Republican candidate Rod Drobinski recently challenged his opponent, State Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Dist. 62), to choose Illinois over party affiliation by supporting House joint resolution (HJR) 158, which calls for State Auditor General Frank Mautino's removal from office amid state and federal investigations.
After taking office in October, Mautino's campaign spending fell under scrutiny by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Illinois Board of Elections. In addition, Mautino allegedly continued to collect campaign funds after taking office, even though the auditor general is not allowed to participate in politics.
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State Rep. Dwight Kay (R-Dist. 112) and more than 20 co-sponsors filed HJR 158, which calls for the removal of Mautino from office. They took action after asking Mautino to take unpaid leave. Mautino also has refused to answer the legislators' requests for information about his campaign's financial irregularities.
"As someone who voted to make Frank Mautino Illinois’ auditor general, Rep. Sam Yingling should be shocked at Mautino’s alleged misconduct," Drobinski said. "By refusing to answer questions, Mautino has broken the trust he needs with the people of Illinois to effectively carry out his duties as auditor general. Instead of calling on Mautino to testify or step down, Rep. Sam Yingling has remained silent. Sometimes, our representatives in Springfield need to choose the integrity of Illinois over protecting a member of their party. This is one of those times."
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