Name: Ernie Marcelain

What office are you seeking: Illinois senate 38th district

What is your political party? Democratic

What is your current age? 51

Occupation and employer: Machine operator. AST group

What offices, if any, have you previously held? None

City: Yorkville

Campaign website: https://ift.tt/pYS9b1q

Education: Waubonsee CC/Business, SFV EMS/EMT-Paramedic

Community involvement: Candidate did not answer

Marital status/Immediate family: Married for 25 years with 1 daughter

What policies should the Illinois General Assembly pursue to make it less expensive to live, work and raise a family in Illinois?

Enact state legislation where energy and water usage along with any infrastructure related to be solely on the owners of the Data Center companies with no increase passed down to the consumer.

I would like to increase state funding to schools in an effort to reduce the burden of county spending.

Reevaluate the toll way system that will discount tolls of Illinois residents who have the license plates registered in Illinois.

Finalize a Metra train line to Dekalb and explore a Metra line to Ottawa

Property taxes remain a major concern for many Illinois homeowners. What changes, if any, should the General Assembly make to Illinois’ property-tax system, and how would you prevent those changes from simply shifting costs elsewhere?

Since the property tax is set at a local level and most property tax goes to schools I believe the state should contribute funding for schools. By doing that the county should pass those extra funds to the residents and lower property tax. We need to backfill the revenue by installing a graduated tax system.

Another proposal I would like to enact is to change PTELL from tax 5% increase cap the local government can raise to 2.5%.

What should the state require of companies developing data centers when it comes to electricity use, water consumption, infrastructure and the costs imposed on local communities?

First there has to be 100% transparency with any proposals. Second we need to require that the data centers are 100% responsible for all costs in regards to power, water, and infrastructure. Third is the distance between the property of the data center and community must be at a distance where the noise and sight are not noticeable to the closest home.

Lastly they will need to put capital held by the local government that is non refundable if they close unexpectedly. The funds would go to rehabilitation of the area where the empty Data centers are located.

Should local governments have more authority over where data centers are built and what conditions developers must meet, or should the state establish more uniform rules? Why?

The state must provide the conditions to that the Data centers must follow but actual placement (within states guidelines) would belong to the local government. Most residents are upset with local officials because of the lack of response and transparency currently.

What specific changes to the General Assembly’s ethics and transparency processes would you support, and how would you handle a misconduct complaint if you learned of one?

I would like to ban NDA’s with any conversations within the state of Illinois if a government employee or government project is involved.

All misconduct allegations should he handled and investigated by a nonpartisan commission. Punishment if found guilty could result in removal from office.

What should the state do to ensure reliable electricity at an affordable price? Do you support the expansion/reactivation of nuclear power plants?

I do support expanding nuclear but in coordination with renewable energy. The expansion should be for consumer use only. Any high energy company like data centers is separate and they are responsible for the addition past consumer use. The other policy I want to enact is that if there is a reduction of electricity in any way the residential consumer and municipalities is prioritized to the top above data centers.

Do you believe the state’s current tax structure is sustainable, and what changes would you support?

I don’t. We need to have a graduated tax system where the top 1% is taxed higher than low income residents.

What do you believe Illinois should be doing differently to improve public education, and how should the state balance increased funding with accountability for how schools spend that money?

I believe we need to decrease Illinois residents college tuition if they attend an Illinois college.

For K-12 education we need to have an independent oversight to make sure state funds are spent appropriately. We need to remove the system of “use it or lose it” so we can have a true cost of education spending.

What changes should the General Assembly make to improve the affordability and availability of health care, particularly in rural and underserved communities? How would you help prevent rural hospital closures?

We must have a commission to look into how the insurance and healthcare system is being run. With that oversight we must have a system in place to hold them accountable if there is price gouging or inadequate services legally. This could be done through an antitrust method.

What changes, if any, would you make to Illinois’ criminal justice and public safety laws, including the SAFE-T Act, and what should the state be doing differently to address violent crime and repeat offenders?

Accountability and oversight that the SAFE-T act should not be altered negatively. The bond part does need to be revamped where the public is in danger of a released criminal.

I believe we need to increase the amount of police officers on the streets too.

What areas of state spending would you prioritize, and where do you believe the state could spend less?

Education, low income assistance, infrastructure are the top priorities.

Tax breaks for big businesses are lower on my list.

What should Illinois do to attract and retain businesses and jobs, particularly outside the Chicago metropolitan area?

We need to do a better job of rewarding small businesses in the area so they can not only survive but thrive.

What decisions should be left to municipalities, counties and school districts rather than being dictated by state government? Are there areas where you believe the state currently gives local governments too much or too little authority?

I think the smaller communities need to have a higher priority than large cities as far as funding. Placement of new homes should be left to the local government but at the same time they should be proactive in zoning too.

For large businesses we must have the state government have a say in how close the businesses are to the residential communities.

Illinois has laws limiting how state and local law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Do you believe those laws strike the right balance, and what changes, if any, would you support?

I believe the state and federal governments need to be independent of each other as far as immigration is concerned. If the state assists with immigration then we are using state funding to go along with federal funding for the same process. The federal government has a lot more financial resources invested and don’t need the burden of Illinois tax payers money to basically double dip for the process.

If this is for criminal activity such as capital offenses then Illinois should help in the capture or investigation to the crime.

How far should the state go to keep the Bears in Illinois?

I support infrastructure assistance but am against tax payers money in building the stadium. As a Bears fan I don’t want them to go but not at the expense of Illinois tax increases. The Bears organization is still a billion dollar business and need to be treated as such.

What are your top 3 priorities?

Affordability

Data Centers

Corruption