Lake County Gazette

Ken Idstein likes the idea of being part of the movement that changes the nature of Springfield.

“Too often, Springfield's reaction to problems is to throw money at it and hope that it goes away,” Idstein told the Lake County Gazette. “They have demonstrated little care for how we are going to pay for these Band-Aids and, unfortunately, do not provide oversight for their expensive solutions. They ought to provide more oversight and accountability for the return on these investments.”

Idstein, running against incumbent Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) in the 62nd District, points to the sexual abuse scandal now rocking the halls of the Chicago Public School (CPS) system as an example.

At least 40 CPS students have been sexually abused by other students while on school grounds over the last decade, and nearly just as many have been victimized by an adult predator at the school during the same time frame. Teachers and coaches are among the tormentors, a Chicago Tribune special investigation recently uncovered.

In the case of the student-on-student sexual misconduct, nearly half of the victims were special-needs pupils.

As an elected official, Idstein vows that he will demand more oversight from state lawmakers as part of the funding they provide the long-troubled CPS system over the years.

“I believe that it is the responsibility of the general assembly to demand accountability across all school districts throughout the state to include Chicago,” he said. “Families place their faith in our public education systems to protect their children while they are in their care. We cannot allow any instance of failure to be acceptable.”

Idstein senses the people of his district and across the state are growing weary of being repeatedly forced to bail out the city, especially given that they rarely see any viable solutions to all the dysfunction, he said.

“Chicago's failures are continually paid for by Illinois residents who live outside of the city,” he said. “For that investment, there must be both oversight and accountability to ensure that there is demonstrable progress that is being achieved. Without that necessary oversight, the rest of the state is paying for things for which they cannot account for.”

The fact that it's children who are being abused only makes dealing with the incompetency harder to stomach, Idstein said.

“The government needs to be accountable for the way that they spend the taxpayer's money, especially when the stakes involve the safety of Illinois schoolchildren,” he said.

Idstein said that Yingling has been too busy serving House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) to even put forth any ideas as possible solutions.

“My opponent has stood dutifully behind Speaker Madigan during his tenure in the House and it is time for the 62nd District to be represented by someone who will serve their interests,” he said. “Oversight comes with independence, and my opponent's record is clear that his positions are dependent upon what the political bosses in Springfield tell him to do.”

The 62nd House District includes parts of Avon, Fremont, Grant, Lake Villa, Warren and Wauconda.