SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, a Riverside Republican making a bid for re-election against Democratic Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon of Carbondale. Here’s her background and stances on the issues:
BIOGRAPHY
Name: Judith Baar Topinka
Age: 70
Background: Former Illinois GOP chairwoman, three-term Illinois state treasurer, 2006 candidate for governor
Faith: Roman Catholic
Favorite Concert: Kingston Trio, Peter Paul and Mary
Most admired Illinois governor: Shadrach Bond
ISSUES
—Merging the office of the treasurer and the comptroller: “Consolidation of the state’s fiscal offices is a common sense change that will improve efficiency, save on personnel and operations cost and deliver the long term benefit of more timely state investments.”
— Making the comptroller’s office more efficient: “I have focused on modernization and operational improvements that not only make the office more efficient and transparent, but more cost effective,” Topinka said, citing changes including moving away from paper checks and requiring local governments to file financial reports electronically. In a second term, she said she would “continue to look for ways to use existing resources to raise awareness of the state’s fiscal challenges.”
— On the state’s 2011 income tax increase should be temporary, as originally promised: “I believe the tax hike must be phased out over time so that the state keeps its promise without blowing a multi-billion hole in its budget, which would lead to extreme cuts and even longer payment delays,” Topinka said.
