From the Chicago Tribune’s coverage of Rob Bisceglie in the 45th District House race:
“[Rob] Bisceglie, a Bensenville native and University of Illinois graduate, moved to Roselle in 2003 after eight years in Washington, D.C., working mostly for the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he helped link American businesses and foreign markets.
While there, he also received his master’s degree in international relations from the University of Virginia. He and his wife - they started dating as Fenton High School students - decided to come home to start their family. And Bisceglie, who does development consulting for non-profit organizations, had long considered a run for office.
‘A lot of people look at it as politics. I see it as public service,’ he said. Making that bid as a Democrat in DuPage might not seem like the best way to get a foothold in public life, but Bisceglie said he believes things are changing ‘big time.’
The 45th District lies within the 6th Congressional District, where a GOP candidate has traditionally been able to tally about 70 percent of the vote. In 2004 in the 6th, Democratic neophyte Christine Cegelis received 43 percent of the vote in her run against U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.). This year, polls show Democrat Tammy Duckworth and GOP state Sen. Peter Roskam in a tight race to replace the retiring Hyde.
‘You can feel the change while you are talking to people,’ said Bisceglie, who has spent months canvassing the district.
Bisceglie’s big issue is high property taxes, and he said he hears it from almost everyone to whom he talks. With school funding being the major portion of a property tax bill, Bisceglie said the state should look at a different mix for education funding and make property taxes ‘less regressive.’
Closing some corporate tax loopholes and ensuring corporations pay their ‘fair share’ would be a good first step, as would taking a harder line against what’s politely called member initiative money, he said.
He also spoke about the need to address a looming state pension problem and providing affordable health insurance.”
[Editor Note: See my disclaimer at the bottom of this post.]
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