SE Illinois News

Republican state House candidate David Friess relishes the thought of being a wildcard in Springfield.

“If elected state representative, I will stand up to corruption from either party and will lead on reforming a broken system some politicians take advantage of for their self-interest, instead of their constituents' interests,” Friess told the SE Illinois News.

More and more, Friess, who is running against incumbent state Rep. Nathan Reitz (D-Steeleville) in the 116th District, sees a need for what he’s hoping to bring to Springfield.

The recent indictment of veteran state Sen. Terry Link (D-Indian Creek) on tax invasion charges makes him the fourth Democratic lawmaker to find himself facing criminal charges. Facing tax evasion charges, Link joins former state Rep. Luis Arroyo, who faces up to 10 years in prison, and state Sen. Tom Cullerton, who has been hit with a 41-count indictment on embezzlement charges. One-time state Sen. Martin Sandoval has already pleaded guilty to taking $250,000 in bribes from SafeSpeed, a red-light camera vendor.

And then there is longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan, who now finds himself implicated in an ongoing federal corruption probe involving ComEd in which it’s alleged bribes were steered to several of his close associates as part of a pay-to-play scheme aimed at currying favor with him.

“The fact that four lawmakers that have pushed for the so-called 'fair tax' are now being criminally charged is just another example of why Springfield politicians cannot be trusted,” Friess added. “They expect us to trust them and hand over more of our hard-earned money, but they refuse to hold their colleagues accountable for wrongdoings.”

As for the tax the governor continues to insist will only impact the state’s most affluent residents, Friess argues nothing about that calculation adds up.

“Springfield politicians cannot seem to live within their means, so I guarantee that taxes will eventually go up on all wage earners in the state and those with the financial means to do so will relocate to another state to avoid Illinois' crushing tax burden,” he said. “The progressive tax is a blank check for politicians to spend on whatever they want.”

Friess said he’s come to view the governor’s persistent push of his progressive plan as part of a trend where too many lawmakers look to take the easy way out.

“I think the governor continues to push the progressive tax because he and the Democratic majority don't want to do the hard work of balancing our budget and living within our means the way families have to,” he said. “Legislators must root out waste, fraud, and abuse in our budget and say no to more borrowing.”