As the Nov. 6 election approaches, students were recently afforded the opportunity to explore the connection between values and politics last month by engaging in a two-day interdisciplinary forum with Illinois State Senator and incumbent Dan Kotowski (D) and challenger Jim O’Donnell (R).
The candidates are running for the Illinois state senate seat representing the newly drawn 28th district that runs from Roselle east through Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Des Plaines, Rosemont and Park Ridge.
On day one, Kotowski gave an overview of his experiences in politics and what he looks to accomplish if he were to be re-elected.
“My top priority is to fully realize the spending reform law to make sure that when we’re making decisions in our state, we’re funding programs based on whether or not if they’re making a difference,” Kotowski said in an interview with The Guardian.
Kotowski also adds that student loans and tuition is a top priority among his agenda.
“I think what the young people want to see is that they want to have the opportunity to get an education that’s affordable and that allows them to get jobs in the future,” Kotowski said.
To support this, Kotowski has worked to provide relief for college students and their family by passing a bill that created the Higher Education Expenses Tax Credit to help families and individuals pay for a portion of undergraduate tuition expenses through a state income tax credit.
“What I want to see is more support connected to making college more affordable,” Kotowski said.
To counter, on day two of the forum, O’Donnell thinks that students need to think twice about what certain politicians are promising.
“I’d say that anybody running for state office right now that said ‘I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that with that issue,’ is telling you something that you want to hear,” O’Donnell said.
Rather, according to O’Donnell, a Park Ridge businessman who has never served in government and beat out Roselle Mayor Gayle Smolinksi in the March Republican primary, thinks that the key to solving most issues plaguing the district and the state, is to zero in on the economy and focus on improving the business climate.
“Over a period of time, we have to stabilize our finances and we have to improve the business climate,” O’Donnell said. “We can ultimately turn it around because what we have right now is that we’re in a death spiral.”
His plans to address the economy includes balancing the state budget, repealing the 2011 state income tax increase backed by Democrats, setting term limits for lawmakers and creating a positive economic climate and to reform Illinois into a more business friendly state.
Contrary, Kotowski cites his biggest accomplishment since taking office in 2007 is pushing for the state to live within its means.
“I feel like my biggest accomplishment is just changing the way business is done in our state and making sure that we for the first time ever we require the state to operate like a family or a business of the state must now live within its means,” Kotowski said “So I’m really proud of the fact that I got a law passed that completely reforms the way tax dollars are spent
By: Julianne Micoleta