“All politics is local.”
It’s a saying made famous by former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, Jr., and it’s very true.
There hasn’t been a time in Illinois’ history where its financial situation has been so dire. With a debt estimated at more than $13 billion and no plan in sight to fix it, the state’s financial situation is sure to have a tremendous impact on every school.
And, that’s why the IEA has posted a list of candidates recommended by its IPACE committee.
As an organization, IEA uses its collective voice to try to shape public education policies that impact you and the students in your classroom and school. Every education decision is a political one and that’s why it’s so important that as an IEA member, a person with a deep interest in having strong and successful public schools, you vote in the Feb. 2 primary election.
The IEA Board of Directors approved a list of recommended statewide candidates last weekend.
The IPACE/IEA-recommended candidates include Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes as the recommended Democrat candidate for governor, State Sen. Kirk Dillard as the recommended Republican candidate for governor, and State Rep. David Miller for state comptroller.
The recommendation process
Each candidate for statewide office submits a questionnaire to the IPACE executive committee and then comes in for in-person interviews. IPACE takes great care in being bipartisan. Then the committee makes its recommendations and submits those recommendations to the IEA board. The board met Friday and ratified those recommendations.
You can read about the IPACE procedures to find out more specifics.
Print it out!
Please feel free to use the 2010 primary candidate recommendation list when casting your Feb. 2 vote. Candidates become office holders. Office holders are policy makers. And, it’s the policy makers who decide what happens in the classrooms of this state.
This is the connection between policy, politics and you.