This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the Aurora area in the Nov. 5 general election.
The race for state representative in the 49th District is between two-time incumbent Democrat Maura Hirschauer and Republican Hannah Billingsley.
The general election is Nov. 5.
Hirschauer, 46, of Batavia, is seeking her third term in the Illinois House of Representatives and said people in her area have expressed that the economy and cost of living, community safety and health care are major concerns heading into this election.
Her constituents, Hirschauer said, “are concerned about government spending at the state and federal level and they are looking for a government that will spend within its means and make good choices with the revenues that are coming in and paying down the debt.”
Community safety, she said, is about “everybody wanting to live in a safe community and grow our families.”
“We want to work and thrive and that comes with making sure we are properly funding law enforcement and making sure we are passing common-sense gun safety legislation,” she said.
Heath care costs are a big concern, Hirschauer said.
“There are unfair costs and people are looking for some transparency and some relief from those costs,” she said.
If reelected, Hirschauer said her goals include passing a bill to protect survivors of domestic violence and their families, fully funding the evidence-based model for public school education and expanding access to early intervention services for children from birth to 3 years old.
“My top priority is a bill called Karina’s Bill,” she said, to help protect people facing domestic abuse.
“Law enforcement needs to have the tools their need to take guns away from dangerous domestic abusers in intense situations,” she said.
The evidence-based funding model for education has proven to be successful, she said, in reaching underserved public school districts and “we need to keep funding that,” Hirschauer said.
Early intervention services are needed, Hirschauer insists, adding “there are not enough of them and we have some early intervention deserts in the state.”
Billingsley, 36, of West Chicago, said residents in her district have expressed concerns about the cost of living and are looking for unity among citizens and cleaner, safer communities.
“The first thing I ask people they’d like to see changed in their community is property taxes but I soon find out it’s not just that – it’s insurance, electric bills, rental property. Some people talk just about the cost of eggs,” she said. “Everything they are saying resonates with me, especially those single moms that are struggling.”
The issue of unity, Billingsley said, is something she has noticed as “I can be talking to people for 10 minutes and they don’t even ask what party I’m from.”
“People care less about that than having someone who will get something done,” she said.
Cleaner, safer communities include “everything from litter in the area” to make things safer, she said.
Billingsley said if elected she would “like to create a culture of neighbors helping neighbors, create a balanced budget in the state and normalize bipartisanship.”
“I’d like to see setting up like a block party or workshop where people can build relationships and from there hopefully people realize even if they don’t have a lot there is something I can give to my neighbor,” she said. “We need to help each other without just waiting for the government to do something.”
The budget, she said “is pretty deep for me as I’ve built a couple businesses myself and operating in the black is so important to me.”
“I know budgets are sensitive but it’s so important for the next generation that we get a handle on our spending here in Illinois,” she said.
Bipartisanship, Billingsley said, “is a huge heartbeat of mine in this area as people want to pretend we can’t get along and have nothing to learn from each other.”
“Research shows when you put two parties together they come up with better solutions that if you put two parties in two separate places,” she said. “I want to normalize bipartisanship not to be cool or unique but it’s a win for Illinois residents when we all work together.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News
