3 Vie For Illinois' State Comptroller Seat: Illinois Election 2022

ILLINOIS — Incumbent Illinois Comptroller and Democrat Susana A. Mendoza will face off against two to retain her seat Nov. 8.

Mendoza, who was elected to her seat in 2016, will go up against Republican Shannon L. Teresi and Libertarian Deirdre McCloskey.

A Chicago resident, 50-year-old Mendoza has focused her campaign on her time in office correcting Illinois' finances to prepare the state for what she projects will be a growth spurt. Mendoza says she has smoothened the state's vendor payment process, from a previous delay nearly 200 days long in 2016, to her oldest unpaid bill being a week old currently, she states. If elected, she intends to focus on refilling the state's "rainy day" coffers, she said.

"Now that Illinois is paying its bills and on the path to fiscal prosperity, it’s time to prioritize paying down our pension obligations and replenishing our Rainy Day Fund," Mendoza told Patch in her candidate questionnaire. "My current priority is passing legislation to mandate automatic deposits into the state’s Rainy Day Fund and Pension Stabilization funds to help Illinois be better prepared to weather any economic downturn and also address the state’s unfunded pension liabilities."

Mendoza is a wife to David and mother of David, 9. She served as state representative from 2000-2011, then Chicago City Clerk 2011-2016.

Read more about her background here.

Republican Shannon Teresi, who lives in Crystal Lake, is currently serving as McHenry County Auditor, a position she attained in 2018. She is wife to Ross and mother to boys Chase and Luke, 13 and 9 years old, respectively.

Teresi prides herself on her multiple degrees and certifications, such as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting, and 15 years of accounting experience in both the public and private sectors. Teresi also notes she is a certified public accountant (CPA) and certified internal Auditor (CIA); she also attained her certification in fraud examination (CFE) and certification in risk management assurance (CRMA).

In a Q&A with WTTW, Teresi said, "my determination through financial management has yielded great results by rebating money back directly to taxpayers, achieving and maintaining a AAA bond rating for McHenry County, and eliminating all county debt.

"On day one, I will undertake a detailed audit of all state spending, tax policy and fee structures to determine their efficacy and target waste, fraud and abuse," Teresi told WTTW. "With a focus on transparency to the taxpayer, I will publish a report for all Illinoisans to review, so they can understand where their taxpayer dollars are actually going. I will work directly with the legislators to help them bring their spending expectations in line with the plan to drive down debt, eliminate deficit spending and put more money in the taxpayers’ pockets."

Teresi did not respond to Patch's request to complete a candidate questionnaire.

Libertarian Deirdre McCloskey, 80, is a retired economics professor and the final choice on the ballot. If elected, she aspires to "bring common sense to the State’s budget," as stated in a Q&A with WTTW. McCloskey says she would hire competent accountants and "monitor them closely."

"At present the accounting is at best obscure, at worst dishonest," McCloskey told WTTW.

McCloskey told WTTW the biggest challenge facing the next comptroller is to get the state's expenditures under control.

"The comptroller can’t do it alone, but she can tell the public and the politicians where the bodies are buried," she told WTTW.

McCloskey did not complete Patch's candidate questionnaire.