DAILY HERALD — At the end of June, Democrat Susana Mendoza’s campaign coffers held nearly four times what Republican state Comptroller Leslie Munger had available to spend on the race.

That all changed during a seven-day span in late September when Munger’s campaign received $5,323,500, largely from two Chicago-area businessmen with close ties to Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Hedge fund manager Ken Griffin donated $3 million to Munger just two days after she received $2 million from packaging and supply magnate Dick Uihlein. The state GOP also donated $55,500 during that span, and Munger’s husband, John, contributed $260,000.

Munger’s campaign has taken in nearly $6.5 million since June 30, according to state campaign finance records through Wednesday. The money came from 56 separate contributions. That includes a $1 million infusion from Rauner’s campaign earlier this week.

Rauner tapped Munger, of Lincolnshire, two years ago to fill the position left vacant by the death of GOP stalwart Judy Baar Topinka. The race this year is for the remaining two years on Topinka’s term. The comptroller is responsible for paying the state’s bills.

Even after Munger turned over $3 million of her campaign’s windfall to the state party, she was left with $3.4 million in contributions, more than three times what Mendoza’s campaign had raised since the end of June.

In that same time span, Mendoza, of Chicago, has raised $1,004,650 from 130 contributions. Almost $640,000 of those contributions came from union groups, campaign finance records show.

Munger complained about Mendoza’s political history, first as a legislator and now Chicago city clerk, while defending her campaign’s own donors. Munger’s recent television ads depict Mendoza as a career politician who will receive two pensions for her work with the state and the city.

“In order to run a statewide race, you need funding, and it’s very hard to raise money for me as a relative newcomer to state government,” Munger said during a recent visit with the Daily Herald editorial board. “The money that has come to me was transferred out immediately to help out other candidates in the state and certainly (some donors) are people who are friends of the governor, but they are also people who are business leaders who want good government in Illinois. I’m just following the laws the Democrats passed.”

Munger also noted she does not participate in the state’s pension program or take advantage of the state health insurance benefits.

For her part, Mendoza defended her political career and said Munger’s campaign contributions from friends of the governor show she’s not as independent as she claims.

“You don’t need a novice who has to take direction,” Mendoza said. “I got started (in politics) very young because my life was different from hers as a kid. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon. I didn’t marry into wealth or anything. My opponent shames my service to this state of over 15 years, but I’m super proud of it.”

Mendoza touts her efforts as city clerk to streamline services, cut costs and increase revenues through modernization of the city’s vehicle sticker program. Some government finance watchdog groups were calling for the office to be cut before Mendoza took over but have lauded her efforts since then.

“That’s what you can do when you’re a hardworking, vision-oriented person who can execute on that vision, and that’s the type of leadership I’ll bring to Springfield,” she said.

Munger said her two years in office have been the most challenging any comptroller has ever faced because the state has been working without a budget the majority of the time. She said she has stood up to outside influences and even the governor who put her in office. The absence of a budget is a disservice to the state’s residents, she said.

“Really it’s a shirking of the responsibility of all involved,” Munger said. “It’s their duty under the Constitution to pass a budget, and they haven’t done it.”

Libertarian Claire Ball and the Green Party’s Tim Curtin are also vying for the seat.

The election is Nov. 8.

View the article: Griffin, Jack. “Money pouring into comptroller’s race” Daily Herald. 20 Oct 2016

The post Money pouring into comptroller’s race appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

Thank you for reaching out to me.

To answer your question, my opponent is falsely attacking me on my record because she can’t stand behind the ugly truth of her own. I have NEVER double dipped. This was a false allegation that former pathological liar and disgraced Governor Blagojevich started years ago. It was disproved then with official documentation and it continues to be a blatant lie today.

I have disproved it on multiple occasions during this campaign, yet my opponent continues spreading the lie in the hopes that the public will believe whatever they see in her negative ads. She can buy lots of ads telling lots of lies with the $5 million + she received from 2 of Governor Rauner’s billionaire friends, one of whom is on Donald Trump’s economic team. She has yet to denounce DT. It’s clear to me why.

Also, she just accepted another $1 MILLION directly from Governor Rauner yesterday. So, the one person she should be serving as an independent checks and balance to, just wrote her a check for $1 million dollars. It’s unprecedented and entirely unethical. You can expect to see more negative and slanderous lies about me on new ads this money will be paying for.

I don’t have billionaire friends who can entirely finance my campaign and allow me to buy up so much TV time spreading lies. I do have the hardest work ethic you’ll ever see in a public servant, and I’ll continue to rely on that to earn the people’s trust. I hope I can count on your vote.

Let me know if you have any other questions and have a great day.

Thanks,
Susana

The post An Email Comment — “The Republicans insist that you have been receiving 2 paychecks” appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

THE HERALD-NEWS — To the Editor:

Although I’ve lived in Joliet for five years, I’m an outsider to Illinois politics, having grown up in Michigan. I didn’t start volunteering in local politics until last year. So when I attended the Democratic Party fundraiser held Oct. 7 in Joliet, Michael Madigan was the biggest name I’d heard of.

What surprised me was that a candidate for comptroller engaged my attention far more than anyone else. Susana Mendoza spoke warmly of her family and local upbringing, having graduated from Bolingbrook High School. She takes great pride in serving as Chicago’s city clerk, where she saved the city money by streamlining the timing of its services, creating lower wait times and increasing profitability.

But what struck me the most was learning that her opponent, Leslie Munger, had taken advantage of an Illinois law that removes limits to campaign contributions, if the candidate or their family contributes more than $250,000 to their campaign. Munger’s husband wrote it a loan for $260,000, removing the cap. Mendoza rightly saw this as a sign she was being targeted as a serious threat to the governor’s way of doing business.

I think between Democrats and Republicans, we all know where the money is. A room filled with local Democrats could never approach the assets of a few tied-in Republicans – certainly not with less than a month remaining before the election. So it’s no surprise that after receiving her husband’s loan, Munger’s campaign gained $5 million from two billionaires, most of which she funneled to other Republican candidates.

Our form of government is founded on a system of checks and balances. I ask voters: who would place a more effective check on a governor who’s worked to evade democratic engagement? His hand-picked, appointed comptroller? Or an opposing, challenging voice, elected by the people?

View the article: Letter to the Editor. “Political outsider observations” The Herald-News. 20 Oct 2016

The post Political outsider observations (IL Comptroller Race) appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WATCH and SHARE — “Alejandro Castro”

Springfield needs a moral compass. I’m ready to prioritize both the fiscal and moral health of the State.

Visit my biography page to learn more about me.

The post “Alejandro Castro” | Susana Mendoza for Illinois Comptroller [VIDEO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WTTW: CHICAGO TONIGHT — $9.5 billion dollars: That’s the current backlog of unpaid bills facing the state of Illinois, according to the state comptroller’s office.

With Illinois’ stopgap budget due to expire at the end of the year and no full state budget on the horizon, the state’s fiscal picture is precarious.

One of the offices on next month’s ballot is that of the Illinois Comptroller, who’s responsible for maintaining state accounts and ordering payments into and out of those accounts. Two candidates in that special election join Chicago Tonight for a candidate forum: Democrat Susana Mendoza and Republican Leslie Munger.

More about the candidates

While the Illinois Comptroller is ordinarily elected in non-presidential election years, the office is on the ballot next month to elect a replacement for Judy Baar Topinka, who died shortly after her re-election in 2014.

Gov. Bruce Rauner appointed as Topinka’s replacement Leslie Munger, who has served as comptroller since January 2015. She previously worked as a brand management executive with Unilever Helene Curtis. Munger has been endorsed by newspapers around the state, including the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, the Daily Herald, and the State Journal-Register.

Susana Mendoza was a member of the Illinois House from 2001 until 2011, when she was sworn in as City Clerk of Chicago. She has received praise for streamlining and modernizing the clerk’s office.

Munger has received significant financial support from Rauner and major GOP donors Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein, though she has shared some of that money with the state Republican Party to benefit other candidates. Mendoza has criticized Munger’s campaign fund transfers as money laundering, while Munger counters she’s merely following campaign finance laws for which Mendoza voted while she served in the Illinois General Assembly. Mendoza has significant financial support and numerous endorsements from organized labor.

With the statewide authority of the office, the Illinois Comptroller campaign is perhaps the highest-profile race in the so-called “proxy war” between Rauner and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan for political dominance in Springfield.

According to a Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll released earlier this month, Mendoza is leading Munger 40 percent to 32 percent. However, 22 percent of voters surveyed said they were undecided.

View the article: Blumberg, Nick. “Forum: Illinois Comptroller Candidates” WTTW. 25 Oct, 2016″

The post WTTW DEBATE: Illinois Comptroller Candidates [VIDEO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

POLITICO.COM — The two candidates for Illinois comptroller — the costliest race in the state — tangled in a contentious debate televised on WTTW Tuesday night, each accusing the other of acting as a shill for party leaders.

At one point, Democrat Susana Mendoza slammed incumbent Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger as the “state’s chief fiscal launderer,” for millions of dollars that have passed through Munger’s campaign fund to other Republican campaigns. Munger countered that Mendoza was beholden to unions and other special interests that have contributed to her election account.

Mendoza has previously accused Munger of acting as a rubber stamp for Gov. Bruce Rauner, after the governor recently pushed through $3 million to $4 million in performance bonuses to non-union workers.

Mendoza said the state doesn’t have money to pay its bills or keep open social service agencies, saying they “should be prioritized, certainly over anyone receiving a performance bonus while we’re in the midst of our worst, worst fiscal crisis of all time.”

But Munger said she was under court order to pay state workers.

When moderator Phil Ponce pressed: “including bonuses?” Munger said she cannot make a distinction over salary and bonus when an agency sends the request to her office for payment.

“There is no way to determine, which is bonus, which is pay,” Munger said, accusing Mendoza of not knowing how the office worked.

Mendoza countered that one of her top advisers is former comptroller Dan Hynes, and said Munger should have, upon taking office, immediately reviewed each agency’s expenses so she could make financial distinctions when necessary.
The Illinois comptroller is charged with paying the state’s bills. The job has come under greater scrutiny since the Rauner and Illinois Democrats have sparred over the state’s budget, failing to enact a budget for 10 months before finally approving a temporary spending plan until after the elections.

Mendoza accused Munger of allowing Rauner to control her office, complaining that Munger accepted $1 million from the governor when she is supposed to act as a balance to his office. But Munger hit right back, saying Mendoza had accepted money from the Democratic Party of Illinois, which Madigan leads.

“I actually stood up to the governor, right away, when I first took office. He asked me to withhold fair share union dues. I told him I couldn’t do that,” Munger said. “I stood up to the Attorney General when I went to court to make sure we could pay our employees, she sued me to stop. I went in with my own lawyers and we’re paying state employees because we went to court for that.”

When asked about $7 million that flowed to Munger’s campaign from two of Rauner’s top allies, Munger said that the money had already been transferred out of her account to other campaign accounts.

“She’s now admitted to being the state’s chief fiscal launderer,” Mendoza said.

Munger said that Mendoza’s term in the state legislature contributed to the state’s poor fiscal condition, including voting for unbalanced budgets and delaying pension payments. Munger also accused Mendoza of “double dipping” in her time as state rep, saying she received pay at the same time for a city job. Mendoza has insisted that she did not accept pay for one job while working at another.

“The reality is that she is continuing to lie, but you can buy a lot of lies with $9 million from three billionaires,” Mendoza said.

View the article: Korecki, Natasha. “Mendoza-Munger rhetoric heats up in televised comptroller debate” Politico.com. 26 Oct, 2016″

The post Mendoza-Munger rhetoric heats up in televised comptroller debate appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WBBM: AT ISSUE — Political Editor Craig Dellimore interviews Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger and Democratic challenger Susana Mendoza about the hottest issues in their statewide race. They discuss the state’s finances, campaign donations, Governor Rauner, House Speaker Madigan and more.

View the article: Dellimore, Craig. “At Issue: Illinois Comptroller’s Race 10/30″ WBBM. 30 Oct 2016

The post WBBM’s At Issue: Illinois Comptroller’s Race 10/30 [AUDIO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WGN — She’s held public office since 2001, working in the General Assembly, then city hall. Now, Susana Mendoza, who fashions herself “a truth teller” to the state’s woes wants to bring her experience back to Springfield.

She’s a familiar face and a familiar voice at Chicago’s City Hall as City Clerk since 2011.

“I’m my own person, I’m not beholden to anybody, never have been,” she says.

This is her first run for statewide office as Illinois’ comptroller.

“It’s the most important job that most people have never heard of and it’s because it controls the state’s checkbook,” she says.

Unlike the state treasurer, who invests the state’s money, the comptroller pays the bills. It is a tough job, as the state budget standoff has pushed the backlog of unpaid bills to 10 billion dollars.

Mendoza was born to Mexican immigrants in the Little Village neighborhood and raised in the suburbs.

After college, she moved back to the neighborhood. She first ran for state representative at age 25. She lost. Two years later, she ran again and won, keeping the seat until being elected to the City Clerk’s office.

She has kept tabs on aldermen and city licenses including reforming the vehicle sticker program.

“We did so with 10 percent less payroll,” she says. “I did it by coming in under budget.”

Now, with her sights set on statewide office, she says her skills managing the clerk’s office and being a mom will come into play as comptroller, looking for ways to pay the bills, especially to social service agencies in a challenging political climate in Springfield.

Mendoza says she prides herself on being bi-partisan and considers the late Judy Baar Topinka a role model for her ability to reach across the aisle.

Mendoza believes, as comptroller, she could bring her former colleagues in the general assembly together on a budget agreement and start to pay down the bills.

View the article: Lewis, Sean. “Meet Susana Mendoza, candidate for Illinois comptroller” WGN. 31 Oct 2016

The post Meet Susana Mendoza, candidate for Illinois Comptroller [VIDEO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WATCH and SHARE — “Worse Off”

Leslie Munger isn’t just bad at math, she’s bad for Illinois.

I’m committed to being an independent, truth-telling fiscal watchdog who will prioritize both the fiscal and moral health of the State.

Visit my biography page to learn more about me.

The post “Worse Off” with Leslie Munger [VIDEO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WATCH and SHARE — “Personal Vote”

“Let’s be honest, it takes half a nanosecond to know where you should be with Donald Trump with everything he’s said. It shouldn’t take you a lot of thought to decide and tell voters honestly whether or not you’re for Donald Trump.” -Susana Mendoza

Visit my biography page to learn more about me.

The post “Personal Vote” | Susana Mendoza for Illinois Comptroller [VIDEO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

DAILY HERALD — At the end of June, Democrat Susana Mendoza’s campaign coffers held nearly four times what Republican state Comptroller Leslie Munger had available to spend on the race.

That all changed during a seven-day span in late September when Munger’s campaign received $5,323,500, largely from two Chicago-area businessmen with close ties to Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Hedge fund manager Ken Griffin donated $3 million to Munger just two days after she received $2 million from packaging and supply magnate Dick Uihlein. The state GOP also donated $55,500 during that span, and Munger’s husband, John, contributed $260,000.

Munger’s campaign has taken in nearly $6.5 million since June 30, according to state campaign finance records through Wednesday. The money came from 56 separate contributions. That includes a $1 million infusion from Rauner’s campaign earlier this week.

Rauner tapped Munger, of Lincolnshire, two years ago to fill the position left vacant by the death of GOP stalwart Judy Baar Topinka. The race this year is for the remaining two years on Topinka’s term. The comptroller is responsible for paying the state’s bills.

Even after Munger turned over $3 million of her campaign’s windfall to the state party, she was left with $3.4 million in contributions, more than three times what Mendoza’s campaign had raised since the end of June.

In that same time span, Mendoza, of Chicago, has raised $1,004,650 from 130 contributions. Almost $640,000 of those contributions came from union groups, campaign finance records show.

Munger complained about Mendoza’s political history, first as a legislator and now Chicago city clerk, while defending her campaign’s own donors. Munger’s recent television ads depict Mendoza as a career politician who will receive two pensions for her work with the state and the city.

“In order to run a statewide race, you need funding, and it’s very hard to raise money for me as a relative newcomer to state government,” Munger said during a recent visit with the Daily Herald editorial board. “The money that has come to me was transferred out immediately to help out other candidates in the state and certainly (some donors) are people who are friends of the governor, but they are also people who are business leaders who want good government in Illinois. I’m just following the laws the Democrats passed.”

Munger also noted she does not participate in the state’s pension program or take advantage of the state health insurance benefits.

For her part, Mendoza defended her political career and said Munger’s campaign contributions from friends of the governor show she’s not as independent as she claims.

“You don’t need a novice who has to take direction,” Mendoza said. “I got started (in politics) very young because my life was different from hers as a kid. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon. I didn’t marry into wealth or anything. My opponent shames my service to this state of over 15 years, but I’m super proud of it.”

Mendoza touts her efforts as city clerk to streamline services, cut costs and increase revenues through modernization of the city’s vehicle sticker program. Some government finance watchdog groups were calling for the office to be cut before Mendoza took over but have lauded her efforts since then.

“That’s what you can do when you’re a hardworking, vision-oriented person who can execute on that vision, and that’s the type of leadership I’ll bring to Springfield,” she said.

Munger said her two years in office have been the most challenging any comptroller has ever faced because the state has been working without a budget the majority of the time. She said she has stood up to outside influences and even the governor who put her in office. The absence of a budget is a disservice to the state’s residents, she said.

“Really it’s a shirking of the responsibility of all involved,” Munger said. “It’s their duty under the Constitution to pass a budget, and they haven’t done it.”

Libertarian Claire Ball and the Green Party’s Tim Curtin are also vying for the seat.

The election is Nov. 8.

View the article: Griffin, Jack. “Money pouring into comptroller’s race” Daily Herald. 20 Oct 2016

The post Money pouring into comptroller’s race appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

Thank you for reaching out to me.

To answer your question, my opponent is falsely attacking me on my record because she can’t stand behind the ugly truth of her own. I have NEVER double dipped. This was a false allegation that former pathological liar and disgraced Governor Blagojevich started years ago. It was disproved then with official documentation and it continues to be a blatant lie today.

I have disproved it on multiple occasions during this campaign, yet my opponent continues spreading the lie in the hopes that the public will believe whatever they see in her negative ads. She can buy lots of ads telling lots of lies with the $5 million + she received from 2 of Governor Rauner’s billionaire friends, one of whom is on Donald Trump’s economic team. She has yet to denounce DT. It’s clear to me why.

Also, she just accepted another $1 MILLION directly from Governor Rauner yesterday. So, the one person she should be serving as an independent checks and balance to, just wrote her a check for $1 million dollars. It’s unprecedented and entirely unethical. You can expect to see more negative and slanderous lies about me on new ads this money will be paying for.

I don’t have billionaire friends who can entirely finance my campaign and allow me to buy up so much TV time spreading lies. I do have the hardest work ethic you’ll ever see in a public servant, and I’ll continue to rely on that to earn the people’s trust. I hope I can count on your vote.

Let me know if you have any other questions and have a great day.

Thanks,
Susana

The post An Email Comment — “The Republicans insist that you have been receiving 2 paychecks” appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

THE HERALD-NEWS — To the Editor:

Although I’ve lived in Joliet for five years, I’m an outsider to Illinois politics, having grown up in Michigan. I didn’t start volunteering in local politics until last year. So when I attended the Democratic Party fundraiser held Oct. 7 in Joliet, Michael Madigan was the biggest name I’d heard of.

What surprised me was that a candidate for comptroller engaged my attention far more than anyone else. Susana Mendoza spoke warmly of her family and local upbringing, having graduated from Bolingbrook High School. She takes great pride in serving as Chicago’s city clerk, where she saved the city money by streamlining the timing of its services, creating lower wait times and increasing profitability.

But what struck me the most was learning that her opponent, Leslie Munger, had taken advantage of an Illinois law that removes limits to campaign contributions, if the candidate or their family contributes more than $250,000 to their campaign. Munger’s husband wrote it a loan for $260,000, removing the cap. Mendoza rightly saw this as a sign she was being targeted as a serious threat to the governor’s way of doing business.

I think between Democrats and Republicans, we all know where the money is. A room filled with local Democrats could never approach the assets of a few tied-in Republicans – certainly not with less than a month remaining before the election. So it’s no surprise that after receiving her husband’s loan, Munger’s campaign gained $5 million from two billionaires, most of which she funneled to other Republican candidates.

Our form of government is founded on a system of checks and balances. I ask voters: who would place a more effective check on a governor who’s worked to evade democratic engagement? His hand-picked, appointed comptroller? Or an opposing, challenging voice, elected by the people?

View the article: Letter to the Editor. “Political outsider observations” The Herald-News. 20 Oct 2016

The post Political outsider observations (IL Comptroller Race) appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WATCH and SHARE — “Alejandro Castro”

Springfield needs a moral compass. I’m ready to prioritize both the fiscal and moral health of the State.

Visit my biography page to learn more about me.

The post “Alejandro Castro” | Susana Mendoza for Illinois Comptroller [VIDEO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WTTW: CHICAGO TONIGHT — $9.5 billion dollars: That’s the current backlog of unpaid bills facing the state of Illinois, according to the state comptroller’s office.

With Illinois’ stopgap budget due to expire at the end of the year and no full state budget on the horizon, the state’s fiscal picture is precarious.

One of the offices on next month’s ballot is that of the Illinois Comptroller, who’s responsible for maintaining state accounts and ordering payments into and out of those accounts. Two candidates in that special election join Chicago Tonight for a candidate forum: Democrat Susana Mendoza and Republican Leslie Munger.

More about the candidates

While the Illinois Comptroller is ordinarily elected in non-presidential election years, the office is on the ballot next month to elect a replacement for Judy Baar Topinka, who died shortly after her re-election in 2014.

Gov. Bruce Rauner appointed as Topinka’s replacement Leslie Munger, who has served as comptroller since January 2015. She previously worked as a brand management executive with Unilever Helene Curtis. Munger has been endorsed by newspapers around the state, including the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, the Daily Herald, and the State Journal-Register.

Susana Mendoza was a member of the Illinois House from 2001 until 2011, when she was sworn in as City Clerk of Chicago. She has received praise for streamlining and modernizing the clerk’s office.

Munger has received significant financial support from Rauner and major GOP donors Ken Griffin and Richard Uihlein, though she has shared some of that money with the state Republican Party to benefit other candidates. Mendoza has criticized Munger’s campaign fund transfers as money laundering, while Munger counters she’s merely following campaign finance laws for which Mendoza voted while she served in the Illinois General Assembly. Mendoza has significant financial support and numerous endorsements from organized labor.

With the statewide authority of the office, the Illinois Comptroller campaign is perhaps the highest-profile race in the so-called “proxy war” between Rauner and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan for political dominance in Springfield.

According to a Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll released earlier this month, Mendoza is leading Munger 40 percent to 32 percent. However, 22 percent of voters surveyed said they were undecided.

View the article: Blumberg, Nick. “Forum: Illinois Comptroller Candidates” WTTW. 25 Oct, 2016″

The post WTTW DEBATE: Illinois Comptroller Candidates [VIDEO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

POLITICO.COM — The two candidates for Illinois comptroller — the costliest race in the state — tangled in a contentious debate televised on WTTW Tuesday night, each accusing the other of acting as a shill for party leaders.

At one point, Democrat Susana Mendoza slammed incumbent Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger as the “state’s chief fiscal launderer,” for millions of dollars that have passed through Munger’s campaign fund to other Republican campaigns. Munger countered that Mendoza was beholden to unions and other special interests that have contributed to her election account.

Mendoza has previously accused Munger of acting as a rubber stamp for Gov. Bruce Rauner, after the governor recently pushed through $3 million to $4 million in performance bonuses to non-union workers.

Mendoza said the state doesn’t have money to pay its bills or keep open social service agencies, saying they “should be prioritized, certainly over anyone receiving a performance bonus while we’re in the midst of our worst, worst fiscal crisis of all time.”

But Munger said she was under court order to pay state workers.

When moderator Phil Ponce pressed: “including bonuses?” Munger said she cannot make a distinction over salary and bonus when an agency sends the request to her office for payment.

“There is no way to determine, which is bonus, which is pay,” Munger said, accusing Mendoza of not knowing how the office worked.

Mendoza countered that one of her top advisers is former comptroller Dan Hynes, and said Munger should have, upon taking office, immediately reviewed each agency’s expenses so she could make financial distinctions when necessary.
The Illinois comptroller is charged with paying the state’s bills. The job has come under greater scrutiny since the Rauner and Illinois Democrats have sparred over the state’s budget, failing to enact a budget for 10 months before finally approving a temporary spending plan until after the elections.

Mendoza accused Munger of allowing Rauner to control her office, complaining that Munger accepted $1 million from the governor when she is supposed to act as a balance to his office. But Munger hit right back, saying Mendoza had accepted money from the Democratic Party of Illinois, which Madigan leads.

“I actually stood up to the governor, right away, when I first took office. He asked me to withhold fair share union dues. I told him I couldn’t do that,” Munger said. “I stood up to the Attorney General when I went to court to make sure we could pay our employees, she sued me to stop. I went in with my own lawyers and we’re paying state employees because we went to court for that.”

When asked about $7 million that flowed to Munger’s campaign from two of Rauner’s top allies, Munger said that the money had already been transferred out of her account to other campaign accounts.

“She’s now admitted to being the state’s chief fiscal launderer,” Mendoza said.

Munger said that Mendoza’s term in the state legislature contributed to the state’s poor fiscal condition, including voting for unbalanced budgets and delaying pension payments. Munger also accused Mendoza of “double dipping” in her time as state rep, saying she received pay at the same time for a city job. Mendoza has insisted that she did not accept pay for one job while working at another.

“The reality is that she is continuing to lie, but you can buy a lot of lies with $9 million from three billionaires,” Mendoza said.

View the article: Korecki, Natasha. “Mendoza-Munger rhetoric heats up in televised comptroller debate” Politico.com. 26 Oct, 2016″

The post Mendoza-Munger rhetoric heats up in televised comptroller debate appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WBBM: AT ISSUE — Political Editor Craig Dellimore interviews Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger and Democratic challenger Susana Mendoza about the hottest issues in their statewide race. They discuss the state’s finances, campaign donations, Governor Rauner, House Speaker Madigan and more.

View the article: Dellimore, Craig. “At Issue: Illinois Comptroller’s Race 10/30″ WBBM. 30 Oct 2016

The post WBBM’s At Issue: Illinois Comptroller’s Race 10/30 [AUDIO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.

WGN — She’s held public office since 2001, working in the General Assembly, then city hall. Now, Susana Mendoza, who fashions herself “a truth teller” to the state’s woes wants to bring her experience back to Springfield.

She’s a familiar face and a familiar voice at Chicago’s City Hall as City Clerk since 2011.

“I’m my own person, I’m not beholden to anybody, never have been,” she says.

This is her first run for statewide office as Illinois’ comptroller.

“It’s the most important job that most people have never heard of and it’s because it controls the state’s checkbook,” she says.

Unlike the state treasurer, who invests the state’s money, the comptroller pays the bills. It is a tough job, as the state budget standoff has pushed the backlog of unpaid bills to 10 billion dollars.

Mendoza was born to Mexican immigrants in the Little Village neighborhood and raised in the suburbs.

After college, she moved back to the neighborhood. She first ran for state representative at age 25. She lost. Two years later, she ran again and won, keeping the seat until being elected to the City Clerk’s office.

She has kept tabs on aldermen and city licenses including reforming the vehicle sticker program.

“We did so with 10 percent less payroll,” she says. “I did it by coming in under budget.”

Now, with her sights set on statewide office, she says her skills managing the clerk’s office and being a mom will come into play as comptroller, looking for ways to pay the bills, especially to social service agencies in a challenging political climate in Springfield.

Mendoza says she prides herself on being bi-partisan and considers the late Judy Baar Topinka a role model for her ability to reach across the aisle.

Mendoza believes, as comptroller, she could bring her former colleagues in the general assembly together on a budget agreement and start to pay down the bills.

View the article: Lewis, Sean. “Meet Susana Mendoza, candidate for Illinois comptroller” WGN. 31 Oct 2016

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WATCH and SHARE — “Worse Off”

Leslie Munger isn’t just bad at math, she’s bad for Illinois.

I’m committed to being an independent, truth-telling fiscal watchdog who will prioritize both the fiscal and moral health of the State.

Visit my biography page to learn more about me.

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WATCH and SHARE — “Personal Vote”

“Let’s be honest, it takes half a nanosecond to know where you should be with Donald Trump with everything he’s said. It shouldn’t take you a lot of thought to decide and tell voters honestly whether or not you’re for Donald Trump.” -Susana Mendoza

Visit my biography page to learn more about me.

The post “Personal Vote” | Susana Mendoza for Illinois Comptroller [VIDEO] appeared first on Susana A. Mendoza - Illinois State Comptroller.