By MICHAEL HAWTHORNE

The issue of investing state dollars gets obscured in state treasurer's race involving two little-known candidates running for a low-visibility office

Judy Baar Topinka

Nancy Drew Sheehan

Both major party candidates for Illinois treasurer boast three names and promise to invest state deposits wisely. But personal tidbits and boilerplate rhetoric don't make for a lively campaign, so Republican Judy Baar Topinka and Democrat Nancy Drew Sheehan have had to rely on more unconventional methods to focus attention on their race.

The results have been mixed.

For instance, Topinka, a state senator from Riverside, helped lead an unsuccessful bid earlier this year to move former President Ulysses S. Grant's tomb from a decaying New York park to Illinois. A story about the effort appeared on the front page of the Chicago Tribune, and Topinka garnered additional coverage by bringing a Grant impersonator to testify before a Senate committee.

But there's been no widespread media attention given to Topinka's ideas for the treasurer's office, such as expanding "linked deposit" programs to encourage more investment in female- and minority-owned businesses. State treasurers have "linked" state deposits for several years to banks that provide low-interest loans to farmers, small businesses and low-income homeowners.

Sheehan, a member of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, has suffered the same visibility problem. She spent most of her primary campaign informing voters that she was the "regular" Democrat running for treasurer, not her primary opponent who was a disciple of political extremist Lyndon LaRouche. That left little time to talk about ideas such as expanding computer use to manage the state's cash so it can get a better return on its investments.

Not much has changed since the primary. Sheehan has run for office twice in Cook County, but many voters might best know her as one of three statewide candidates to undergo surgery during this year's campaign. Sheehan announced during the summer that she had undergone a hysterectomy. In addition, Gov. Jim Edgar had heart-bypass surgery and Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Penny Severns had a lumpectomy to remove a cancerous breast tumor.

While women candidates on the statewide ballot aren't new, both Sheehan and Topinka have risen in the ranks of political organizations that have been dominated by men for years. The winner of the race will be the first woman to hold the treasurer's post. They publicly downplay the gender angle, but neither candidate has been averse to using it during the campaign. Topinka, in particular, likes to talk about "women who run the finances in their homes."

Both candidates have worked in government for several years. Sheehan stresses her work as the first woman vice president and chair of the sewage authority's finance committee. Topinka, meanwhile, says her legislative experience and knowledge of state government would enable her to make an easy transition to treasurer.

It's difficult to determine ways in which Topinka and Sheehan differ, other than their party affiliation. Both say they want to continue upgrading the office's computer systems, a project started by current Treasurer Patrick Quinn. And while the treasurer's chief duty is depositing and investing the state's billions, both candidates say they would push for legislation that speeds up the payment of state bills for goods and services. They also believe the treasurer's office should improve the training of its investment specialists.

20/October 1994/Illinois Issues

Topinka, 50, didn't have a primary opponent. She has represented Chicago's near-west suburbs in the 22nd state Senate district since 1985. Prior to that she was a member of the Illinois House for four years. She is chairwoman of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee and a member of the Financial Institutions and Judiciary committees. She also is a member of the Legislative Audit Commission.

A native of Riverside, Topinka earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She worked 11 years as a reporter and editor for various community newspapers before embarking on a public relations career and entering politics. She is divorced and has a son.

Sheehan, 50, was first elected to the Cook County sanitary district board in 1986 and was re-elected in 1992. She has a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences from St. Mary's College of Notre Dame and a master's degree in education from Northeastern Illinois University. She earned a law degree from the John Marshall Law School in 1983.

The winner will be the first woman to hold the state treasurer's post

The daughter of a former Chicago policeman, Sheehan worked as an assistant prosecutor in the Cook County state's attorney's office after graduating from law school. Prior to that, she was a teacher in the Chicago public schools for 17 years. She also was an assistant to the assistant secretary of the U.S. Economic Development Administration and served as an assistant to the president and chairman of the Chicago Board of Trade. Sheehan is single.

A third candidate appearing on the ballot is Kati Kroenlein of the Libertarian Party. Kroenlein, 36, of East Peoria, has worked as a payroll control analyst for Caterpillar Inc. for the past five months; she previously operated a private bookkeeping firm. This is Kroenlein's first bid for public office. She called for a study of linked deposit programs to ensure they are creating jobs. 

Michael Hawthorne is the Statehouse bureau chief for the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette.