Legislator says goal is to help people
By Jeanette Lach - jeanette.lach@nwi.com, (219) 933-3267 | Posted: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 12:00 am
State Rep. David Miller, D-Dolton, is seeking to be Illinois' next comptroller and is running in the Feb. 2 primary.
The current comptroller, Dan Hynes, is running for governor.
Miller, a dentist with an office in Dolton for 21 years, has been in the General Assembly for nine years and said this race is just another way to offer his help.
"It has allowed me to expand the reasons why I ran for office in the first place, which is to help people," Miller said. "Over the last nine years since 2001 that has been the focus and this will also allow me to expand that."
Miller said as comptroller he would fund the rainy day fund to put some reserves in Illinois' coffers. Another idea is to offer businesses locating in Illinois an incentive package, giving them a quicker payment schedule if they do business with the state.
"If you do have state business, by getting paid 30 days to 60 days quicker as opposed to 120 to 180 days" creates a business-friendly environment, he said.
"I've seen as a dentist what happens when you pay providers on time in a fair and judicious way, you get better treatment of people and more access to care."
Miller said he'd use the comptroller's office to punish businesses that circumvent labor laws, for instance, by delaying their payment until they behaved correctly.
He said he's against an idea to merge the state comptroller and treasurer's offices, a suggestion Republican candidate and former state treasurer Judy Baar Topinka has said she'd consider.
"Merging the two offices may save money but you may have inherited conflicts of interest," he said. And it's better having two sets of eyes on the state's financial interests, he said.
As a legislator, he said sponsoring the state's payday loan reform law is his major victory.
The law, which went into effect in June 2005, established loan limits based on income and outstanding debt. Borrowers are limited to loans of $1,000, or 25 percent of their gross monthly income. It also limits time for repayment to 45 days and interest to 15 percent per $100 borrowed. Additionally, consumers are limited to two loans statewide at any given time.
Miller's Democratic opponents in the primary are Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Hoffman Estates, and Clinton "Clint" Krislov, of Wilmette.
Miller's 29th District includes Calumet City, Lansing, Lynwood, Ford Heights, Thornton, Glenwood, Burnham, the south Roseland community of Chicago, Dolton and South Holland.