Candidate profile

Patrick Joyce

Running for: State Senate 40th District

Political/civic background: Involved with political campaigns my entire life

Occupation: Farmer/Business owner

Education: BS Degree Agribusiness

Illinois State University

Campaign website: electpatrickjoyce.com

Facebook: electpatrickjoyce

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The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board sent candidates for the Illinois Senate a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues facing the state of Illinois and their districts. Patrick Joyce submitted the following responses:

Please tell us about your civic work in the last two years, whether it’s legislation you have sponsored or work you have done in other ways to improve your community.

Team leader raising funds for Leukemia Lymphoma Society

Please list three concerns that are specific to your district, such as a project that should be undertaken or a state policy related to an important local issue that should be revised.

High property taxes in the Southland. There is need to bring in industry to offset high residential taxes. Reevaluate school funding formula.

Kankakee River sediment buildup. Sediment is coming from the Indiana portion of the river. This buildup is causing increased flooding, decreased recreation access, and endangers the 11 million gallons of drinking water pumped out of the river daily. Immediate and long term funding is needed to stabilize this crucial natural resource.

Bringing Natural Gas to Pembroke Township, this is a decades long issue that needs to be resolved to an under served community. Federal , State, and local funding need to unite to serve this community.

What are your other top legislative priorities?

Fighting for affordable health insurance and prescription drugs

Kankakee River issues

Increasing education funding

Creation of jobs through rebuilding Illinois’ deteriorating infrastructure

What is your position on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax? Please explain.

Support – 97% of Illinois residents will pay the same or les in income tax under this proposal. Illinois and this country are experiencing some of the largest divides in upper and middle class in history. This proposal narrows that gap.

Illinois continues to struggle financially, with a backlog of unpaid bills that tops $6 billion. In addition to a progressive state income tax — or in lieu of such a tax — what should the state do to pay its bills, meet its pension obligations and fund core services such as higher education?

Recently passed pension consolidation is an example of creative thinking to decrease the cost of doing business in Illinois. More consolidation of overlapping services need to be investigated. As we utilize these and other savings to pay off bill backlogs the states bond rating will improve, saving potentially millions in interest costs creating addition funds for education.

Should Illinois consider taxing the retirement incomes of its very wealthiest residents, as most states do? And your argument is?

Retirement income has been earned. Discussion on taxation of those incomes and a determination of “wealthiest residents” would need to happen for a proper answer.

What can Illinois do to improve its elementary and high schools?

Funding – over the past two decades school funding as a percentage of the states budget is dramatically less. This has to be corrected through some of the previous answers.

Mass shootings and gun violence plague America. What can or should the Legislature do, if anything, to address this problem in Illinois?

Education of our youth is a key component towards the decrease of future gun violence. Culture changes, funds for mentoring programs, and community involvement are major steps in the success of decreasing gun violence.

Do you favor or oppose term limits for any elected official in Illinois? Please explain.

Favor – It is important to have legislators with experience and knowledge in Springfield, but it is equally important to have new ideas and new approaches to state issues.

Everybody says gerrymandering is bad, but the party in power in every state — Democrats in Illinois — resist doing anything about it. Or do we have that wrong? What should be done?

Remapping is necessary every census to make sure legislators serve the proper number of constituents, but the separation or splitting of villages or communities should be avoided whenever possible.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago is investigating possible official corruption by state and local officials. This prompted the Legislature to pass an ethics reform measure to amend the Lobbyist Registration Act (SB 1639). It was signed into law in December. What’s your take on this and what more should be done?

Legislators are in office to serve their constituents. I am in favor of ethics reform that reminds legislators who they work for.

When people use the internet and wireless devices, companies collect data about us. Oftentimes, the information is sold to other companies, which can use it to track our movements or invade our privacy in other ways. When companies share this data, we also face a greater risk of identity theft. What should the Legislature do, if anything?

Companies often have a terms and conditions statement that most users click without reading because it is too long. These technologies will continue to grow and protections for users will need to evolve with them.

The number of Illinois public high school graduates who enroll in out-of-state universities continues to climb. What can Illinois do to make its state universities more attractive to Illinois high school students?

In State tuition incentives need to be increased as well as MAP grant funding.

What is your top legislative priority with respect to the environment?

Global warming is not being properly acknowledged on a federal level. Continued advancement of carbon free energy in Illinois is essential

What historical figure from Illinois, other than Abraham Lincoln (because everybody’s big on Abe), do you most admire or draw inspiration from? Please explain.

William Ogden – First Mayor of Chicago has a fascinating history making Chicago a major railroad hub, philanthropy, spending his fortune rebuilding after the Great fire of 1871, advisor to several Presidents

What’s your favorite TV, streaming or web-based show of all time. Why?

M.A.S.H. was a series I grew up with bringing levity to a difficult era.