to ensuring law enforcement have the tools needed to protect Illinois citizens.

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?

One of the initiatives the General Assembly most recently took action on is the Public University Uniform Admission Act. Under the act, High School students who graduate in the top ten percent of their class will automatically be accepted into State Universities.

There are also some students who would thrive by attending a trade school or joining the military. I believe the General Assembly should support and encourage programs that address these students as well.

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

I don’t believe there is a legislative solution for everything. As a Republican, I believe more needs to be done to support a path that will allow the state to partner with industry on conservation efforts. This is the earth we were given and there should be basic common sense environmental policies, and those policies should not be so onerous that we drive more businesses out of the state.

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 Ronald Reagan. Regardless of what one believes about his politics (which I strongly support), he used humor and empathy as a way of disarming and deescalating even the toughest of situations. I think we need more of that these days. Because, when that happens it opens the way to having a good, respectful conversation, especially among people who may strongly disagree with you.

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

Game of Thrones. I enjoyed the plot lines, the scenery, the way it wasI filmed and the characters.