Politics & Government

Election 2012: Julie Morrison

West Deerfield Township Supervisor Julie Morrison of Deerfield is the Democratic candidate running against Republican Arie Friedman, a Highland Park pediatrician, to replace retiring state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest).

Julie Morrison is a Democrat running in the State Senate 29th District.

Position sought: Illinois State Senate - 29th District

Family: Husband Joe, Sons Michael and Mark, Daughter Katherine

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Education:.B.A., Knox College

Occupation: West Deerfield Township Supervisor (1997 - Present)    

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Political Party:  Democrat

Is there any additional experience you believe qualifies you for the position? I was appointed by both Governor Thompson and Governor Edgar to serve on, and eventually chair, the Governor's Statewide Advisory Council to the Department of Children and Family Services.  This experience has given me a keen insight into how important human services funding is.  

In addition, for the past 15 years, I have served as West Deerfield Township Supervisor.  During this time, I streamlined government, reduced waste, and kept taxes low.  Under my supervision, West Deerfield Township has developed a business climate that has attracted large corporations and helped small businesses thrive.  

By understanding our community’s priorities and maintain discipline, I have kept a budget balanced every year in office and managed to lower property taxes last year.  I want to take my experience as Supervisor to Springfield to institute these same principles."    Please reach my campaign at (224 )223-0742 and ask for my campaign manager.    "
My top priority will always be to accurately represent the needs and concerns of the 29th District.  Too often, legislators put party loyalty and special interests ahead of what is best for their districts.  The residents of the 29th state Senate district can count on me to put them ahead of lobbyists and party leadership.

Addressing Illinois’ massive budget deficit and looming unemployment numbers will be a top priority.  In Springfield, I will work to let the Quinn Tax Increases expire as planned, look internally to cut wasteful spending and legislative perks, and implement other common sense reforms to get our state back on track.  We need to make sure that every line in the budget – no matter how large or how small – is justified.  

In addition, the state needs to come up with a plan to deal with its growing pension liability.

Official Name of Committee: Julie Morrison for State Senate

What would your priorities be if elected to this office?  My top priority will always be to accurately represent the needs and concerns of the 29th District.  Too often, legislators put party loyalty and special interests ahead of what is best for their districts.  The residents of the 29th state Senate district can count on me to put them ahead of lobbyists and party leadership.

Addressing Illinois’ massive budget deficit and looming unemployment numbers will be a top priority.  In Springfield, I will work to let the Quinn Tax Increases expire as planned, look internally to cut wasteful spending and legislative perks, and implement other common sense reforms to get our state back on track.  We need to make sure that every line in the budget – no matter how large or how small – is justified.  

In addition, the state needs to come up with a plan to deal with its growing pension liability.

What are the most important issues facing your district and what would you do as a legislator to address them? I knock on doors almost every night and get to have one-on-one conversations with voters.  It has become one of my favorite parts of campaigning and has given me a new perspective on my district.

At the doors, I hear a lot about education funding, property taxes, and pension reforms.  I believe that these are all tied to Illinois fixing its budget.  Every dollar that we waste on a state level is a dollar that cannot go to local governments or into the pension fund.

As a state Senator, I want to streamline government and eliminate waste so that local governments get the resources they need to fund schools and keep property taxes low.  In addition, I want to implement the reforms discussed above to deal with our pension liability.

Illinois’ state government has a terrible reputation in terms of corruption. What would you do to change the culture of state government that has seen recent governors from both political parties convicted of felonies?  The best way for us to change the political climate is to limit the influence of outside money and special interest groups and increase government transparency.  In August, I released my “Open and Honest Government” proposals.  In it, I outlined three ideas that were meant specifically to address this problem.

First, I propose a one-year “cooling off” period in which retiring legislators cannot lobby the General Assembly.   Just this year, a number of state Reps and state Senators carried legislation for large companies and then retired to accept a job lobbying on behalf of those companies.  By forcing legislators to wait a year before lobbying, we can prevent “sweetheart” deals from being cut with future employers, and stop unfair political deals that can make legislators thousands of dollars.

Secondly, I propose that we ban General Assembly members from accepting compensation for lobbying county and local governments.  There are a number of General Assembly members who represent companies as they lobby cities, villages, and counties, and then get lobbied by those same companies in Springfield.  These types of deals are costing tax payers money and contribute to corruption in our state

Finally, I propose displaying committee votes on the ILGA website.  This will provide constituents with another tool to hold their elected officials accountable.  Too often, special interest groups aggressively lobby committee members to kill a bill before it ever sees the light of day.  By displaying how committees vote, constituents can force their elected officials to work for the district, not special interests.

Education in Illinois is funded primarily through local property taxes. What changes, if any, would make to that funding system? Our children deserve a school system that prepares them to compete in a 21st century job market.  The state provides sufficient funds for education but a large portion of that money never makes it into the classroom.  We need to cut administrative waste so that more money actually makes it into the classroom, make sure that lottery funding actually gets put towards education, and prevent teachers and administrators from taking multiple pensions.  We owe it to our children to protect education funding in Illinois.

I also support giving more budgetary controls to local governments and school boards.  This will allow school districts to appropriately budget for what the community needs.  What schools in our community need is much different than those on the South side of Chicago and in Southern Illinois.

Illinois recently passed a significant increase in its income tax, yet the state continues to run a deficit. What specifically should be done to reduce the deficit? For 15 years, I have kept a balanced budget in my township by identifying priorities, streamlining government, and eliminating duplicative services and positions.   The state of Illinois needs to do the same thing.

I believe that the state needs to look within government to cut a number of perks and streamline services.  I want to issue a “Desk Audit” in which an independent source would go through each agency and identify which positions can be cut or combined to reduce overhead.  In addition, I want to examine our state’s large number of Boards and Commissions to combine redundant or unnecessary positions.   I believe that we need to institute procurement reforms, cut legislator and agency director pay, and combine the office of the Treasurer and the Comptroller.  

Illinois’ unfunded pension liability is $83 billion. The state’s inability to address the issue recently led Moody’s to downgrade Illinois’ credit rating. What should be done to address the state’s rising pension obligations? In general, the General Assembly needs to take action.  This spring’s failed attempt to institute pension reforms is a perfect example of how partisan gridlock can derail necessary reforms.  For my whole career, I have worked with Democrats and Republicans alike to implement the changes that are best for the community.  In Springfield, the 29th District can count on me to reach across party lines to overcome partisan gridlock and get the job done.


More specifically, the state needs to balance talk with action in terms of pension reform.  I support a plan that would require retired state employees and General Assembly members to choose between a compounded COLA and access to government healthcare.  

I believe that we need to approach retired teachers and state university employees with a different formula as they do not receive social security.  I oppose shifting their pension burden onto local school districts.

Why would you do a better job representing the district than your opponent? If you are running unopposed, please just share why you are qualified for the position. I believe that my experience, my record, and my bipartisan moderate views make me qualified to be our district’s next state Senator. For over a decade, I have worked with community leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds – Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, union members, teachers, parents, and the list goes on.  This has prepared me to understand a variety of views and opinions instead of toeing the party line.  My opponent and I have very different brands of politics.  I believe my approach to politics will make me a better representative of the district in Springfield.


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