APROBACIONES
I’m running for State Representative because I love Chicago and can’t sit on the sidelines knowing I can help while our city is on the brink. The stakes are too high and we need politicians that show up even when the cameras aren’t rolling.
The question in this race is who can actually help make life more affordable and defend against the federal government. With my track record of delivering results, I’ve proven time and time again that I can get the job done.
Below are some of the core issues and policies I’ll prioritize. If you don’t see something discussed or have suggestions on policies, I want to hear from you! Don’t hesitate to email me at jamesforillinois@gmail.com.
I want to earn your trust and will do everything I can to improve your quality of life.
Affordability
We all feel the stress. Housing, food, medical bills, student loans, you name it - everything is getting more expensive. Our systems aren’t working and I’m tired of seeing loved ones priced out of Chicago.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
I am uniquely ready to address affordability in this race as the only person with extensive experience on public budgets, education funding, and energy policy. We must urgently address these core issues causing costs to rise and people to leave Chicago.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Lower property taxes that are making rent and home ownership unaffordable. The state needs to step up to make sure funding is going to classrooms so that school boards are less reliant on local property tax hikes that increase housing costs.
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Reduce electric and heating bills. We need to make sure data centers are paying their fair share so everyday people aren’t subsidizing the wealthiest technology corporations on the planet. When done properly, smart development can save consumers money, create good paying jobs, and decrease property taxes that increase housing costs.
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Increase affordable childcare, build out housing options, and regulate drug prices to bring healthcare costs down.
Protecting Chicago Against ICE
Chicago is under siege. I’ve had friends get teargassed, talked to parents whose toddlers saw a daycare worker taken in front of them, and had a father ask me what I can do about masked men with AR-15s outside his kid's school because he doesn’t know what to tell his 5-year-old. As troubling as things are, I’ve never been more proud to be a Chicagoan because our civic engagement is now a national model for resistance.
Let’s have a state government that matches the spirit of our people.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Provide resources to help rapid response networks scale. We need to be as ready as possible to protect Chicagoans from increased ICE presence.
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Hold anyone who breaks state law, including federal agents, accountable for their actions.
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Enhance safe zones to prevent ICE raids at schools, courthouses, hospitals, and other sensitive spaces.
Housing
Housing costs are at crisis levels in Chicago, with rent and ownership costs becoming unaffordable. It took my wife and I two years of searching for a place to live before we could find something we could afford, and I’ve had far too many friends have to leave Chicago because they were priced out.
We have a moral and legal obligation to make sure Chicago is affordable for everyone who wants to live here - not only so that Chicagoans can afford to stay in the city we love, but also so that newcomers, like people fleeing discriminatory policies in red states, can afford to live their best lives here.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Build new homes to drive down rent and ownership prices. Removing barriers to building housing options like accessory dwelling units and middle housing options (three-flats, townhouses, etc.) while prioritizing build out near transit and commercial corridors to facilitate effective growth.
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Strengthen anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation policies to protect renters and help keep them in their homes.
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Provide tax credits and gap financing to create new affordable housing units.
Education
Education is the key to the American Dream and the future of Chicago, but Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is in a budget crisis that threatens basic school services (like hot lunches and after-school programs) and the city’s finances. This is projected to get significantly worse in the coming years if action isn’t taken.
I worked for years on education policy - having championed successful reforms on statewide school funding, student data privacy, and protections for special education students. Now I want to use that experience to make sure our kids aren’t paying the price for political mistakes they had nothing to do with.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Advocate for state investments in classrooms to invest in our students and mitigate property taxes that are increasing rent and ownership costs. Parents shouldn’t have to organize and raise money to ensure essential school services.
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Secure pension parity for Chicago taxpayers. If you live in Chicago, your state tax dollars are paying for nearly all of suburban and downstate teacher pensions but only a small portion of Chicago teacher pensions. The discrepancy would cover a large portion of the CPS operating deficit if closed.
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Improve real-world learning opportunities to allow students to explore career pathways and enhance dual credit options to maximize learning potential as well as save students money on college coursework.
Energy & Environment
The climate crisis is a clear and present danger that is accelerating rapidly. It needs to be addressed with a seriousness that matches the gravity of the problem. Locally, we are seeing the impacts of wildfire smoke that makes us all involuntary chainsmokers and ruins precious Chicago summer days, extreme weather that increases insurance and housing prices, and threats to local ecosystems like the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.
Clean, affordable energy is essential to well-being, but electric and gas prices have soared in recent years. No one should be forced to choose between heating/cooling their homes and other basic needs.
I’m the only candidate in the race with experience on these incredibly complex issues - with professional experience in utility regulation, energy markets, and environmental protection, as well a law degree from Chicago-Kent, with a Certificate in Environmental and Energy law, and Master’s of Science in Energy Policy & Climate from Johns Hopkins. But more important than these fancy lines on a resume is that I’ve always used my experience in public service to help people.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Regulate data centers to make sure our water sources and environment are protected from big tech companies, as well as lower electric prices for everyday people. For example, data centers could be incentivized to co-locate with wastewater treatment facilities to reuse dirty water for cooling processes - making development more sustainable and bringing property tax revenue to underserved areas.
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Bring energy prices down by accelerating the clean energy transition with investment, reduced bottlenecks on the grid, streamlined permitting, and working with regional electricity markets on efficiencies.
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Ensure polluters are held accountable to help fix environmental and climate damages and incentivize harm reduction, such as eliminating PFAS (“forever chemicals”).
Healthcare
Healthcare is broken and funding cuts from the federal government threaten to further harm a system still recovering from the impacts of the pandemic. If we continue with the status quo, healthcare facilities will close and those that remain will be overburdened, processes will continue to be overly complicated to navigate, and critical care will continue to be out of reach for far too many.
The 13th District has already seen a significant reduction in care with the closure of Weiss Hospital in Uptown earlier in the year, and we cannot afford more adverse impacts. We are no longer making healthcare decisions based on healthcare needs and that needs to stop. In the long-run, we need to move to a state public option to reduce costs and increase access, but there are steps we need to take right now to help address rising costs and reduced accessibility.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Lower healthcare and prescription drug costs by establishing a state Prescription Drug Affordability Board to cap out-of-pocket costs for essential medications and hold insurers and pharmacy benefit managers accountable for price spikes.
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Offset pending federal cuts to Medicaid that will harm those who can least afford it. If Illinois does not step up to help provide care, the consequences will be devastating for our entire community, not just those directly receiving care.
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Support expansion of home- and community-based services, mental health services, and family leave.
Reproductive Rights &
Abortion Access
Abortion and reproductive rights are healthcare and the government has no business coming between a patient and their doctor, full stop.
We are fortunate to live in a state that values the most personal of decisions, but we need to fight to keep it that way. The rights of Illinoisans are non-negotiable and we also need to continue to be a firewall for neighboring Americans, as nearly one in four out-of-state abortions nationwide occur in Illinois.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Fight to ensure reproductive rights remain safe and accessible. I will vote against any attempts to restrict these fundamental rights.
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Protect and expand funding for abortion and reproductive healthcare so that anyone who needs care can receive it.
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Ensure healthcare decisions remain private so that private information cannot be accessed by the federal government or other states.
LGBTQ+ Protections
The first legislation I ever saw pass in person was marriage equality, championed by Leader Greg Harris in 2013. As the bill passed, my attention was on the people in the crowd, not the politicians. Seeing tears of happiness, couples embracing, and even a proposal is a moment that will stick with me the rest of my life. Delivering those moments of joy is exactly what public service should be about and is why I do the work I do.
Now LGBTQ+ rights are under attack by a hateful and hostile federal government. Illinois needs to be a safe harbor for individuals to live their authentic lives. The 13th District is home to an amazing LGBTQ+ community as well as organizations and advocates doing everything they can to promote equality. I take the work of being an ally for the LGBTQ+ community very seriously and will do everything in my power to make sure everyone can be their authentic selves.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Defend Illinois against attempts from the federal government to pressure us into discriminatory policies and fight back against discrimination in all its forms. We are not going back. Period.
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Continue to advance equality by advocating for policies like increased access to gender affirming care, enhanced legal protections for LGBTQ+ family structures, robust anti-bullying policies, and a stronger Illinois Human Rights Act.
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Ensure critical resources like housing assistance, school counselors, and healthcare services (like mental healthcare, HIV prevention, and gender affirming care) are accessible to all.
Transit
Chicago is now ranked as having the worst traffic in the country and too often public transit is unreliable and unsafe. Our systems are broken and people are wasting too much of their lives getting from A to B. While the General Assembly has recently made significant reforms to transit, we need leaders who know how to implement legislation to ensure progress is actually achieved.
I grew up taking the CTA, biking around Chicago, and navigating never-ending traffic. It doesn't have to be this way and I look forward to doing everything I can to improve our systems.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Ensure the effective implementation of transit reforms to modernize the CTA and reduce traffic congestion.
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Facilitate more rapid build out of infrastructure. We need improvements to be deployed quickly so that we aren't waiting endlessly for their benefits.
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Increase pedestrian and bike safety. Our district has experienced too many preventable tragedies.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a society-changing technology that is evolving quicker than politicians know how to responsibly regulate. The range of outcomes is vast and unknown but we need to be preparing so that Illinois is as ready as possible for whatever the future holds.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Create an AI Bill of Rights to enhance protections for labor rights, data privacy, and communication transparency.
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Steadily increase the state’s reserves for emergencies and unemployment insurance, as well as investment in workforce training initiatives, to mitigate scenarios with potential large-scale job loss. This is also best practice to better weather recessions generally.
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Equip students with the ability to navigate the technology while still maintaining critical thinking essential to thriving in an ever-evolving technology and media landscape.
State Budgets
So how do we actually deliver on the promise of helping people in need? As the only person in the race with significant budget experience, I know it won’t be easy. Budgets are a statement of values and we need to do everything we can to stabilize our finances so we can actually deliver on the promises politicians too often ignore once in office.
As State Representative, I would work to:
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Ensure no new taxes on working people. We can’t ask people to pay more when costs of housing, utilities, healthcare, education, and everything else is going up.
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Advocate for progressive revenue options. Options like a tax on digital ads, closing tax loopholes for hedge fund managers and corporations, and ultimately a progressive income tax can shore up state finances in an equitable manner.
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Have the state step up to mitigate the harm caused by ongoing federal budget cuts that will be devasting for critical services.