IllShe Runs Illinois 2022! — Stephanie Kifowit, candidate for IL House of Representatives, District 84
She Votes Illinois is pleased to feature Stephanie Kifowit, incumbent, running for IL House of Representatives, District 84. Follow our series, She Runs Illinois 2022!, leading up to election day as we showcase and uplift the voices of Illinois women running for public office in the upcoming election, November 8, 2022.
Tell us about yourself
I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps right after I graduated high school. I served for four years on active duty and achieved the rank of Corporal (E4) meritoriously by being awarded Marine of the Quarter for Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. I was stationed at Camp Pendleton for three years, and overseas in Okinawa, Japan. While in Okinawa I was able to travel to South Korea. After my enlistment, I attended Northern Illinois University where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and also graduated with a Masters of Public Administration. I am a former registered financial advisor in addition to being a substitute teacher from East Aurora District 131. I was elected Alderman of the 3rd Ward in the City of Aurora from 2003–2012; and was elected State Representative of the 84th District in 2012 with my inauguration in January 2013. On October 1, 2020, I was the only elected official to challenge long-serving former Speaker of the House Michael Madigan and through this effort, a coalition of representatives did not support his retainment, and subsequently a new Speaker of the House, Emanuel “Chris” Welch was elected for the 102nd General Assembly and Madigan has since resigned his seat as a state representative.
Currently, I am the only USMC Veteran and the only female Veteran in the General Assembly. I am the Chair of Veterans Affairs and also the Chair of State Government Committees; I am the Vice Chair of General Services Appropriation committee and a member of the Revenue and Public Utilities committees. I am also a member of the House budget advisory committee and working group. Recently I have been appointed to the Social Media and Extremism Working Group.
What are the priorities that you intend to focus on in office?
As the only female Veteran and chair of the Veterans Affairs committee, I work extremely hard on meeting the needs of the Veteran Community. This year, Governor Pritzker signed my bill which provides the most protections for victims of Military Sexual Assault on our bases and in our National Guard units. Illinois leads the way in services and programs to help Veterans in almost every facet of life; from free tuition at any Illinois state university through the Illinois Veterans Grant, to streamlining the process for licensure to fighting Veterans' Suicide.
In addition to that, property taxes are still high and I passed comprehensive property tax reform, but more needs to be done.
Finally, I am working with advocates for children in our Foster Care system to establish mental health support for those children and provide them with the services that they need.
What do you wish more people understood about holding office?
I think political pundits have done a good job of devaluating what it means to be an elected official. This role is very important to the checks and balances of our governmental system and methods such as using derogatory terms for elected officials or not realizing how much time goes into being a fully informed representative for the people (such as the common phrase “it’s only a part-time job”) really cloud the important positive impacts elected lawmakers make for the public. Demonizing government, which Ronald Reagan did when he said “The top 9 most terrifying words in the English language is ‘I’m from the Government and I’m here to help.” undermines the important functions of government and thus allows an avenue of distrust and voter apathy. The fact of the matter is that the Government does help so many people in many positive ways that go unnoticed and minimized by anti-Government commentators.
With the exception of a few, office holders are in office to do good for the public, to help people, and to make lives better for the most vulnerable among us.
Should we enshrine the right to an abortion in our state constitution as other states have done?
I would support this measure; however, to change the constitution there needs to be a vote by 2/3 of the General assembly from both Houses (Senate and House) to be placed on the ballot and the voters must approve it by a significant margin. It is too late in this election cycle for this to happen.
What can the ILGA do in Illinois that will help trans children, especially as we see trans children and their families placed on the front lines in other states?
The state of Illinois has many protections for trans children and their families; but we are constantly working to make sure that Illinois is a welcoming and supportive state for all residents, and being mindful of the marginalized minority of our state.
Toxic masculinity, the cultural idea that manhood is defined by violence and aggression to maintain power or strength, combined with gun availability can result in gender-based gun violence and mass shootings. What can the ILGA do to address this deadly combination?
Changing culture is always difficult, but the state of Illinois has passed many pieces of legislation to address violence, and recently is set to invest $250 Million in data-driven violence reduction programs and organizations. While your question points to one factor of violence, the subject of violence and aggression is multi-faceted including childhood trauma, extreme poverty, educational attainment, and lack of employment opportunities to name a few. In addition, the working group I am appointed to is looking at the extremism on social media which might also lead to violence and mass shootings. Thus — the question asked does not correctly represent the whole situation. It is a very complex and interwoven subject matter.
Closing comments
I am honored to have been chosen to represent the residents of the 84th District in the IL House, and there is a lot of work that needs to be done. I am not afraid to stand up for what is right, I work hard for the district as a full-time legislator in addition to passing meaningful legislation into law. Now that we have new leadership in the IL House with the election of our new speaker, we need to continue to focus on helping those who are less fortunate than us, taking care of the frail elderly, Veterans and families; in addition to continually working towards true property tax reform, job creation and increased funding of our schools.
If you would like to learn more about Stephanie Kifowit and her platform or volunteer for her campaign, please check out her website at StephanieKifowit.org. Don’t forget to follow her on social media: Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram. Reach out today and help make a difference in the upcoming 2022 election.
(The information contained in this post is provided only as general information and does not imply an endorsement by She Votes Illinois.)
