A dozen volunteers are milling about the office this weekday morning. There doesn’t seem to be a place left to sit. One volunteer, on a cell phone, is pacing back and forth, “good morning, I’m calling from the campaign for Ann Williams…” he says for the fourth time.

On a cabinet, near some coffee, is a box of donuts. A lonely sprinkled donut sits waiting to be devoured.

The office steams with heat and activity. I’m asked to wait for the candidate. Eventually I make my way past the campaign workers into a quiet rear office. It seems bigger after the experience at the front of the store front. It’s vanilla walls surrounding Ann Willam’s desk.

Democratic contender for 11th state legislative district, Ann Williams. Credit: Jane Rickard

As we introduce each other Williams listens to my story of starting CenterSquareLedger. In part in involves being laid off in August 2008. “I can see the vacant store fronts driving down Lincoln,” Williams says. “Lot’s of people in the district have been laid off or lost hours.”

“I’m running as an independent candidate,” she says. “Neither Lisa (Madigan) nor Mike (Madigan) put me up to run and Mike supports a different candidate. I’d love Lisa’s support. But no one will tell me what to do.”

There’s a “feeling a lot of us share that elected representatives are not in it” for public service, Williams observes. “Public service is not about money or ego.”

“Several years ago people started crying about the state budget,” Williams says. “Political decisions drove” state planning. We stretched and stretched but now “reimbursements are running six months or more behind.”

“We need across the broad cuts,” she admits. We need to fix the state budget, “no matter,” she begins ticking off the problems of the state: underfunded pension fund, education, paying down debts. “We can’t just borrow, tax or cut our way out,” she says, “everything’s on the table” except an increase in the sales tax.

“I’m opposed to service tax increases” too she says. That leaves an income tax increase we ask? “You have to keep it on the table,” Williams says.

“I hope we can be more intelligent than to have an across the board cut.” Williams opposes another blue ribbon panel to study the budget issue noting that their reports are filed away and forgotten.

Among Williams’ pet projects is a long-term goal of moving coal-fired plants from the metropolitan area. “Realistically, coal is not going away,” she says. “But it shouldn’t be inside the city” either. “It’s a critical health problem,” Williams says.

“I think there’s ways to work with Downstate interests” to use and develop clean coal. “Let’s make it safe,” she says.

Williams asks if she can have a second pet project. In the open moment I realize she is paying attention to me. “It’s hard to ignore ethics in government,” she says. She notes the presence of a former governor residing in the district. “People are in” government “for the wrong reasons,” she insists.

She reflects back, “I was on the staff of the Illinois House in 1999. We passed ground breaking ethics reform then.” Williams notes that despite those efforts the state suffered through the administration of former governor Rod Blagojevich and his pay-to-play politics. “There was a contributions cap bill. The bill further entrenched the leadership,” she notes.

With the thought that sometimes laws have an effect opposite to their intent hanging in the air Williams addresses redistricting. “We need a computerized system,” she says. “Maybe it won’t be the best system, but it will dilute power” held by entrenched incumbents over time, she says.

She proposes that an office of open records be established. Pointing to a similar effort in other states she says such an office can be independently funded and run.

She also proposes that elected officials convicted of wrong-doing forfeit their public pension.

She moves on to another pet project, property tax reform.  “I believe that the way property taxes are currently assessed leads to unfair results. While our home values continue to drop, our property taxes keep rising. The current system does not accurately reflect the major fluctuations in home values that are taking place today,” she says.

“I’m trying to understand the assessment, how it works,” she admits. She favors restoring the seven percent cap and proposes a hard look at Tax Increment Financing Districts.

“TIFs are easily abused,” she says. Williams catalogs a history of working on TIFs noting that economic development from TIF can be good. “But TIFs are being established right and left,” she says. “We need to tighten up the TIF laws to prevent abuse and to provide better transparency to the public.”

She finishes with another hope. “I support gay marriage and equality in marriage,” she says.

“I understand the process. I can build bridges,” she notes. “I can do that.”

Tags: Ann Williams