In Race for Vacant Dist. 41 Seat, Pension Reform, Jobs at Issue

Both Brian Stephenson and Chris Nybo are counting on grassroots politics to carry them to Springfield to represent House District 41 following the Nov. 2 election.

The seat representing District 41, which includes the southern half of Elmhurst, is open with the retirement of longtime Rep. Bob Biggins (R-Elmhurst), who held the seat since 1993. Biggins endorsed Nybo's candidacy, saying Nybo represented "a new generation of energetic and honest Republican leaders committed to eliminating 'pay to play' politics and restore our state's fiscal health."

Stephenson, a Democrat of La Grange Park, said he and Nybo, a Republican of Elmhurst, are similar in many ways, saying they are both fiscal conservatives.

But Nybo stressed there are greater differences than program creation between him and Stephenson. He said the two differ on handling the state's pension problems. Nybo wants to see a reform of the state pension system that includes a defined contribution system for new hires. He also wants to increase contribution rates for all employees.

Stephenson says reducing pension benefits for some jobs could cause the state to lose out on qualified candidates.

"If we cut back on pension programs, there may be extremely qualified teachers who wouldn't want to pursue that job," Stephenson said.

The first step in solving the state's financial crisis should be for the Auditor General conduct a full audit of "where the money is and where it's earmarked to go," Stephenson said. Then the legislature needs to set priorities, he said.

Although a newcomer to politics, Stephenson, who ran unopposed in the primary, said he has experience serving on the St. Francis Xavier School Board of Education and on La Grange Park's Traffic and Safety Committee, and in creating community programs, such as Turn the Corner, a program to teach improv skills to juvenile offenders.

Stephenson said his role as a legislator would be to promote the district as a place for businesses to open. He said he would host a job fair about once every eight weeks. As a candidate he already sponsored one job fair. He said his priority would be to broker deals between businesses and municipalities to bring those businesses and jobs into the area.

Stephenson said he would launch multiple programs to bring communities, businesses and ordinary people together. Being a go-between will help address issues in the district including joblessness and empty storefronts, he said. Stephenson said those low-cost community programs are a good example for the state to follow.

Nybo, an Elmhurst alderman, is the only one of the two candidates to currently hold political office. As a three-year member of the Elmhurst City Council, Nybo said his experience dealing with budgets and pension issues gives him the experience he needs to be an effective state lawmaker.

"I've had experience making the tough decisions facing Elmhurst that are also facing Illinois. I've balanced a budget, I've made decisions on cutting back services because we don't have the funds for them and I've had to lay off people," Nybo said.

Both Stephenson and Nybo say an open seat works to their advantage in a year of anti-incumbent fervor.

On the campaign trail, after criss-crossing the district that stretches from Lombard to Westchester to La Grange Park and North Riverside, both men say their messages have been well received.

Nybo said there's no substitute for retail politics. During the primary, he faced four other Republican candidates and won by a margin of 18 percent. He said meeting thousands of voters throughout the district was the key to defeating a better-funded candidate. He said he received strong support from Republican-heavy DuPage County as well as from Republicans in Cook County, where he won 58 percent of the vote.

"The primary had to be won in the streets and the general election will be as well," Nybo said.

Stephenson said he is receiving support from not only Democrats, but also from Republicans and independents. He said he believes that's a good sign that voters in what is traditionally a heavy Republican district are looking past a party label and seeing the candidate and his ideas.

"I'm not a career politician. I believe in people helping people and I think that's what the voters are seeing," Stephenson said.