Steven Reick, the Republican candidate for state representative in District 63, spoke about his conversations with voters recently.
"After I introduce myself to people, the first thing I do is ask them what would they want ... if they were running for this job, what would they want to do when they get to Springfield," Reick said. "That opens up the conversation to those very topics, and for the most part, people talk (about) property taxes and the effect that education spending has on property taxes (and) jobs, and a lot of people are very animated by the lack of a budget in this state. Those are the issues that seem to motivate people, who at this point are starting to pay attention to what's going to happen in the fall."
Reick said he continues to focus on the big three issues that face Illinois: education, jobs and property taxes. The state constitution mandates that the state pay for education; the local municipalities send most taxes to the state, leaving only property taxes to serve unfunded state mandates; and the rising property and business taxes are driving families and jobs out of Illinois to states with family- and business-friendly economies.
Recently, Reick said he added the increased health insurance rates faced by Illinois residents to the agenda. The skyrocketing premiums leave many residents with little choice in medical plans, and a few counties will have only one provider after Aetna announced it is leaving the Illinois marketplace.
Reick will face Democrat John Bartman of Marengo for Rep. Jack Franks' (D-Marengo) seat in the November general election.
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