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Jesse White, Secretary of State
Jesse White is the 37th Secretary of State for the State of Illinois. He was elected to the post on November 3, 1998 by a margin of more than 450,000 votes. Jesse White is the first African-American to serve as Illinois Secretary of State.

As Secretary of State, White provides direct service to more Illinois citizens than any other public agency. The office issues vehicle license plates and titles, registers corporations, enforces the Illinois Securities Act, investigates vehicle theft and odometer fraud, licenses drivers and maintains driver records. As State Librarian, Secretary White oversees the State Library and literacy programs, and as State Archivist, he maintains records of legal or historic value.

Prior to his election as Secretary of State, White served as Cook County recorder of deeds — a job he was first elected to in 1992 and re-elected in 1996. As recorder, White spearheaded an office-wide automation program that brought state-of-the-art technology to facilitate new services, allow easier access to records and speed the recording process. As a result, he saved county taxpayers over $4 million annually and generated record levels of revenue for the county.

Prior to his election for Recorder of Deeds, Jesse White served 16 years in the Illinois General Assembly, representing the most culturally, economically and racially diverse district in Illinois. As a state legislator, he built a solid record of fighting crime, improving education and helping senior citizens. White was chairman of the Illinois House Committee on Human Services, and was an active member of the Education Committee and the Select Committees on Children and Aging.

Since March 1996, Jesse White has served as Chicago's 27th Ward Democratic Committeeman. In 1959, White founded the internationally known Jesse White Tumbling Team to serve as a positive alternative for children residing in Chicago's Cabrini-Green and Henry Horner public housing communities. Since it's inception, more than 4,000 young men and women have performed with the team. White has spent 40 years working as a volunteer with the team to help kids stay away from gangs, drugs, alcohol and smoking, and to help set at-risk youth on the path to success. The program has received international praise.

He served our country as a paratrooper in the United State' 101st Airborne Division and as a member of the Illinois National Guard. Jesse White played professional baseball with the Chicago Cubs organization, which was followed by a 33-year career with the Chicago public school system as a teacher and administrator.

Jesse White earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1957 from Alabama State College (now Alabama State University), where he was a two-sport star earning all-conference honors in baseball and basketball. In May 1995, White was inducted into the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. He was an all-city baseball and basketball player at Chicago's Waller High School (now Lincoln Park Academy) and was inducted into the Chicago Public League Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in June 1995. Born in Alton, Illinois in 1934, he now lives on Chicago's near-north side.

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Dan Hynes, Comptroller
On November 3, 1998 Daniel W. Hynes was elected Illinois State Comptroller by a margin of over 500,000 votes, making him the largest vote getter among Democrats in the 1998 election. Hynes made history when at age 30, he became the youngest person elected to statewide office since William Stratton was elected Treasurer in 1942.

Comptroller Hynes' campaign was marked by enthusiastic involvement from a new generation of voters throughout Illinois. Hynes energized citizens in every age and geographic group by his commitment to visit each of the state's 102 counties and listen to the concerns of taxpayers.

Fiscal responsibility will be the hallmark of his administration, as illustrated by Hynes' repeated call to establish a Rainy Day Fund to be used when the economy slows down and dedicating a portion of the money to education.

He believes the Comptroller should be an advocate for taxpayers to keep them informed about how their tax money is being spent and has pledged to put more financial information into the hands of taxpayers. An informed citizenry will make government more accountable for its decisions. Hynes will capitalize on recent technological advances to increase efficiency and foster greater cooperation between state and local government. He views the Comptroller's office as a clearinghouse for information related to federal, state and local government.

Prior to his election, Hynes was a health care attorney with a Chicago law firm, focusing on the negotiation, formation and operation of integrated health care delivery systems. As an attorney he provided strategic and regulatory advice to physicians, hospitals and other health care providers as they prepared to compete in a managed care marketplace.

As a resident of Chicago's northside, Hynes graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Economics and Computer Applications and earned a law degree with honors from Loyola University School of Law.