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State House: It’s experience vs. endorsements in 46th GOP primary
Daniel J. Kordik, 52, is a Villa Park lawyer. He's a former school board member; has been the York Township clerk since 2005, and was a Villa Park zoning commissioner from 1999 to 2010.
Updated: February 29, 2012 12:15PM
In the west suburban Illinois 46th House District, one candidate in the Republican primary has most of the endorsements. The other has most of the government and community-service experience.
In a district with no incumbent — current state Rep. Dennis Reboletti was redrawn into the 45th District — John “Chip” Humes, 29, of Addison, is the candidate with the endorsements. He’s backed by Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross, DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, DuPage State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and Reboletti.
But Humes, owner of Humes Funeral Home in Addison, has no political experience other than working on the campaign of DuPage County Board Member Donald Puchalski. He is a former firefighter and paramedic in Addison, Carol Stream and the Glenside Fire Protection District who left his public-safety career to work in his family mortuary business.
The candidate with the experience is Daniel J. Kordik, a Villa Park lawyer. Kordik, 52, is a former school board member and has been the York Township clerk since 2005. He also was a Villa Park zoning commissioner from 1999 to 2010. He has been a DuPage County resident since 1962, and he points out that he is the only candidate on the ballot — Democrat or Republican — who actually lives in the district.
Kordik doesn’t take the lack of endorsements personally. He said Humes rounded them up early before he, Kordik, got into the race.
“I think I have the community service experience and the education to carefully analyze all expenditures to help get at the financial situation that we unfortunately have in the state,” said Kordik, who was on the Villa Park-Lombard Elementary District 45 board from 1991 to 1994.
While on the school board, Kordik said he voted to end free bus service for some students, diverting the money to education needs, which he said demonstrates his philosophy of emphasizing the fundamentals.
“It was not a popular decision, but it freed up more money for direct education in the classroom,” he said.
Kordik also questioned whether Humes’ post-secondary education — a two-year mortuary science degree from the Worsham College of Mortuary Sciences — would sufficiently prepare him for the complicated issues facing a legislator. Kordik has a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1984. He passed the CPA exam as well.
In his response to a Chicago Sun-Times candidate questionnaire, Kordik said he supports a constitutional amendment to make the state income tax progressive instead of flat; opposes expanded gambling and would lower the income tax for businesses while ending special deals for companies that threaten to leave the state.
Humes called Kordik’s explanation for not getting endorsements a “copout” and said his own background in public safety and business — he is past president of the Addison Chamber of Commerce & Industry — makes him an ideal candidate for the Legislature.
“When you own a business, you are in charge of your own success or failure,” he said.
Humes said he prefers the current flat state income tax to a progressive model. He opposes some of the special tax breaks that have been awarded to keep large businesses from moving out of state.
If wins, Humes said, he will move into the district, which includes all of Villa Park and Glendale Heights; parts of Addison, Lombard, Elmhurst, Bloomingdale and Glen Ellyn, and some unincorporated areas.
The winner will face Democrat Deborah O’Keefe Conroy of Elmhurst in the fall.
