Suzanne Akhras is a Democrat running for Illinois House District 82.

Bio

Party: Democrat

Office Sought: Illinois House District 82

City: Burr Ridge

Age: 52

Occupation: Nonprofit leader

Previous offices held: Never held public office before

How should the state respond to the influx of migrants bussed here from Southern states?

I have been involved in immigration reform since the early 2000s, and I have seen the failures at the national level in setting fair policies. In 2015, when the U.S. Refugee Program, agreed to allow Syrian refugees to resettle in the U.S., I took immediate action. I organized a group of diverse volunteers and the Syrian Community Network was formed to help refugees with a warm welcome, jobs, registering kids at school, after-school programming, legal immigration support and so much more.

During the Afghan refugee resettlement in 2021, I helped organize the Afghan Refugee Taskforce to bring community members together to address the influx of refugees and help secure jobs, housing, and schooling.

As the president of the board of the Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants, we provide services for migrants coming to Chicago from Southern states. We must focus on helping migrants find housing and jobs which can lead to stability and safer communities. Federal immigration reform is key.

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 ethics laws and regulations to ensure that elected officials conduct themselves properly. As a first-time candidate, I still have a lot to learn about this subject. I believe that elected officials should be transparent and accountable to their constituents, and I support legislation that makes it possible.

Elected officials work for their constituents, and we have seen in Illinois our fair share of corruption cases where elected officials have been involved.

Would you support a requirement that election petitions include a line asking candidates for their campaign email address?

I do not see a problem with such a requirement. I believe candidates and elected officials should be accessible to their voters and constituents. At the same time, we need to make sure that petitions are accessible to everyone who wants to run for office.

How well do you think criminal justice reforms made in recent years are working? What, if any, changes need to be made?

Criminal justice reforms are necessary to improve the fairness of the criminal justice system. I am in support of funding our law enforcement and first responders, so they can help keep communities safe.

I also believe that establishing relationships between our community members and our law enforcement can enhance trust and cooperation, thus leading to crime prevention. We all have to take a part in keeping our communities safe and empower our youth to make good choices.

Investments in education, accessible youth programs, and access to social services (especially mental health services, and substance abuse treatment) can also help prevent and reduce crime in our communities.

Criminal justice reforms work well when those implementing them are trained and understand how to perform their duties in a manner that respects everyone. We must address sentencing reform, policing reform, and rehabilitation for individuals leaving prison when talking about criminal justice reform.

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?

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. Every single day we see in the news horrible stories where kids bring guns to school, and toddlers who kill family members because guns in the house have not been stored away.

Responsible gun owners agree that weapons should be secured from being accessed by children, teens, and unauthorized people in their households.

Illinois passed an assault weapon ban, and we need one at federal level. In addition to a federal weapons ban, we need to pass legislation such as secure storage to protect families with children from gun-related injuries and deaths.

I received the Gun Sense candidate distinction from Moms Demand Action and I will work tirelessly to make sure we live in communities free of gun violence.

Illinois is the only state in the nation that mandates regular behind-the-wheel tests for senior drivers. Do you support any changes?

Research shows that Illinois has a reduced crash rate in older drivers compared with other states and behind-the-wheel testing requirements may be a factor. At the same time, this practice could be considered discriminatory against older adults.

I would need to have more data points in order to make a decision on whether I would support any legislative changes to the current mandate. We want our senior members of the community to be mobile and independent, we also want them to be safe.

I would trust the advice and date points from experts when making decisions on whether to change or not the behind-the-wheel tests for seniors in Illinois.

What personal qualifications do you bring that would make you an effective legislator?

I have a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and I completed Nonprofit Management and Executive Education course. I have received numerous awards and recognitions for my community impact and humanitarian efforts.

I believe in the power of volunteerism and public service. I have served on executive boards of various nonprofit organizations, addressing needs such as mental health services, youth programs and immigration reform.

In 2015, I founded the Syrian Community Network (SCN), a nonprofit organization that supports refugees and immigrants in navigating new systems and provides them with services to attain economic security. I am also the chair of the board of Directors of the Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants and serve on the Council of Leaders of DuPage Federation on Human Services Reform.

Through my nonprofit work, I learned how to work with people who come from diverse backgrounds, how to find funding for programs, how to improve processes.