Dupage Policy Journal

Republican House candidate Laura Hois is running to be the change she’s convinced Springfield so desperately needs.

“It’s embarrassing and shameful that the state of Illinois is internationally known for its corrupt politicians,” Hois told the DuPage Policy Journal. “When people can’t trust their government, fear and insecurity set in. We can turn Illinois around by electing honest candidates who will move us toward lower taxes and better economic opportunities for all.”

Running against incumbent state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) in the 81st District, Hois knows change won’t come easy, as evidenced by the findings in a new University of Illinois at Chicago study that concludes corruption now costs state taxpayers upwards of $556 annually. And since the turn of the millennium, that debt multiplies to well over $10 billion or roughly $830 per resident.

This year alone, at least four state lawmakers have been indicted on corruption charges, adding to the state’s long and sordid political history that includes four governors having been sentenced to prison over the last five decades. Presently, longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan finds himself cast as a central figure in the ongoing federal probe involving utility giant ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme.

“Talking with voters every day they say, ‘With Madigan in power nothing gets done. We’ll never get rid of Madigan… wish we could afford to move out,’” Hois added. “(Gov. J.B.) Pritzker’s fair tax plan will make things even worse.”

For real change to happen, Hois said she thinks voters will need to take matters into their own hands.

“Illinoisans must vote out self-serving politicians,” she said. “Those lawmakers have forgotten their duty to uphold the constitution and serve the people. If real ethics reform measures are not passed and implemented, Illinois will move from being last place in the nation financially to the last place state by any measure. Illinoisans deserve better. I’m running to bring common-sense solutions to fix our state.”