Recommendation - Weak
Pending Further Info
(More detail needed on Meaning Reform Plans)
Awaiting Candidate Questionnaire response
to provide further clarity.
For all of Mr. Dillard's experience in state government and talk about what he and Jim Edgar did, it is troubling that his campaign web site is extremely weak on specifics in the area of reform. It seems he expects citizens to just accept his generalities without real detail. In the area of government reform and ethics, the most important foundational issue at hand in Illinois today, Mr. Dillard has only the following vague sentences on his web site:
"Setting the Example on Ethics - Everyone is talking about ethics, but it was Kirk Dillard who was the chief sponsor of the first true ethics reform package in a quarter century. That's just one of the reasons that the Springfield State Journal-Register said that Senator Dillard is "one of the more honorable, affable and respected people in state government."
What is the "first true ethics reform package" Mr. Dillard refers to? It would be very easy to link to further information and enlighten citizens. Also, the most important thing is what is he is going to do if elected not a vague comment about the past which has clearly been a failure given the Blagojevich scandal. Also, what about this Springfield State Journal-Register quote? A link to the article would be nice. An attempt to Google search for this quote found only it's mention on Mr. Dillard's web site.
Given the mess Illinois is in and given that Mr. Dillard has been a career politician in that mess for decades we should settle for nothing less than details from him that show that he would fight to truly reclaim Illinois from the clutches of the culture of corruption. Those details are not here and an endorsement from Jim Edgar is certainly not nearly enough to spend our vote on!!
Let's remember, the point is to elect a strong new leader with honor, integrity and respect. One who is not afraid to propose as well as support bold ideas for meaningful reform moving forward.
If a leader can't get a handle on the culture of corruption thus leaving the tainted in control how can we expect that this leader will somehow miraculously achieve real success elsewhere.
On a brighter note, Mr. Dillard's "Destination Economy" plan which, buy the way includes using zero-based budgeting and has potential for success.
Recommendations to the Candidate
Mr. Dillard, If you are really sincere about reclaiming Illinois from the culture of corruption and being the strong leader Illinois needs propose detailed, meaningful and strong reform proposals as well as endorse efforts such as getting the legislature reforming PutBack Amendment on the ballot for the people to decide in November.
The people deserve details and specifics before giving you their vote on Feb. 2nd.
Citizens Take Action
First, Contact Mr. Dillard and let him know that he needs to be specific, truthful and clearly show that he has the backbone to root out corruption including by supporting such efforts as the petition drive to get the PutBack Amendment on the ballot for the people to decide in November. Second, support a different candidate if he isn't responsive.
Additional Details to Note:
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Kirk Dillard's website
