Miller pushes for stricter penalties for political work on state government time
Dolton, IL – Illinois Comptroller nominee David Miller proposed increasing penalties to $10,000 in fines against elected officials and supervisors who force their state employees to do political work on state government time.
His new proposal stands in stark contrast with the record of his opponent, former Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, who was investigated for state employees performing her campaign work on the taxpayers’ dime.
Her 2006 gubernatorial campaign also accrued over $30,000 in fines and penalties from the Illinois State Board of Elections. Topinka recently called former Governor George Ryan’s crimes, which included the use of state employees for political work, “penny ante.”
Miller’s proposal comes after he vowed not to accept any campaign contributions from either employees of the Comptroller’s office or contractors who do business with the Comptroller’s Office.
Miller’s new initiative would toughen penalties for violations of sections 5-15 of the Illinois Ethics Act which currently prohibits political activities during state time. According to that act, a supervisor may not force a state employee to perform political activities at any time during state employment.
“Illinois taxpayers have been ripped off too many times by politicians who profit by making their employees do campaign work on state time,” said Miller. “Its critical for every statewide constitutional officer to help restore public trust in state government – a trust that’s been broken by the politics of the past. We need to move forward”
“I am running to turn the page in state government, to bring new energy and ideas to the office of Comptroller,” said Miller, who has announced several new proposals in recent weeks. “Trust is at the heart of public service, and this measure will help us restore trust in how we govern and how we serve the public.”
Progress Illinois, an Illinois-based political website, recently labeled the campaign for Illinois Comptroller as “the most substantively interesting of all statewide races this season … “ Miller has proposed creating a new online database that would include all government salaries (township, local, county, state) as well as financial information about the 1,000 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts in the state. For more information about David Miller’s issue proposals visit www.davidmillerforillinois.com
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