South Cook News

South Cook News recently had an opportunity to interview Carl Kunz, the Republican candidate for Illinois 32nd House District.

Kunz, 59, grew up on Chicago's northwest side in the Belmont/Cragin neighborhood. In 1987, he got married and moved to Berwyn before finally settling down in his current Hickory Hills home in 1992. He went to DePaul University to study finance and graduated in 1985. He retired in 2020 as a chief compliance officer for Philip Capital Inc., after more than 35 years in the financial industry as a compliance and regulatory professional. Since then, he has had four part-time, post-retirement jobs at St. Julian Winery, Cog Hill Golf Course and Wrigley Field as a compliance consultant. He is also an active member at Palos Community Church.

According to Ballotpedia, Kunz will face off against incumbent Democratic state Rep. Cyril Nichols in the Nov. 8 general election. Nichols was selected by Democratic Party officials to replace former state Rep. Andre Thapedi in April 2021.

Q: Why did you decide to run for the state legislature?

Kunz: I was enjoying retirement, including more family time, fewer scheduling restrictions on travel and camping, and a few interesting part-time jobs. However, in late 2021, I had become increasingly frustrated by Illinois legislators' actions and inaction. The last straw was the Illinois General Assembly's repeal of the Parental Notification Act in October 2021. Until the PNA was repealed, abortion clinics were required to notify a parent if their adolescent daughter was scheduled to have an abortion. With the stroke of a pen, another significant parental right was taken away. At that point I decided, rather than complain, to just get involved.

Q: How much did you pay for your last tank of gas? How did you feel about it?

Kunz: I recently paid about $75 for premium gas to fill my car, which I need to fill frequently, as one of my part-time jobs is in Michigan. My wife's SUV costs about $110 for a tank of regular gas. This is extremely painful when we pull our camper. We took a cross-country trip to California last fall when the national average gas prices were about $4 per gallon. Our fuel cost alone was over $2,500. It's frustrating to pay so much when both federal and state governments are doing so little to resolve the high prices. Let's start with cutting the state gas tax!

Q: What's the first bill you will sponsor in Springfield? 

Kunz: My platform summarizes my three main concerns: parental rights, the economy and crime. It's hard to pick which one should take precedence. Regarding parental rights,

I'd sponsor a bill to support equal opportunity in education that doesn’t punish students by forcing them to attend a struggling or failing government-run school. Instead, Illinois should provide tuition funds to parents, allowing them to choose where to send their children. Regarding crime, I'd sponsor a bill to impose tougher penalties for criminals who commit theft, property destruction, and violent or sexual crimes. Finally, regarding the state economy, I'd sponsor a bill to drastically reduce the Illinois gas tax, which is among the highest in the nation.