Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the Aurora area in the Nov. 8 general election.
The race for state representative for the 84th District in the Illinois General Assembly in the November election has incumbent Democrat Stephanie Kifowit squaring off against Republican challenger Joe West.
Kifowit is seeking her sixth term while West is entering a larger arena after serving many years in local politics. The election is set for Nov. 8 and the position serves portions of Aurora, Naperville, Oswego and Montgomery.
If re-elected, Kifowit said she hopes to continue serving as the chair of Veterans Affairs and serve as a voice for veterans as the only female veteran in the House. She also looks to focus on ensuring mental health is on par with physical health for residents, working toward more ethics reforms and balancing the state’s budget, she said.
West, who served as a trustee for the village of Oswego for four years and as Oswego Township supervisor for two years, is also a veteran who served in the Marine Corps. The Oswego resident said he has always been involved in local politics but recently was inspired to make a difference on a larger level after being concerned over government mandates over the last two years.
Kifowit made headlines last year after she came out against Michael Madigan, publicly declaring he should step down as Illinois House speaker.
“I think overall, my experience not only on the Aurora City Council, but these years in the General Assembly and my independence to stand up to Michael Madigan and get new leadership in the House, it shows residents should have comfort I have their best interest in mind,” Kifowit said.
Now, with new leadership in the House, Kifowit says she is excited for a breath of fresh air and to look at lowering property taxes. She sponsored SB1975, signed in April, as a start by looking at property tax relief for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities, while also encouraging local taxing districts to lower their levy rates.
West, as a senior himself, said many seniors are concerned with taxes and say eventually they will have to move away from family and friends because they can’t afford to live in Illinois.
“We have grandchildren here and I’d be just heartbroken if I had to move,” West said. “We need to look at senior citizen taxes or get more businesses in Illinois so no one has to leave because it is a great state and I intend to live here for the rest of my life.”
Bringing businesses to Illinois will help reduce residents’ taxes, he said. He said he was opposed to closing businesses in Oswego during the COVID-19 shutdown due to its impact on small business.
West said he is also concerned about schools, and wants parents to have more rights, from the ability to pick the school their children attend through a voucher program to simply giving parents more rights to speak with school board members and have dialogue outside of public meetings.
He worries about the education children in public schools received during the COVID-19 shutdown.
“People who have children in schools don’t understand why their kids had to be homeschooled for over a year without any choice,” West said.
Kifowit, who served as a substitute teacher for a public school, said she does not support voucher systems and said public school teachers deserve support.
Regarding public safety, West believes the SAFE-T Act, which includes ending the cash bail system on Jan. 1, should be repealed and legislators should sit back down with police chiefs and sheriffs to create a new policy.
Kifowit said the act needs clarifying language to make crystal clear that violent criminals will stay in jail and not be released.
“When you look at the SAFE-T Act as a whole, there are so many protections written for victims and police accountability, so to me you can’t just look at it as one parameter,” Kifowit said. “We need clarifying language so everyone is on the same page and so by Jan. 1 there is no outflow of individuals.”
Kifowit said another priority for her if re-elected is looking at women’s reproductive health, and not just for family planning, but looking at breast reductions, mammograms and cancer screenings. She recently supported a new health care bill that requires insurance companies to cover medically necessary breast reduction surgeries, she said.
