This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the Aurora area in the March 19 primary election.
The race in the Republican primary for representative from Illinois House District 49 is between two first-time candidates, Aris Garcia and Hannah Billingsley.
The primary election is set for March 19.
The winner in the GOP contest will square off against incumbent state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
A first-time candidate, Garcia, 24, of Streamwood, said voters’ concerns include the economy, safe communities and education.
“A lot of people are losing jobs or they may not be losing jobs but they didn’t get a Christmas bonus,” he said. “People didn’t get their usual raises and taxes are increasing, prices of goods are increasing and our wages are not. People are considering leaving and the economy is at the top (of the reasons).”
Safety, Garcia said, remains an issue that he said “depends on location.”
“So, safety has been a much bigger contributor to what we are hearing down in West Chicago versus Bartlett,” he said.
Regarding education, Garcia said it is “an issue that keeps creeping up.”
“Our people are not happy with the education kids are receiving, especially at this price point. No one is against property taxes but they want to see the money spent well,” he said.
If elected, Garcia said his goals would include making sure fiscal responsibility is practiced, along with focusing on safety and the health care system.
“We want to bring jobs back. We used to be a big manufacturing place that created jobs,” he said. “With job security and more money in our community comes security and safety and a better education system. It’s important we attract local manufacturers.”
Residents are spending a lot of money on health care, Garcia said, and “what we’d really like to see is that our residents not be overwhelmed by medical bills.”
Billingsley, 35, of West Chicago, is also a first-time candidate who said issues in the district include immigration, the economy and the current drug and opioid crisis in the area.
“Immigration – I get a variety of responses about the federal government doing something about the border, people keep coming into our area and eventually we’re going to run out of resources for them,” Billingsley said. “A lot of people are very compassionate about the immigrants. People understand why they are coming over, but we’re very finite with our resources. We can’t make Illinois a border state.”
Regarding the economy, Billingsley said people are “concerned about taxes and the rising cost of living” and where things are headed.
Solutions to the drug crisis include there being stronger enforcement and penalties for using them, she said, “based on a survey I sent out to people recently.”
“The other thing is educating people about drugs when it comes to young people and that education leads to prevention and going that route,” she said.
If elected, Billingsley said her goals would include having more transparency in government, accountability and good fiscal practices.
Everyone, Billingsley said, “is accountable. People see their leaders and say they’ll represent you – they need to be accountable. If their constituents are saying, ‘This is how we feel,’ those state reps can’t just go and do their own thing.”
Billingsley said her background is in business and finance and that she would like to make things more efficient in Springfield as well as more affordable through that efficiency.
“I want to find a way for communities to work with each other and lean on each other through churches and non-profits and neighbors helping neighbors,” she said. “It will make government a little less needed and make a stronger sense of community.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
