Finding an ideal way to serve the community is a goal for both state Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, and Daniel T. Behr of Northbrook, her Republican opponent in the upcoming election for all 118 members of the Illinois House of Representatives.

After serving eight years on the Northbrook School District 28 Board of Education, Muhl’s final term ended in April 2023. Within a month, she decided to run for the Illinois General Assembly. In January, she was appointed to fill a recently vacated seat in Springfield she is now defending.

“My children completed their education in the district,” Muhl, 48, said. “In my work on the school board, I engaged with a lot of state lawmakers. It inspired me to do more for a bigger district. I’ve always worked to build consensus, and will continue to do that.”

Behr, 71, an economic development consultant to the railroad industry, said he was talking with a friend this winter about holding elective office. The time for filing to run in the March primary was past. With no one on the GOP ballot, he was appointed to fill the slot in June.

“I’ve never been satisfied with being a spectator,” Behr said. “I want to be more than a spectator. I want to play a role.”

Voters in southern Lake and northern Cook counties will choose Behr or Muhl to represent them in the Illinois General Assembly’s 57th State Representative District in the Nov. 5 general election.

Describing himself as a “very balanced moderate,” Behr said he has worked in the railroad industry since 1986. Raised in Chicago, he moved to Northbrook in 1996. He has an undergraduate degree from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in applied economics from the University of Antwerp in Belgium.

A partner in the Chicago law firm of Fox, Swibel, Levin & Carroll, Muhl said her workload there is limited since she was appointed to the legislature, and she devotes most of her time to her role in Springfield. She has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, and a law degree from the University of Chicago.

Since joining the legislature in January, Muhl has introduced five bills that passed in both the House and Senate, and signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, according to the General Assembly website. One requires automobile insurers to give a person the option of repairing a vehicle or receiving replacement value. It is effective Jan. 1.

Both candidates said they consider education a key issue. Muhl said her experience as a school board member for eight years gives her insight into the needs in schools throughout the state, and the importance of evidence-based funding.

“It is where I have more experience, and it is my passion,” she said. “It is a good way to fund education in Illinois,” she added, about the reform which became law in 2017.

Teaching children how to succeed in 21st-century America, coupled with fundamentals, is Behr’s educational philosophy. He wants them to learn STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), while not losing sight of basic skills like reading and writing.

“Kids need to learn the basics while they’re at a malleable age,” he said. “It’s important they learn the basics. It is the best way to help them succeed, and be prepared for the future.”

Both Muhl and Behr believe in a woman’s right to make decisions about their reproductive health, but not to the same degree. Behr said the decision to have an abortion should be made earlier in pregnancy.

“It’s up to the woman to make the choice,” he said. “Having an abortion in the third (trimester) is way over the top.”

Not only does Muhl believe a woman’s right to make decisions about her reproductive health is absolute, but she also wants to make sure Illinois remains a place where women from states with restrictions can get care.

“It’s important Illinois continues to remain a leading example of a place they can come if they need services,” she said.

A member of Mom’s Demand Action, Muhl said she became a volunteer and advocate for the LGBTQ community after the Orlando Pulse shooting in 2016. She also wants to create strict liability holding gun owners accountable if they do not report a lost or stolen weapon within 72 hours.

“It will make it easier to prosecute a crime,” she said.

On Behr’s list for gun safety is legislation requiring firearm purchasers to be thoroughly screened before they can get their hands on such a weapon.

“We can’t have whackos buying guns,” he said.

The district includes all or part of Northbrook, Glencoe, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glenview, Northfield, Riverwoods, Deerfield, Lincolnshire, Wheeling, Prospect Heights, Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect and Arlington Heights.