Candidate profile
Daniel “Danny” O’Toole
Running for:State Senator; 10th District
Political/civic background:Community outreach on Chicago’s westside and southside; including youth sports and civic group organizations.
Occupation: Police Officer (Sergeant); Chicago Police Dept.
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing; University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
Campaign website: otoole4ilsenate.org
Facebook: otoole4ilsenate
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.
Community outreach on Chicago’s westside and southside; including youth sports and civic group organizations.
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. High taxes. 2. Crime rate. 3. More job opportunities.
What are your other top legislative priorities?
Fiscal responsibility, together with a lower tax burden on families. Bring more jobs to Illinois, and more people will relocate here. Fewer business regulations and lower business taxes are the way to go; in order to incentivize small and medium businesses to stay...and to come to Illinois.
What is your position on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax? Please explain.
Illinois problem is too much spending, not too little taxing. I will take the lead in the state senate to have a complete forensic tax-spending and tax-revenue audit.
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 am a fiscal conservative, the answer: More efficient spending, elimination of waste, fraud and abuse of our tax money.
Should Illinois consider taxing the retirement incomes of its very wealthiest residents, as most states do? And your argument is?
A conditional yes. So long as the threshold is above one million dollars. Reason: Illinois can use a one-time helping hand. However, only when the State makes permanent tax-spending reforms.
What can Illinois do to improve its elementary and high schools?
Follow the model of successful midwest States: Indiana, Iowa, and others.
Mass shootings and gun violence plague America. What can or should the Legislature do, if anything, to address this problem in Illinois?
Triple penalties for gun-offenders; simply brandishing a firearm should be automatic jail-time.
Do you favor or oppose term limits for any elected official in Illinois? Please explain.
Favor. Politicians should serve one or two terms, then return to their previous occupations.
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?
Yes; Democrats in Illinois resist doing anything about it. The Constitution should be changed to allow an independent commission to draw legislative boundaries. And the question should be placed on the ballot for voters to decide. I believe in giving voters a voice on changing the Illinois Constitution.
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?
Lawmakers’ serving as consultants or lobbyists on the side is wrong and it can lead to corruption. Any job dealing with legislative consulting or lobbying by lawmakers should be prohibited.
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?
Heavily fine companies and their executives if reasonable precautions are not taken to sucure personal data.
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?
Better prepare students with a quality education; and contain the rising costs of Illinois universities.
What is your top legislative priority with respect to the environment?
Educate the public on safeguarding our environment at every level.
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.
Being that I am a U.S. Marine, I admire George Rogers Clark, a military commander of the militia during the American Revolution for his devotion, contributions and fighting spirit.
What’s your favorite TV, streaming or web-based show of all time. Why?
A military drama called The Pacific, based on the memoirs of Eugene Sledge, Robert Leckie, and Chuck Tatum. It followed the 1st Marine Division and its historic battles in the Pacific, Okinawa, and the Battle of Iwo Jima. I like it because I am a former U.S. Marine.
