In January 2024, Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ editors emailed a questionnaire to candidates in contested March 19 primary races for the Illinois General Assembly, requesting biographical information as well as their views on issues ranging from corruption in state politics to Illinois’ longstanding pension crisis. Answers have been lightly edited for typos, minor grammar and consistency in styling, but not for content or length. Age was calculated as of Feb. 6, 2024.
Dave Nayak: A recent study in the Department of Political Science at UIC reported that Illinois is the 3rd most corrupt state in the United States. Moreover, the Better Government Association found that ethical oversight of the Illinois Legislature to be rather soft comparatively to other U.S. state legislative bodies.
Currently, the Legislative Ethics Commission (LEC) and the Legislative Inspector General (LIG) are responsible for the oversight of the Illinois Legislation. Interestingly, the LEC is comprised of Illinois Legislators, the same group of people needing oversight. This must change immediately. We need a LEC that is comprised of neutral, apolitical individuals who can investigate wrongdoing of our elected officials in the Illinois State Legislature to limit bias and conflicts of interest.
The LIG is appointed by Illinois Legislators in Leadership positions. Therefore, the LIG cannot be an entirely neutral party, especially if the LIG is investigating those who are responsible for their appointment.
Our Illinois Legislative body MUST create the Division of LIG, that is comprised of a group of Legislative Inspector Generals, appointed by a neutral party. The Division of LIG should be a state-funded department comprised of capable individuals and staff who are committed to rooting out the long-standing corruption in Illinois politics.
Dave Nayak: As a legislator, my goal is to ensure that we responsibly grow our pensions in the coming decade because our purchasing power will drastically decrease due to past (and future) FED and US Treasury fiscal and monetary policies.
The majority of federal funds provided by the CARES Act to the State of Illinois will end in Fiscal 2024. We can create additional revenue streams for pensions by creating an economic environment of fiscal growth, especially within this current recessionary climate. We must cut taxes for the working classes, trim governmental spending of low reward-on-investment projects and aggressively reclaim the lost revenue owed to Illinois General Revenue.
We can reclaim a larger middle class by investing more into Illinois infrastructure, growing trade schools which will continue to create a diverse investment into our communities, and I fully support new revenue streams to meet pension obligations.
Dave Nayak: We need to build vertically. I would like to create more cranes in the sky. Each crane brings almost 20,000 additional jobs to the community. Unfortunately, job growth has been anemic in the City of Chicago. We must invest in creating and supporting existing trade schools, we must take advantage of improving liquidity conditions in order to provide capital to those small businesses, entrepreneurs and companies who are willing to hire local, support our trade unions and labor unions. Illinois is stronger together and its our unbelievable diversity that will provide the stimulus for future growth.
Dave Nayak: Yes.
Dave Nayak: For years, I have been blessed with opportunities to serve the people of our district and city. As doctor, I have been providing free medical care for those without medical insurance who live in and nearby Chicago’s Northwest Side. I am also a farmer who feeds hundreds of thousands of food insecure people in Chicago and across Illinois with my sweet corn and green beans donations. This harvest season, my Nayak Farms Hunger Initiative will feed about 250,000 people.
As a 20th District resident, I have written and passed legislation in the Illinois State Legislature that has helped our community. On July 1st, 2023, a law I wrote, named the Mychal Moulty Jr. Funeral and Burial Assistance Act will go into effect. This new law will provide up to $10,000 grants for families whose children have been murdered by gun violence. Parents and guardians will now have the necessary funds to pay for the respectable funerals and burials their murdered children deserve.
Dave Nayak: I am running because understand the pain our communities are experiencing with the boot of injustice pressing upon their throats. The people of the 20th District constantly knock at the doors of our leaders for assistance, only to have those knocks go unanswered. Know this — when our constituents knock on the door of my offices, they will always have our team welcome them.
My mission is to provide a nourishing piece of life’s bread to tide our people over during their struggles. I will provide the bread of hope, the bread of love, and the bread of faith that there are leaders who STILL deeply care for our people.
In the darkness of midnight, I will be the friend to the friendless, provide hope to the hopeless, and most importantly, will help rejuvenate the faith to the faithless that our officials in power understand and seek to ameliorate our constituent’s pain.
It is during the darkest hours of our struggles that our first minutes of victory occur. And that time is now.
I look forward to continuing the historic legacy of the 20th District Senate seat as the first Asian-Indian State Senator from the 20th District. I will continue to foster relationships with our constituents, fight to reduce their pain, bring back resources via legislation, provide essential services, keep our community safe and promote economic prosperity.
