Peter Janko

Peter Janko was born in Morse, Germany. He attended Wilbur Wright College and Northeastern Illinois University. Janko’s career experience includes working as an engineer.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Peter Janko, a candidate for State Representative in Illinois’ 69th District. I have been a lifelong activist and community advocate, working on issues from historic preservation to public policy. Running for office has allowed me to build relationships and credibility with fellow candidates, elected officials, and community leaders, connections I have leveraged to deliver tangible results for families across Illinois. Among my accomplishments, I helped secure funding to restore passenger rail service from Chicago to Rockford, advocated for the repeal of the state portion of the grocery tax, and am advancing RAVE, a privacy-focused framework to protect children online while safeguarding civil liberties. These results reflect a commitment to getting things done, not just making promises.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Persistence and dedication to public service define my approach. This is my third campaign for State Representative, motivated by a commitment to represent the needs of ordinary, hard-working residents and to bring fresh, practical perspectives to government.Results matter, even before winning office. During my previous campaigns for State Representative, I made repealing the state portion of the grocery tax my top priority. While I didn’t win those races, I used my candidacy to advocate directly with Governor Pritzker and raise public awareness, efforts that contributed to the state portion being repealed. This demonstrates how running for office allows me to turn advocacy into real results, and imagine what could be achieved if elected.We need more legislators with real-world experience, nurses, teachers, farmers, construction and technical professionals, people who understand how things work on the ground.

In 1999, I led a $22 million project to modernize the Illinois Tollway communications system, finishing four months ahead of schedule and $2 million under budget. That experience taught me that practical knowledge and hands-on problem solving lead to real results.

We need lawmakers like this to provide proper oversight, craft effective policies, and counter the influence of lobbyists.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m passionate about protecting privacy, especially online, and advancing RAVE, a secure age-verification system that safeguards children without exposing families to identity theft or fraud.

I also advocate for affordable housing policies that expand supply, reduce barriers, and help families and seniors live where they work.

Finally, I oppose sweetheart deals for data centers that enrich corporations at taxpayers’ expense; economic development should create real, measurable benefits for communities.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

As a matter of personal principle, I don’t solicit endorsements from individuals, because those often signal who you know rather than what you stand for. Instead, I focus on earning organizational support, which I have done successfully, receiving endorsements from labor groups such as AFSCME Council 31, IBEW Local 117, UAW Region 4, and the Illinois AFL-CIO, as well as advocacy organizations including Citizen Action Illinois, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, and Equality Illinois.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Peter Janko is a European war refugee brought to the United States at the age of four. He grew up in Chicago and has been involved in the civil rights, worker’s rights, women’s equality, and ecology movements (now referred to as environmental) since high school.

Peter’s first career was as a marketing research analyst with a leading Chicago accounting firm. A few years later, he went back to school for a degree in electronics and became a telecommunications products designer with Motorola. Later, he became the lead engineer on a $22M telecommunications infrastructure project for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. In 2002, Peter started a business in architectural historic restoration.

Peter has served on the on the McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission and the Board of Directors of the Preservation Trades Network, a national non-profit organization which provides education, networking and outreach for the traditional building trades.

Peter is currently the elected Democratic State Central Committeeman (essentially the Board of Directors of the Democratic Party of Illinois) representing the 14th Congressional District.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Hard work deserves appreciation, livable wages, good benefits, opportunity, and lots of respect. The greatest show of respect for hard work is paying people wages that reflect the true value of their skills and labor.

Illinois sorely needs solutions that reward hard work – quality jobs and education, affordable healthcare and childcare, property tax reform and a tax code that’s fair to all of the hard working people so that they can take care of their families, help send their kids to college, and contribute to their communities.Government, at all levels, has a very big spending problem. Not from expenditures that we truly need to make in order to keep our society functioning effectively but from tax breaks to big corporations, sweetheart deals to the politically connected, projects that make no sense, and other wasteful spending.

We also need to give small businesses and family farms a fair chance to thrive by leveling the playing field.We have far too many career politicians in the legislature.

We clearly need far more people from the various professions in the state legislature - people with firsthand experience with the goods and services, that the state spends our tax dollars on - in order to provide oversight and counter lobbyist influences.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The need for more public transportation

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To frequently meet with constituents of the entire district to become fully aware of all the issues unique to district.

I am not going to claim that fixing our many problems is going to be easy. However, when you have been involved in working on community needs for as long as I have, you build strong relationships with fellow community leaders and the government officials that care.

My promise is, that I will open my door wide to the people in our community that wish to get involved. And together, with those leaders and government officials, we will tackle the many problems we have in our district and in our state.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Stock boy in a Chicago neighborhood mom and pop grocery store at the ripe old age of twelve.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

It is not going to be easy. But I want to eliminate all sales taxes on food, medicine, and medical appliances in the State of Illinois.

I believe that “Life’s essentials” should never have been taxed in the first place.

Illinois is one of only 13 states that impose sales tax on groceries. Illinois is also the one and only state that taxes prescription drugs at the state level.

I will fight for the permanent elimination of state and ALL local sales taxes on:

1) Basic foods such as bread, milk, cheese, baby food and formula, fresh meats, poultry, common seafood, fruits, nuts, vegetables and similar foods.

2) All prescription drugs and non-prescription pain relievers such as aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen, cough suppressants, antihistamines, antacids, laxatives, and diarrhea remedies.

3) Medical Appliances such as, but not limited to, crutches or canes, wheelchairs, walkers, and braces.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

In 2024 as of 2/29/24:

Illinois Federation of Teachers

Planned Parenthood Illinois Action

2020 Labor Organization Endorsements and Support:

AFSCME Council 31

IBEW Local 117

Iron Workers Local 498

Smart 265

Sprinkler Fitters Local 281

UAW Region 4

2020 Other Notable Endorsements:

JB Pritzker (unsolicited)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-f4wF2XND4

Citizen Action Illinois

Equality Illinois

Gun Violence Prevention PAC

IL Now (National Order of Women) PAC

IVI-IPO (Independent Voters of Illinois)

Our Revolution (National and State Organizations)

Personal PAC

Planned Parenthood Illinois Action

Peter Janko did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

A war refugee from Germany, Peter was brought to the United States at the age of 4 on a converted troop ship; a journey that taught him a lasting lesson about what means to be an American.

From a young age, Peter has been passionate about making the world a better place. Throughout his life, Peter has engaged in community service and activism. As a teenager growing up in Chicago, Peter was involved in the civil rights movement and the ecology movement (predecessor to today's environmentalism).

Peter's first career was markets analysis at a major Chicago accounting firm. After several years, he returned to school to study electronics for a new career in engineering, first product design, then telecommunications. Peter formed a business in architectural historic preservation & restoration in 2002.

Peter currently sits on the Board of the Preservation Trades Network (PTN), a national non-profit organization which provides education, networking and outreach for the traditional building trades. He previously served on the McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

As a community activists for decades, I have contributed countless hours for causes that improve the lives of average citizens from the civil rights movement in the 70's to climate change, income inequality, healthcare, and immigration rights today.For Peter, just being a legislator is just not good enough to win the battle for working families. It takes a coalition within government to bring about any real policy change. To that end, he has given significant time and support to the campaigns of over a dozen candidates since 2018 alone, ranging from Presidential and Congressional candidates to County Clerk and County Board candidates. He has used his time on the Democratic State Central Committee to build bridges with many of the state leaders .Illinois 63 and most of McHenry County is a public transportation desert. Public transportation has not kept up with population growth. It is inadequate at best in the areas of McHenry County that has it and practically non-existent in the Southwestern part of McHenry County. Yet there seems to be no shortage of funds for questionable road projects. We have an aging population that would like to remain in their homes for as long as they can. Senior Citizens and the disabled need a way to get to the doctor, go shopping, and just lead normal lives without being dependent on the need to drive a car.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Peter's Legislative Goals:

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Lowering property taxes through school funding reform. Illinois is by far the worst state in the nation for school funding, relying about 73% on local property taxes. In stark contrast, local property taxes only account for approximately 5% of school funding in Vermont and Hawaii.

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Peter will introduce legislation establishing that a consumer's personal data is the property of the consumer. It would make it unlawful to sell a consumer's data for profit without the consumer's explicit consent. It would prohibit and nullify any default or automatic "right to sell your personal data" clauses in user agreements.

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Fight for the right of all workers to unionize and will fight to stop unfair labor practices such as wage theft, especially employers cheating workers out of overtime pay.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jane Addams simply because she was an unwavering progressive and unapologetic reformer.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Authenticity, integrity, and honesty.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Authenticity, honesty, and integrity.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To properly represent the people of their district.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To have made a significant improvement in the lives of ordinary people.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Assassination of President Kennedy.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Stock boy in a mom and pop grocery store in Chicago. I started at the age of 14 and started at 75 cents per hour.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Doctor Who

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Keeping a small family owned business alive during the 2007/2008 recession.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

I don't think two legislative chambers help or hurt the legislative process. I think we could and should consider moving to one legislative chamber and possibly reducing the size of the current districts.

Cities and counties do fine with a single legislative body.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not really. I think the fact that we have way to many career politicians is at the root of many of our problems. Far too many career politicians take their positions for granted and are too often disconnected for the needs of their constituency.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Adequate funding for education, infrastructure, and critical social programs.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

Checks and balances in a non-confrontational manner.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Most definitely. It is the only way to get anything substantial done.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Transportation and environmental

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Franklin D Roosevelt

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

The elimination of the McHenry Township Senior and Disabled bus service by the McHenry Township Trustees.