Illinois House 64th District Republican nominee: Tom Weber

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The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board sent nominees 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. Tom Weber submitted the following responses:

Please explain what cause or causes you will make priorities.

Weber: High Taxes and Workmans Compensation reform. I speak with many residents and small business owners. These are both main drivers of why residents and businesses are leaving our state. Pension Obligations are also a priority. Many retirees are concerned about their pensions. We need to make sure our promises are kept and fully funded.

Please list three concerns that are highly specific to your district, such as a project that should be undertaken or a state policy related to some local issue that must be changed.

Weber:

#1 Property taxes: This is highly specific to District 64 which covers much of Lake and McHenry County, 2 of the highest taxed counties in the nation and 2 highest in our state! The largest portion of the tax bill is going towards education. The state needs to fund 50% percent of education which I believe is possible if we can get spending under control.

#2 Jobs: The majority of our jobs in District 64 come from small business. We have a problem with many of our small businesses closing or leaving our state. We need Workmans Compensation Reform. I spoke with one small business owner who will save almost $100k per year on Workmans Comp. by moving over the border. We also need to address our roads and infrastructure. We have and outstanding workforce but businesses who need shoppers or want to get their goods to market look elsewhere after seeing much of the congestion on our roads. If you look to where there is economic growth and new business growth it is where they have fixed the roads and traffic problems. Nobody wants to sit in traffic while their loved ones are sitting at the dinner table waiting for them to get home.

#3 The Chain of Lakes and Fox River: The Chain of Lakes and Fox River have a huge impact on our local economies. More than $150 Million in tourism dollars are spent annually by people visiting and enjoying our natural resources. The Fox Waterway Agency cannot keep up with the amount of silt and debris that is flowing across our border. We need to address ways of filtering out and preventing the inflow of silt upstream and look at Federal Funding or grants to work on stabilizing our 500 miles of shoreline. Besides tourism the Chain of Lakes and Fox River is one of our most beautiful natural resources and houses many species of plants and wildlife that make Lake and McHenry County beautiful.

Who is Tom Weber?

• Lake County Board Member 2012-PresentChairman of Planning Building and Zoning Committee
• Government Reform Implementation Committee
• Law & Judicial Committee
• Health and Community Services
• Rules Committee
• Ethics and Oversight
• Storm Water Management Commission Alternate
• Northwest Wholesale Policy Advisory Board Alternate
• Lake County Forest Preserve District Board 2012-PresentLand Acquisition Committee
• Planning Committee
• Liason: Youth Conservation Corps Board of Directors
• Professional and Community Involvement Past and PresentBusy Brains Children’s Museum Board of Directors
• University of Illinois Extension Advisory Council Vice Chair
• University of Illinois Extension Foundation Board
• Round Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
• Lake Villa & Lindenhurst Chamber Commerce
• Lake Villa Township Lions Club
• Lake Villa Historical Society
• B.E.S.T Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together
• Lake County Farm Bureau
• Lindenhurst Kiwanis Club
• American Aid Society of German Descendants

What are the most important differences between you and your opponent?

Weber: I believe there are many differences. I was born and have lived my entire life here in the district. I have been a small business owner for over 22 years and understand what most small businesses go through. I am very active in the community and have a track record when it comes to serving others.

I have worked with my fellow board members to maintain a balanced budget and AAA Bond Rating from Standards and Poors. I have experience as an elected official for past 6 years. I have worked across the isle on many issues. It was Steve Mandel (Democrat) and I which led the charge on abating a Forest Preserve surplus of $1.3 Million.

I have already worked on educating the public on the Opioid Epidemic by holding 2 public forums for my district. I have worked with our local Township Assessor to hold public forums to educate residents on how to appeal their property tax assessment before and after I was elected.

I have fought against unconstitutional legislation from Springfield. As an elected official I have worked hard to build relationships and bring our different government bodies together to work on projects that benefit our residents.

SUN-TIMES 2018 ILLINOIS VOTING GUIDE

Illinois is now the sixth-most populated state, down from No. 5, after 33,703 people moved out between July 2016 and July 2017. What must the Legislature do to make Illinois a more desirable place to live?

Weber: You can’t blame people for leaving our state when jobs move away, income tax increases and real estate taxes exceed their mortgage payments. We have many high school graduates going to college. Many find more affordable education in other states. When they graduate and look at the job market and the cost of raising a family in Illinois, they look for employment elsewhere. People will stay if they can get a good job.

Besides Workman’s Compensation reform, there needs to be an aggressive plan to actively reach out and engage business owners and corporations to see what we can do to make Illinois their home. We need to listen and work to provide what’s necessary to attract new businesses and encourage more small business growth. Tax payers are demanding relief on income taxes and property taxes. The state of Illinois continues to spend more money than it takes in. If the State would hold the line on new spending, eventually the revenues would catch up to expenses. All new Legislation needs to have a dedicated funding source.

We need Pension Reform, audit Medicaid, Repair and modernize our roads and bridges, review how other states are funding education without putting the majority of the local tax burden on property owners and continue to preserve and maintain our natural resources.

In 2017, our state’s unfunded pension liability ballooned to more than $130 billion. What’s to be done about that?

Weber: Exploding pension cost is one of the major causes of our financial problems. If these funds would have been properly funded over the years we would not have this problem. This is one reason why we need new leadership. This should have been a priority. I would then recommend that all elected officials be encouraged to move into a 401(K) style program. All new state hires should be enrolled into a defined benefit program. I would recommend that we look at the benefits and salaries of similar private sector jobs and bring the state more in line with those benefits. We should also ensure that there is consulting/advising available, so workers can make plans accordingly with their retirement. This will give retirees more flexibility on how to use their retirement benefits. It is important that we ensure existing pensions are protected yet taxpayers are treated fairly.

From 2000 to 2016, the number of Illinois residents who enrolled as college freshmen outside the state increased by 73% (20,507 to 35,445). Why are so many more Illinois residents going to college elsewhere? What should be done to encourage more of them to go to school here?

Weber: This problem has been self-inflected. For decades, Illinois colleges and universities have prioritized administrators over students, overspending on bloated bureaucracies and expensive compensation, all the while hiking student tuition. A 2015 report by the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus concluded: “Much of this [increase in tuition and fee] revenue growth has been used to support an increasingly larger bureaucracy and excessive administrative salaries.” That has made higher education in Illinois unaffordable for too many of Illinois’ students, especially those with limited means.

As a result, Illinois students have been forced to look for opportunities elsewhere. Hard decisions will have to be made. 10 years ago pension benefits made up 20% of the budget, 10 years later 53% of the 2017 $4.1 billion dollar higher education budget goes to pensions. We need to look into why these universities are hiring administrators and staff at over 50% faster than hiring professors. Again, we need pension and benefit reform and address the size of some of these administrations.

What laws, if any, should the Legislature pass to address the problem of gun violence?

Weber: Illinois already has some of the strictest gun laws in our nation but there are many things we can do to protect our schools.

Schools face safety challenges in many areas. Many of our school facilities were built before these acts of violence were so frequent. Many of them were not equipped with security systems or alarms on all doors etc. I believe these issues need to be addressed so that we can limit access into our school buildings. School boards need to take action and remedy these security issues.

Next I believe our schools should work with local law enforcement to have emergency personnel ready to respond in a timely manner to emergencies. On the Law and Judicial Committee on the Lake County Board we have discussed these issues with our Sheriffs Department and have approved contracts with local districts to have a Resource Officer on site. I am not recommending security guards or retired police but active deputies who are armored and trained to engage any threat that may arise. At the same time be able to have a relationship with the students so they will come to them with any problems or perceived threats.

We also need to have adequate mental health services for our children and their families. We need to have increased access to these services and increased communication between them. One main problem is the ability for these agencies, the schools and law enforcement to have interagency communication and share data. It is critical that our educators are able to share information with law enforcement agencies and mental health providers that can be used to prevent violence.

On-demand scheduling software now helps large retail companies determine how many staff members they will need on a day-to-day or even hour-to-hour basis. The downside is that employees may not receive their work schedules until the last minute. Oregon and a number of cities have responded by adopting “fair scheduling” laws. Would it be appropriate for the Illinois Legislature to pass a “fair scheduling” law? Please explain. What would such a law look like?

Weber: No I do not believe Illinois should pass a law especially one like HB 5046. Laws like this make assumptions that all small businesses function the same way. Many businesses have to adjust workforce on a day to day basis.

Should recreational marijuana be legalized in Illinois? Please explain.

Weber: No. As a county board member, I has hosted forums to help bring awareness to the current opioid issue and let families know where to go to get help. I have heard many times that marijuana is a gateway drug to opioid addiction. I also look to our experts who are aware first hand of what’s happening in states where marijuana is legal.

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police are strongly opposed to legalizing marijuana and have compiled a lot of compelling data. In Colorado marijuana related traffic deaths have more than doubled when a drive was positive for marijuana, in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia marijuana is now the leading cause for drug treatment among 12-17 year old youth and since legalization violent crime has increased 18.6%. NO we should not legalize marijuana in Illinois for recreational use.

Opioid overdoses and fatalities continue to rise in number. In Illinois in 2017, there were 13,395 opioid overdoses, including 2,110 deaths. What should the Legislature do, if anything, about this?

Weber: I have been working to help the public be more informed and educated on the opioid problem in Illinois. As a county board member, I have hosted forums to help bring awareness to this issue and let families know where to get help. Having treatment programs and support available for those with addiction is very important. Often times it will take up to 7 times in treatment before the treatment is successful.

As State Representative I want to continue to do outreach and work with other agencies to make sure we expand our points of access so that people suffering from addiction can get the care that is needed. I will also work for ways our state can assist our local law enforcement. We need to put a stop to the criminals bringing these drugs into our communities. State police need to work together with our local law enforcement agencies to stop the flow of these drugs into our communities.

The Future Energy Jobs Act, passed in 2016, is generating job growth in renewable energy and improving energy efficiency. Do you agree or disagree with the objectives and substance of the Act? What more — or less — should be done?

Weber: I think ComEd and Amerien have a big task ahead of them and I believe it will save our residents money. Providing education initiative to train workers for energy jobs and at the same time help consumers to cut their utility bills is a good thing. I particularly like the ability for consumers to receive a loan to do energy upgrades and repay it through their utility bill. The program is still new and like all others should be reviewed annually to ensure the Act is performing as expected.

What would you do to ensure the long-term viability of the state’s Medicaid program? What is your view on managed care for Medicaid beneficiaries?

Weber: We have a lot of problems with our Medicaid program. We need to track our costs and make sure we are not overpaying service providers and perform an audit make sure recipients of the program are eligible for the benefits they are receiving. I believe by expanding the health and wellness programs we will save money. On the county level we have been able to save on health care costs by are Wellness program and getting our employees more engaged in their own health through exercise and healthy living. I believe with managed care we can save money.

Underfunding at the Department of Corrections has led to troubling findings by the auditor general that many inmates don’t receive services or opportunities for work while incarcerated. Is this a legitimate concern? What should the Legislature do?

Weber: One of the main issues we deal with in our jails is recidivism. Often times the concern is mental illness and recieving treatment upon release but sometimes the issue is not having a job. I believe that in some cases training an inmate to do a job so that they can have possible placement upon rentry to society we may be able to save money long term by helping them become productive members of society. I would have to look more into the cost and budget for the program to better understand the issue and make an educated decision.

Should the state restore the practice of parole for people sentenced to long terms? Why or why not?

Weber: My first and foremost concern is for the public’s safety. I think giving a blanket answer yes or no is not something I can’t do by doing a little research on my computer. Different crimes should be treated different ways and I want to see the success rates, likely hood of recommitting serious crimes and many other questions. This is something that I imagine has been discussed at length in committees and I have not been part of those discussions.

Ahead of the historic 2018 elections, the Sun-Times is teaming up weekly with the Better Government Association, in print and online, to fact-check the truthfulness of the candidates. You can find all of the PolitiFact Illinois stories we’ve reported together here.