Quietly, the race for Illinois Comptroller has been the most substantively interesting of all the statewide races this season. Republican candidate Judy Barr Topinka launched her campaign with an unusual message: Illinois should merge the positions of State Treasurer and Comptroller into one financial office. It's a move for which the Democratic nominee, David Miller, has also voiced support. Next, Miller unveiled a comprehensive tax increment financing transparency proposal, one that could prove extremely useful to Chicago-area lawmakers and voters as they try to repair the city's finances in the coming years. Now, the two candidates are debating how Illinois should divvy up its scare resources.

Earlier this week, Miller told Chicago Public Radio that he would like to expedite payments to vendors and non-profits that are owed state dollars and operate in undeserved communities. Topinka quickly dismissed that idea as "social engineering." In a press release last evening, Miller clapped back, calling the policy "social decency that goes to the heart of public service." Ideally, the state would raise enough money to pay down all of its bills. Since that's not going to happen anytime soon, this debate is relevant. And Miller, for what it's worth, has been a vocal supporter of comprehensive tax reform in Illinois, which would begin to close that $13 billion deficit. Here's a video we shot of him earlier this year in Springfield, reflecting on the importance of the Save Our State rally: