Jobs and the Economy The question of how to come out of the current recession, accelerate economic growth, and put people back to work is on all of our minds.  It dominates discussions with voters as I go door-to-door in our community: our economic troubles are effecting everyone, and, as a result, nearly everyone is deeply engaged with the question of how we can overcome them.

While we all understand that government, and particularly state government, cannot solve these problems by itself, it is also the case that Springfield must play a major role in overcoming our economic difficulties.  That's why I've laid out my thoughts in this five-point plan to create jobs and jump-start the economy.

A complete recovery will involve far more than just governmental action, though. It will rely on people from across our community contributing their talents and ideas to get us back on track. I hope you'll begin that process by clicking below to share your thoughts.

Daniel meets thousands of 17th District residents during the course of his door to door walks.  This is the fourth of a series of profiles of people in our community who first got to know Daniel at their doors.

When Daniel rang my bell and introduced himself as a candidate for office, I expected him to shake my hand, say hello, and quickly move on. But he asked me what was on my mind, and we talked for a good 15 to 20 minutes. I was so impressed by what a listener Daniel is. I’ve met other politicians, and all of them have been much more interested in talking than in listening.

Daniel knew a lot and was quite conversant with the issues that most concern me—education and mental health. My wife is a social worker for Thresholds, one of the largest providers of mental health services in Illinois. She used to love her job, but over the last few years she’s become burned out and demoralized. The state’s switch to a fee-for-service billing system—a medical model—has put an enormous strain on her. She’s under great pressure to meet the billable-hours target but won’t let that compromise the quality of the services she provides. As a result, after she comes home from a full day of work, she spends two hours unpaid time doing paperwork. The state legislators may feel it was logical to go to a medical model, but mental health is a business of building relationships; it’s not like treating a skinned knee. Funding for mental health in Illinois is among the lowest in the country, even though we are one of the wealthiest states, yet human services are being cut even further. It’s inhumane.

I’m very eager to see Daniel get elected. He was very engaged and sincere about wanting to get involved. Hard decisions will need to be made about the budget—about how to raise revenue and how to prioritize spending. We need people like Daniel in Springfield making them.

Dan Sniderman and his wife Lisa are relative newcomers to Skokie; they moved to the village from Evanston—where Dan grew up—last July. Dan is employed full-time as a software engineer and plays trombone with several local bands, including B.S. Brass Band and the Prohibition Orchestra of Chicago. Lisa has a MSW from the University of Chicago and is a licensed clinical social worker with Thresholds in Chicago. The baby boy they’re expecting in August will make their 4-year-old daughter Joella a big sister.

Read other "door-to-door" profiles...