By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Transparency is a key talking point for Illinois comptroller candidates.

One Republican and five Democrats have filed nominating petitions to replace outgoing Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who announced earlier this year she would not seek reelection.

State Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, said transparency is incredibly important.

“One of the big things I would love to see if I’m lucky enough to be the next comptroller is that we have literally from the budget that the General Assembly passes to paying the bill where a taxpayer can see the entire life cycle of our taxpayer money,” Croke said.

Croke said she wants to leave the state fiscally healthy for the next generation.

State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, State Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim and Champaign County Auditor George Danos are also seeking the Democratic nomination.

Kim said she is the only candidate who is already doing the comptroller function.

“Currently, all checks, billions of dollars, come out of my office with my name on them, so you can be assured of that integrity and that oversight. With my tech background, I plan to do a lot of modernizing, software improvement as well,” Kim said.

When The Center Square asked her about the state’s late reporting of financial reports, Kim said there’s no teeth to the law governing audit deadlines.

“One of the things we could look into is how we could add some teeth to it so people do file their audits more timely,” Kim suggested.

Earlier this year, Kifowit told The Center Square she would work to make financial audits of state spending more timely.

“And certainly, making sure that … not only the office is accountable, but the whole state of Illinois is accountable to the taxpayers,” she said.

Illinois is among the states with the most tardy comprehensive annual financial reports.

Villa’s website says she has the endorsements of Illinois U.S. Reps Delia Ramirez and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon.

Danos is the only downstate Democrat in the field. His duties as auditor include providing a continuous internal audit of Champaign County’s financial transactions.

The lone Republican, attorney Bryan Drew, is from the southern Illinois city of Benton.

Drew said right now it’s nearly impossible for taxpayers to figure out where their money is being spent.

“So I think it needs to be made a lot more transparent and a lot more easily accessible to the average Illinoisan who is really the one paying all these taxes,” Drew told The Center Square.

Drew said he wants to be part of the solution, adding that people have been too quiet about spending on non-governmental organizations.

“Recently it’s been found that a billion dollars are going to NGOs in Illinois, and there’s really no transparency about why or what these organizations really do. I think it’s something the taxpayers are entitled to know about, where their money’s going,” Drew said.

Illinois’ Democratic and Republican primary elections are scheduled for March 17, 2026. The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.

Greg Bishop contributed to this story.