SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Democratic Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon of Carbondale is making a bid for Illinois comptroller against incumbent Judy Baar Topinka, a Riverside Republican. Here’s her background and stances on the issues:
BIOGRAPHY
Name: Sheila J. Simon
Age: 53
Background: Carbondale City Council member, Illinois lieutenant governor.
Faith: Roman Catholic
Favorite Concert: Dwight Yoakam, at the 2012 Du Quoin State Fair
Most admired Illinois governor: Henry Horner
ISSUES
— Merging the office of the treasurer and the comptroller: “The two offices don’t need a constitutional amendment to find ways to work together to save tax dollars,” Simon said, adding that if elected, she plans to share a review with the incoming treasurer to find “areas of redundancy between the two offices and attempts to save the state money.”
— Making the comptroller’s office more efficient: If elected, Simon said she would push for more transparency in terms of which vendors have their state payments expedited by the office. Simon said she would set “objective standards” and “issue a regular report on expedited payments and the rationale behind moving certain bills to the front of the line.”
— On whether the state’s 2011 income tax increase should be temporary, as originally promised: “Letting the extension expire all at once would mean devastating cuts to education and public safety,” Simon said, adding that she “favors phasing it out balanced with spending cuts and new revenue from a move to a fair tax system or a millionaire tax (like the one posed on November’s ballot).”
