Candidate profile: Kevin Schmidt

Name: Kevin Schmidt

Age: 37

Hometown: Millstadt

Occupation: Chiropractor

Position seeking: 116th State Representative

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Website or social media page: www.schmidtforillinois.com

Why are you running and why should people vote for you? I am running for office because I am concerned about what the legacy of debt, over taxation and financial mismanagement is doing to our great state. We are robbing our children and grandchildren of their future. We have the worst credit rating of all 50 states. We have $6 billion in unpaid bills. We have the highest combination of state and local taxes in the nation. We have the third highest gas taxes in the country. We have the second highest property taxes in the country and we have the third worst funded pension systems in the nation. I am running because we need reform in Illinois. We have big problems that require big solutions. I will not take the legislative pension if elected. I believe in leading by example. The problems facing Illinois will not go away if they are ignored. It is time to get serious about the reforms we need. I am the reform candidate in this race.

What would your goals be, if elected? Career politicians have a made a huge financial mess in Springfield that needs to be cleaned up. We need to address the $137 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. We need to immediately put new hires on a defined contribution (401K type) plan as opposed to a defined benefit plan. We also need to look at ending compounding COLA’s and go to simple COLAs for retirees. Doing nothing is only going to make the pension crisis worse.

What issues are most pressing for your constituency? What I hear from people is their concern about where we are headed as a state. People in downstate Illinois are concerned about the far-left policies coming out of Springfield. Taxpayer-funded abortions, progressive income tax, which my Democrat opponent Nathan Reitz is on record of supporting, and gun control legislation are very troubling to voters in the 116th District. We need new leadership in Illinois. The Democrat majority is failing the citizens of Illinois. The Illinois come back starts in the 116th District with the election of a common-sense conservative like me who will advocate for the reforms we need to put our state back on track.

This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 3:44 PM.