Geneva Library Board Trustee Arad Boxenbaum running for state legislature

In a contest primary on the June 28 ballot, Geneva Library Board Trustee Arad Boxenbaum is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Illinois House of Representatives in the 83rd District.

He recently earned his undergraduate degree from DePaul University in political science with a double minor in history and public policy studies.

Boxenbaum said he would work to ensure that middle and lower-income Illinoisans as well as small businesses are protected from high taxation.

“I support a graduated income tax system that was proposed as an amendment in 2020, but failed due to billionaires flooding our media with misinformation,” he said in responding to a Shaw Local News Network questionnaire that was sent to all candidates. “This system has been enacted across the country, in both red and blue states, and ensures that the state receives enough funding while families are able to get by.”

When asked what can be done at the state level to reduce crime, he said that legislators need to recognize that crime is directly linked to problems with housing and education, and minorities are disproportionately impacted.

“When our school systems aren’t properly funded and housing too expensive, crime rises,” Boxenbaum said. “We need to pair crime bills with efforts to improve education and housing in Illinois and get real in dealing with crime, not resorting to fear mongering and lies.”

He added that funding for community policing needs to be increased “so officers are better integrated in their communities, and as was done in the Safe-T Act, we need to improve mental health resources for officers who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.”

“We also need better recruitment of officers, more realistic training that recognizes that most of their duties don’t involve physical force and we need better accountability when an officer abuses their power,” Boxenbaum said. “Systemic injustice in our criminal justice system goes hand in hand with crime, so we need to empower our criminal justice system to lower the backlog in cases and ensure that cases actually go to trial.”