1. PEOPLE FIRST.
“… life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” United States Declaration of Independence.
As governor, Adam Andrzejewski will give voice to the interests of all Illinois people - not just the well-connected. Believing that Illinois citizens must assert greater control over their state government, Andrzejewski will proactively engage them. As governor, he will welcome the people’s involvement in public policy. Then, he will ethically represent their will.
President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg defined public service as “of, by and for the people.” Illinois needs leadership that will rekindle the true spirit of public engagement. Government will be of, by and for the people when it is focused on the public good through upholding the rule of law, upholding order, and building an atmosphere to enable Illinois Citizens to achieve their dreams.
Adam Andrzejewski will return Illinois government to her people.
2. TRANSPARENCY.
"Every Dime. Online. In Real Time." - Adam Andrzejewski
Financial transparency establishes the environment of good government by showing the taxpayer exactly where their money is being spent. Transparency is a policy that shows simple respect to the people.
Tax dollars don’t belong to the government, as government is only a steward of those tax dollars. Through their sacrifice, citizens pay taxes so government can efficiently provide needed services. By making Illinois government opaque, the political class has allowed the government to become corrupted.
By opening the books, state and local government will be open to the review and input of the citizens. Leaders of government can then be held accountable for their spending decisions. When our founders said “… and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.” (US Constitution – Art. I, Sec. 9), there was no internet. In this internet age, “from time to time” should mean “on-line in real time.”
Adam Andrzejewski will bring openness and accountability to Illinois Government.
3. EFFICIENCY.
“Waste not, want not”, Ben Franklin.
While transparency displays the facts of government spending, Adam Andrzejewski would use judgment, best practices, and competition to battle the rampant waste and fraud in public spending. Since government is funded by the sacrifice of hard working people, Andrzejewski believes the minimum standard of government is to be fair and efficient.
4. FOCUSED SOLUTIONS
“The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the State but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime. . .” Albert Einstein
Illinois government needs to be focused on the solution of our problems and less concerned with the accumulation of power. Believing in local control, Andrzejewski will first look to empower people and then to put as many government functions as close to the people as possible. This is common sense, but is the opposite of recent state history.
Local government is the easiest for citizens to hold accountable and is more flexible to meet the unique needs of people. Counties, townships, schools, and municipalities must demonstrate good government: people first, transparency, efficiency, and focused solutions.
All too often elections become a game as to which group of special interests and lobbyists will win while citizens continue to suffer. In this campaign and as governor, Adam Andrzejewski will put the needs of all citizens first and foremost. Every policy decision will be made based on what is best for the people of Illinois in BOTH the short term and long term.
Illinois state government needs to stick to solving problems that people cannot solve for themselves. Where necessary, state government will remove the obstacles to prosperity and innovation.
Let the greatness of Illinois citizens shine forth for grand achievement once more… for the good of Illinois.