AG candidates agree on issues, spar on ethics

Feb. 06--The Democrats vying to succeed Attorney General Lisa Madigan fought it out at a forum in Springfield Monday night, agreeing on most of the substantive issues while sniping at one another over campaign contributions and perceived conflicts of interest.

The mood at the forum, hosted by the Illinois Democratic County Chairs' Association at The Hoogland Center for the Arts, was cordial for most of the night but grew heated as the crowded field sought to differentiate themselves from one another.

Chicago Park District board president Jesse Ruiz was on the defensive for admittedly accepting donations from utility companies such as Exelon, ComEd and People's Gas. Ruiz, who said his job reading meters for the latter company helped put him through college, said he's "glad they have faith and confidence in my leadership."

However, Ruiz said that he's "never pulled a punch on anybody" because of a campaign contribution or past political support, pointing to his calls for then-Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool, an ally of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, to resign.

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, who also has accepted donations from utility companies in the past, said she needs to raise funds to get her name out, but the money has never affected a decision she's made.

"I didn't start like many of my colleagues with many hundreds of thousands of dollars in my warchest," Rotering said. "So I do need to communicate with the people of Illinois ... but I've been in elected office for nine years (and) no one's ever gotten a favor from me because of a campaign contribution."

But other candidates in the crowded field were less than understanding, calling it a judgment issue that will distinguish candidates in an ideologically similar field.

"If we want to end this and clean up the state of Illinois, we need to elect officials who are serious about their duties and are not going to sit here and make up excuses for taking huge contributions from people," said state Rep. Scott Drury, D-Highwood, who showed up an hour late due to inclement weather.

Sharon Fairley, the former chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in Chicago, echoed Drury's sentiment.

"Can I just reiterate: Give me a break," Fairley said. "If this is what you do when everybody's looking, then what are you going to do when nobody's looking?"

State Sen. Kwame Raoul, the only candidate who could not attend, also was singled out for thousands of dollars he has received from the tobacco industry.

According to Raoul spokesman Ron Holmes, the senator got caught in bad weather along Interstate 55. However, in reference to the donations he's received from big tobacco, Raoul told the Chicago Tribune editorial board that his time in the state legislature has proven that "I'm simply not for sale."

Another area of disagreement was over pension reform. Former Gov. Pat Quinn characterized it as a difficult issue, and Drury said lawmakers passed the 2013 reform law to get a "road map" from the courts on the issue, which the Illinois Supreme Court knocked down 7-0.

Candidate Aaron Goldstein called lawmakers' conduct on the issue "reprehensible," while Renato Mariotti said it was a case of "politicians playing games with our pensions."

Besides the back and forth on campaign contributions and pensions, most of the rest of the night was spent with the candidates agreeing with one another and using similar rhetoric.

"Thank God we're all Democrats. We're not that far apart on the issues," Ruiz said.

A common thread was an eagerness to take on President Donald Trump's administration on everything from immigration policy to environmental protection and women's rights.

"The attorney general is the last line of defense for our fundamental and civil rights in our state and our country," Quinn said. "So it must be our job as our attorney general to take on Trump every single day. If that's what it takes, so be it."

Ruiz played up his ties to former President Barack Obama -- his former law professor at the University of Chicago -- while Drury touted his independence from House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago. Everyone indicated they would take a more proactive role in taking on public corruption, an issue Lisa Madigan has shied away from.

Rotering had the quip of the night, talking about contraception and women's reproductive rights, saying that "(Republican attorney general candidate) Erika Harold is anti-choice, pro-abstinence. I have four sons, you want to talk to me about abstinence? It doesn't make any sense," she said to laughs.

IDCCA chairman Doug House said the candidates brought a diverse array of perspectives to the race and that the county chairmen were looking for an attorney general who would be a strong advocate for the people of Illinois.

"We have a good field of candidates to select from," House said. "But because there are so many, it'll be harder for somebody to maybe break out of the pack, so we wanted to try and create some opportunities for them to become better known and for voters to better know their candidates."

House said the IDCCA, which has endorsed billionaire J.B. Pritzker in the gubernatorial primary, currently has no plans to endorse in the attorney general's race, but could still do so. The primary is March 20.

Contact Brenden Moore: 782-3095, bmoore@sj-r.com, twitter.com/brendenmoore13.

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