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Judy Baar Topinka
| Judy Baar Topinka | ||
 | ||
| Illinois Comptroller | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 10, 2011 - Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 12, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 2 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | Daniel Hynes (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $135,700 | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 2, 2010 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Illinois Treasurer | ||
| 1994 - 2006 | ||
| Illinois State Senate | ||
| 1984 - 1994 | ||
| Illinois House of Representatives | ||
| 1980 - 1984 | ||
| Education | ||
| High school | Ferry Hall High School (1962) | |
| Bachelor's | Northwestern University (1966) | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | January 16, 1944 | |
| Place of birth | Riverside, Illinois | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Biography
Topinka was born in Riverside, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.[1]
Topinka has worked as a journalist, founded a public relations firm, served as Public Affairs Executive for the American Medical Association, and has been a public relations advisor to a number of political candidates and organizations.[2]
Education
- BS, Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, 1966
Political career
Illinois Comptroller (2011-Present)
Topinka was elected as Illinois Comptroller in 2010, making her the first woman to hold that position as well as the only woman to be elected to two State Constitutional Offices.[1]
Borrowing
Topinka and Illinois Treasurer-elect Dan Rutherford said they planned to flex their muscle as the state’s fiscal officers, with an aim at Gov. Pat Quinn’s borrowing. Quinn had called borrowing one of his “budget pillars,” yet the state treasurer and comptroller must sign-off on short term borrowing, according to Illinois state law requires.
“I have a number of questions about any type of short term borrowing,” Topinka said. “What will the money be used for, how long will it be out, and is there money for the state to pay it back?”
Topinka said she would not issue blank checks to the governor. Rutherford thinks he has a mandate to be tough and that voters picked Republicans to hold the fiscal offices of the state for a reason.
“[One] thing that I think is going to be impactful is to have people who are willing to articulate what may be a differing opinion on the finances of the state.”
Rutherford said that not all borrowing is bad, but he does worry about Illinois’ mounting debt and the state’s ability to repay what it borrows.[3]
Expired nominations
Eric Madiar, chief legal counsel to Senate President John Cullerton, sent a letter to Baar Topinka in early January 2011, pointing out that 38 gubernatorial nominations expired with the closing of the previous General Assembly, and therefore should not be paid a salary or expenses.
Fifteen salaried and 23 unsalaried positions were up in the air in January 2011, including those of interim Illinois State Police Director Jonathon Monken and interim Illinois Commerce Commission Chair Manuel Flores.
“We in the new Senate cannot take action on that old paperwork. There is no paperwork supporting those individuals to be in office today,” said Madiar.[4]
Criticism for raises
Topinka, along with Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford, came under criticism in September 2011 for giving pay raises during a fiscal crisis. Topinka gave 56 employees raises of at least 3 percent and several employees raises up to 15 percent. Rutherford gave out 19 raises averaging 16 percent increases. The issue came to light by an analysis of payroll records by the Better Government Association, a Chicago nonprofit group.[5]
Illinois Treasurer (1994-2007)
Topinka was the first woman to serve as Illinois Treasurer. She was also the only Treasurer to be re-elected to three consecutive terms.[1]
Illinois State Senate (1984–1994)
Topinka served in the Illinois State Senate for a decade.[1]
Illinois House of Representatives (1980-1984)
Topinka served two terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the Western suburbs.[1]
Elections
2010
Topinka won election as Comptroller in the November 2, 2010 election.[6]
| Illinois State Comptroller, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Judy Baar Topinka |
52.6% | 1,927,139 | |
| Democratic | David E. Miller | 40.9% | 1,497,263 | |
| Libertarian | Julie Fox | 3.3% | 121,068 | |
| Green | R. Erika Schafer | 3.2% | 116,712 | |
| Total Votes | 3,662,182 | |||
| Election Results Via: Follow the Money | ||||
Issue positions
On her 2010 campaign website, Topinka listed three main issues:[7]
- Taxpayer Advocacy and Protection
- "Create a “whistle-blower hotline” for concerned taxpayers and state employees to call and report abuse and waste."
- "Enhance the contract and grant review process to stop wasteful spending before it occurs, ensuring that all state contracts are properly bid and awarded."
- "Provide more checks and balances on state spending by establishing a process to more thoroughly review contracts and grants before they are approved and payments are made."
- Transparency and Accountability:
- "Be a tireless fiscal watchdog and taxpayer advocate as keeper of the public checkbook."
- "Ensure transparency about state spending and finances through redesigned and more user-friendly public website."
- "Publish contractual procurement and grant award information, including the descriptions of deliverables, so the public can review how state money is being spent."
- A Renewed Commitment to Service:
- "Provide enhanced services to constituents through the creation of a constituent services hotline."
- "Assist small businesses, minority and women-owed businesses and businesses that pay a prevailing wage obtain state contracting opportunities by making information about the contract process available free of charge; thereby encouraging greater competition for public contracts to reduce costs and ensure that taxpayers get the highest quality service at the lowest possible price."
- "Work to re-establish a rainy day fund to have for use in tough economic times like today."
Campaign donors
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Judy Baar Topinka's donors each year.[8] Click [show] for more information.
| Judy Baar Topinka's Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Illinois Comptroller | 2002 Illinois Treasurer | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised | $981,408 | $3,301,878 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $1,212,661 (Democratic) $14,727 (Libertarian) | $2,123,421 (Democratic) $7,514 (Libertarian) | |||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | James N. Pritzker | $105,000 | National Republican Congressional Committee | $50,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Illinois Education Association | $40,253 | Illinois Hospital and Health Systems Association | $40,700 | ||||||||||||||||
| AFSCME Illinois Council 31 | $30,000 | Kompac State Victory Fund | $35,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Pan American Bank | $14,000 | Frederick Krehbiel | $31,500 | ||||||||||||||||
| Illinois Hospital and Health Systems Association | $13,000 | Operating Engineers Local 150 | $28,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $391,413 | $564,166 | |||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $371,663 | $1,127,622 | |||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $797,420 | $1,943,416 | |||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $20,463 | $171,989 | |||||||||||||||||
Recent news
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This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term "Judy + Topinka + Illinois + Comptroller"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Judy Topinka News Feed
- Illinois revenue surges, but Topinka says it's a fluke - Crain's Chicago Business (blog)
- Topinka: Comptroller's job like being 'skunk at picnic' - Chicago Sun-Times
- Comptroller Topinka warns that growth in tax revenue is temporary - Examiner.com
- ICJL endorses McGlynn and three Madison County judges; Urges 'No' vote for ... - Madison County Record
- Voting in schools: Safe or not? - Suburban Life Publications
- Cross may be GOP candidate for attorney general - Illinois Times
- Is Tom Cross Considering State-Wide Office Run? - Patch.com
- Marriage Equality Will Be the Illinois Moderate Litmus Test - Huffington Post
- Center on Halsted awarded and celebrates LGBT community at annual Human ... - ChicagoPride.com
- Comptroller: Flood recovery payments to be given priority - Bloomington Pantagraph
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See also
External links
- Summary, biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions at Follow The Money
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Works by or about Judy Baar Topinka in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Profile at Facebook
- Profile at Twitter
- Profile at Wikipedia
- Collected news and commentary at CBS Chicago
- Collected news and commentary at the Chicago Tribune
- Collected news and commentary at Crain's Chicago
- Collected news and commentary at the Huffington Post
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 State of Illinois Comptroller, "Comptrollers Biography," accessed September 15, 2012
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka's Biography," accessed September 19, 2012
- ↑ "New Ill. GOP comptroller, treasurer: no blank checks for Dem gov’s borrowing," Illinois Statehouse News, November 10, 2010
- ↑ "Senate looks to clear out expired nominations," Illinois Statehouse News, January 18, 2011
- ↑ Forbes, "Watchdog questions comptroller, treasurer raises," September 26, 2011
- ↑ Illinois Board of Elections, "November 2010 General Election Results," accessed April 2, 2011
- ↑ Citizens for Judy Baar Topinka, "Issues," accessed September 19, 2012
- ↑ Follow the Money.org
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Illinois Comptroller 2011–present |
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