Courtesy Maria Peterson’s TikTok, Instagram accounts
Bio
Party: Democrat
Office Sought: Illinois House District 52
City: North Barrington
Age: 62
Occupation: Retired attorney/small business owner
Previous offices held: Precinct Committeeperson, North Barrington Plan Commission, Local School Council (Sayer Language Academy), Citizens Utility Board
How should the state respond to the influx of migrants bussed here from Southern states?
This issue is deeply personal to me. My parents legally immigrated to the United States over 60 years ago and became proud American citizens.
Back then the system worked. Today, America’s immigration system is broken, particularly the asylum process.
The federal government needs to reform our policies so that we control our borders while creating a better system for allowing legal immigrants to become citizens.
The state must petition the federal government for reimbursement for services provided to asylum-seekers and immigrants. I applaud President Biden for his recent executive order limiting the number of asylum-seekers.
President Biden and Congressional Leaders were on the verge of passing significant immigration reform before former President Trump torpedoed the bill.
While we wait for leadership from Washington on this issue, I believe Illinois has a moral obligation to meet the basic human needs of these immigrants.
Are you satisfied with the state’s existing ethics policies for senators and representatives? If so, what about the policies should reassure Illinoisans that elected leaders abide by high standards? If not, what changes need to be made?
Illinois has improved some ethics policies in the last several years including: term limits on legislative leaders, tougher economic interest disclosure rules, better lobbyist registration regulations, as well as a law preventing people convicted of perjury, bribery, and related offenses from holding state office.
But more can be done. I am particularly concerned with creating more transparency in campaign finance by eliminating “dark money” for the political system. I also think that we should give the Legislative Inspector General more autonomy to initiate ethics investigations and release founded reports.
Would you support a requirement that election petitions include a line asking candidates for their campaign email address?
Yes.
How well do you think criminal justice reforms made in recent years are working? What, if any, changes need to be made?
I am generally supportive of recent changes in our criminal justice system, although we are only now starting to see real preliminary data. Eliminating cash bail has made pretrial detention hearings more deliberative about the public safety risks involved in these cases, exactly as intended.
As a State Representative, I will advocate for more resources for public safety: more training for law enforcement; better implementation of “Red Flag” laws, and more support for victims of violent crimes.
We now have an assault weapons ban in Illinois. What if any changes should be made to the law? What more can be done to improve gun safety?
As a gun violence activist, I was proud to work with Moms Demand Action to lobby in Springfield for the passage of the assault weapons ban. This law puts Illinois on the front lines of gun violence prevention.
But more remains to be done. Illinois doesn’t require new handgun models to be child proofed or training for new gun owners about the best ways to securely store their guns and carry them in public. We should also track information about the sales of handguns.
Illinois is the only state in the nation that mandates regular behind-the-wheel tests for senior drivers. Do you support any changes?
The first concern is how to best protect public safety while respecting the rights and convenience of individual senior drivers. I see no reason why we should impose undue burdens on drivers with clean driving records. For those senior drivers with a past history of accidents and moving violations, road tests are a sound precautionary measure.
What personal qualifications do you bring that would make you an effective legislator?
I am fortunate to have had a diverse set of experiences and challenges that I believe would make me an effective legislator.
As the child of immigrants, I was taught the value of hard work and a good education. As the mother of three grown sons, I learned how to lead by example, treat everyone as an individual, and love unconditionally.
My years as an attorney taught me critical thinking, the importance of details, and how to advocate for others. While an attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor, I worked with coal miners suffering from Black Lung to get compensation for their illness from their employers.
As a small-business owner, I learned the importance of persistence and the ability to persevere.
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