Honoring Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka

Illinois lost an irrepressible political figure with the passing of Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka on Wednesday. When I think about Comptroller Topinka, I automatically think about her straight-talking, no-nonsense, "here I am take me or leave me" persona. The Tribune editorial appropriately captured this dimension of her personality in the following paragraphs:

The straight-shooting ex-newspaper reporter never lost her penchant for directness, a lost art in the modern frenzy of carefully messaged politics. You couldn’t “message” Judy, “package” Judy, “image” Judy. 

More than a decade ago, when then-Gov. George Ryan and legislative leaders considered short-term borrowing to close a budget gap, she rejected the idea: “You just can’t spend like a bunch of drunken sailors.” 

When she ran for governor in 2006, she referred to her primary opponents as “morons.”

When she ran for comptroller in 2010, she described the post as “a watchdog, whistle-blowing, calling-out kind of job” and added, “I'm perfect for that.”

Indeed she was. And that was Judy Baar Topinka. I wish her family and friends comfort as they grieve her passing. The Illinois political scene has lost a true, straight-talking trailblazer. We need more like her.

Picture from Chicago Tribune.