Jillian Bernas, Republican candidate for House District 56, recently challenged Illinois’ “career politicians” to heed recent research indicating that most residents favor term limits, and to address their constituents’ needs once and for all.
Research by the Carbondale-based Paul Simon Public Policy Institute associated with Southern Illinois University (SIU) indicates that 4 out of 5 Illinois residents favor term limits, yet legislators in Springfield have thus far avoided bringing the issue to the table for a vote.
“Career politicians consistently ignore the people of this state,” Bernas said via her Facebook page. “This is a clear example of … ignoring the interests of the people they were elected to serve.”
Chicago Democrat Mike Madigan presents a prime example, having served as Illinois House speaker for all but two of his 33 years in public service as state representative. Candidates across Illinois have pledged to override professional politics and overcome Madigan’s block of term limits.
“Special interests and corruption have defined Springfield for far too long,” Bernas said. “This has led to insider deals and reckless spending policies that hurt hard-working families statewide. Even though an overwhelming majority of Illinoisans support term limits, career politicians refuse to bring the topic up for a vote because they would rather protect their power than listen to the people.”
Additionally, a citizens group had sought to place redistricting amendment on the November ballot in an effort to remove remapping from politicians’ domains and make the process nonpartisan. The group collected nearly twice the required 300,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot, but a lawsuit filed by a longtime Madigan associate prevented voters from being heard on the matter.
“I support term limits and as your state representative will make sure the interests of those in my district are correctly represented,” Bernas said.
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