Tim Curtin: Candidate for Illinois Comptroller


WTTW’s 2016 Voters’ Guide to the General Election is an online resource designed to inform voters about the candidates running for office in the Nov. 8 election.

Candidates were given two minutes to tell voters where they stand on the issues, why they feel they are best qualified and what they intend to do if elected or re-elected. The messages were recorded at the WTTW studios at no cost to the candidates. The Voters’ Guide is an online version of Candidate Free Time, pioneered by WTTW in the 1992 race for U.S. Senate. This year’s Candidate Free Time is underwritten in part by the League of Women Voters of Cook County and the City Club of Chicago.

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About this office: Illinois Comptroller

The Illinois Comptroller is an Executive Branch office of state government charged with maintaining the fiscal accounts of the state of Illinois and ordering the Illinois Treasurer to make payments into and out of those accounts. The Illinois Comptroller is ordinarily elected in non-presidential election years. This is a special election to replace Judy Baar Topinka, who died shortly after her re-election in 2014 and was replaced by a gubernatorial appointee.

Candidate Free Time is underwritten in part by the League of Women Voters of Cook County and the City Club of ChicagoCandidate Free Time is underwritten in part by the League of Women Voters of Cook County and the City Club of Chicago About this candidate:

Name: Tim Curtin
Party: Green
Born: June 10, 1949
Residence: Hillside
Family: Married to Nancy, 35 years, two adult sons, Rafael (21) and Nicolas (24)
Occupation: I was a union organizer with the United Electrical Workers Union, with thirty-seven years of service when I left employment effective June 30, 2015. Since that time I have been employed by the Mariano’s store in Westchester.
Political experience: Former elected Oak Park Township committeeman for the Green Party, currently chief spokesperson for the Westside greens chapter.

Website: curtin4comptroller.wordpress.com

Candidate Q&A

What is your vision for this office?

I will be an advocate for the people of Illinois. I will bring pressure to bear on the state legislature through a series of public hearings around the state in which my office will talk about a lack of funds, why this has happened and what can be done about it immediately.

What is the most pressing issue facing constituents, and how can you help address it?

The most pressing issue for the voters of Illinois is a lack of a budget and the refusal of both the Democratic and Republican parties to resolve this issue. As a result, the state borrows money at a high interest rate because Moody’s has the state two levels above junk bond status. Social service agencies and school districts around the state have not been properly funded to meet their needs. We need to raise more revenue.

Candidate Statement

My name is Tim Curtin, and I am the Green Party candidate for State Comptroller. I am running because the Democrats and Republicans have failed to do their jobs on behalf of the people of Illinois. They refuse to balance the budget. They refuse to properly fund public education. They have allowed draconian cuts in social services throughout the state.

Why has the happened? Because both major parties refuse to acknowledge that the state is in a financial crisis and needs more revenues, which require additional taxes. Taxes were reduced in 2015 by $4.8 billion a year. I support passing the financial transaction tax, House Bill 106. It would raise $13 billion a year in new revenues from taxing financial traders only. The bill has languished in Springfield because it would require political courage to tax the well-to-do. It’s called “pay for play”. If you vote for me and the Greens on November 8th, that will be the end of “pay for play”. We don’t accept PAC money or corporate money. We would be your Advocate in government.

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Return to our 2016 Voters’ Guide to the General Election


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