Manar, McMillan clash at forum for candidates

Oct. 02--After trading barbs on social media over the past year, state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, and challenger Seth McMillan, a Taylorville Republican, brought their clash to a public forum Monday night where they offered competing visions just weeks before the election.

The forum, co-hosted by The State Journal-Register and News/Talk 94.7 & 970 WMAY, began with a session simultaneously featuring major party candidates for the 95th, 96th and 99th Illinois House districts. But it was the main event, the 48th Senate District forum, that brought out the most debate.

Manar, who has represented the district since 2012, accused McMillan of being a "showhorse" not serious about solving problems, while McMillan said the incumbent's record is out of step with district voters.

Manar pointed to McMillan's use of loaded terms like "Chicago bailout" to refer to school funding reform as an example of "throwing around soundbites" and not taking "a serious approach to fixing problems."

"Nobody runs around the state saying this was the Beardstown bailout. Nobody runs around saying that this was the Decatur bailout or the Springfield bailout, because it doesn't evoke the response that the politician wants when he says it to voters," Manar said.

But McMillan said Manar's record does not match his rhetoric. McMillan held up a Manar campaign mailer criticizing McMillan for voting to raise property taxes when he was a school board member.

Calling the mailer "crap," McMillan said such tax increases and budget cuts were caused by the proration of general state aid in budgets Manar helped craft when he was a Senate staffer.

"We laid off teachers, yes we did, because we lost funding because of budgets you helped create in the Senate," McMillan said. "I think it's time that you man up and own up to the destruction that you helped to facilitate to public school funding all across the state of Illinois."

Manar reminded the audience that "staff members don't vote on bills," and that proration has not taken place since he's been in the Senate.

But this type of clash would play out on nearly every issue.

Another fiery back-and-forth came on the topic of abortion. Last year, Manar voted in favor of House Bill 40, which in 2017 authorized Medicaid and state health insurance-funded abortion.

"I just think it's reprehensible that we have a state senator that supports that kind of expansion of abortion when so many in our district are against," McMillan said. "Especially taxpayer funding of abortion. Even pro-choice people realize that when the state of Illinois is broke and can't pay its bills, why are we creating programs for that type of activity?"

Justifying his vote, Manar said he is "always going to vote to protect healthcare."

"Regardless of how you feel about abortion, politicians shouldn't deny a woman access to healthcare simply because of how much money she makes or because of where she lives," Manar said.

Immediately interjecting, McMillan said, "Killing an unborn baby is not healthcare," leading to applause from his supporters in the audience.

Manar and McMillan also split on whether the state should move from a flat income tax to a progressive income tax. Manar said "it's time for Illinois to move in that direction so that the wealthiest among us pay their fair share to help stabilize our state government."

McMillan, on the other hand, opposes it. He further criticized Manar for his vote last year to increase income taxes from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent.

"We don't need anymore Mike Madigan-Andy Manar, job-killing legislation like income tax increases in this state," McMillan said. "We've had enough."

Manar pointed out, however, that income taxes were still lower than they were when he first arrived in the Senate.

Having already signed Gov. Bruce Rauner's "People's Pledge," McMillan said he favors legislative term limits. While Manar opposes them, he said he supports term limits for legislative leaders.

In the House candidate's forum, some disagreements fell along partisan lines, with all Republicans opposing a progressive income tax and all Democrats either supporting or being open to it.

But other issues saw the candidates mostly in agreement. On whether they would vote to repeal House Bill 40, every candidate besides 99th District Democratic candidate Marc Bell said yes.

Most candidates were outright opposed or expressed skepticism toward legalizing recreational marijuana. Nearly everyone opposed the concept of a Springfield casino.

The Republican candidates indicated they would vote for House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, for House speaker if the party wins control of the chamber.

Democrats, on the other hand, ducked the question when asked if they would support House Speaker Michael Madigan for another term.

State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, said she was "totally focused on (her) own election" and that she would have to "look and see what (her) choices are."

Dillon Clark, the Democratic challenger in the 95th District, said he would "fight for the people in (his) district" and against Bruce Rauner.

And according to Bell, "we really don't know who's going to run."

State Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond, lit into the Democrats on stage for not directly answering the question.

"Every Democrat on this stage like to hem and haw and say they only want to represent their district," said Bourne, who represents the 95th. "We know who's running. Mike Madigan has said he's running. Jim Durkin is running," Bourne said. "If they're not willing to nominate someone else for speaker, then the choice is clear. This isn't a 90-second answer, this is a two-second answer. Are you voting for Madigan or not? Our constituents deserve to know that."

Contact Brenden Moore: 788-1526, brenden.moore@sj-r.com, twitter.com/brendenmoore13.

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