Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka dies at age 70; lost governor race to Blagojevich

CHICAGO - In an era of politicians who are wedded to the party line, coiffed and packaged to sell to voters, colorful and outspoken Judy Baar Topinka spent 3½ decades thinking, acting and speaking outside the box.

She castigated opponents in her own Republican Party as "morons," joked about the effects of the hair dye she used, promoted her frugal nature of fashion shopping at Goodwill - all the while putting a premium on delivering for the people she represented.

Topinka, a suburban newspaper reporter and editor who went on to serve as a state lawmaker and state treasurer, lose a bid for governor and make a comeback as Illinois comptroller, died Wednesday of complications from a stroke. She was 70.

She died a little more than a month after winning re-election as comptroller, an office that keeps the state checkbook, and just weeks before she was to join other statewide winners at a Jan. 12 inauguration.

Topinka's legacy may transcend any individual actions she took while in office. She's remembered for her political style, a no-nonsense, straight-shooter unafraid to work with like-minded allies on both sides of the aisle to advance public policy.

Consider the outpouring of reaction to her death. The fond remembrances came from Democratic President Barack Obama and Illinois congressmen and state legislators of both political stripes, outgoing Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and incoming Republican Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner.

"Judy was an institution in Illinois politics," Obama said in a statement, adding, "She was blunt, pragmatic, unfailingly cheerful and energetic, and always willing to put politics aside to find common sense solutions that made a difference for the people of Illinois."

In many respects, Topinka could be considered the matriarch of the once-controlling moderate wing of the Illinois Republican Party. A fiscal conservative, she was an early advocate of abortion rights and gay rights, positions that often put her at odds with members of the GOP's socially conservative wing.

Topinka matched diligence on constituent service with a smile. Her humor was often self-deprecating. She'd note the red hair dye she used was a color that could not be found in nature. She could reliably be found clutching an enormous cup of convenience store coffee, a lipstick-stained straw sticking out of the lid, a practice former Gov. Jim Edgar once compared to Winston Churchill strutting with a stogie.

Edgar hailed Topinka as a "master politician."

"On Election Day, she was a Republican, but after the election she was there to help everybody. And if she had a point of view that didn't agree with so-called party doctrine, she still had that point of view. She wasn't going to be dictated to by the party," Edgar said. "She was basically, I think, what is a successful Republican in Illinois - a fiscal conservative and a social moderate."

Her fondness for buying clothing at resale shops, visiting garage sales spotted along the campaign trail, playing the accordion and dancing a polka with all comers including a less-than-enthused Vice President Dick Cheney wasn't an act - any more than the blunt, speak-her-mind attitude largely absent in today's politics.

The "morons" tag came at the expense of her Republican governor foes in the 2006 primary, though general election opponent Rod Blagojevich wasn't spared a tongue lashing. The Democratic governor, Topinka opined, had "little weasel eyes." In the pomp of her first inauguration as treasurer in 1995, her line about ham-and-bean dinners, riding in a small campaign van and flatulence became part of Springfield lore.

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Though she eventually became a party insider, she made it a point to note that she wasn't one of the good old boys that had controlled Illinois politics.

"I don't know that I was ever the choice of the party regulars," Topinka said while running for governor. "One fellow told me, 'You are never going to get anywhere. You don't run with the big dogs.' OK, well, you know, now, the big dogs are either retired, dead or in prison. So here I am."

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Topinka was the first woman to become the Illinois GOP's nominee for governor, first woman to serve as state Republican chairman and first woman to win two different statewide offices.

It was her loss to the now-convicted and imprisoned Blagojevich that had threatened to define Topinka. The better-funded Democrat labeled her in a series of TV campaign ads with the catchphrase "What's she thinking?"

As the ads questioned her judgment and common sense, Topinka was hampered by the lingering toll among Republicans involving the scandal-plagued tenure of former Gov. George Ryan, who went to prison. A video of her dancing the polka with Ryan was used against her by a GOP primary opponent.

Compared to the say-anything Blagojevich, Topinka also was criticized for a lack of vision for the state.

"You can have all the vision in the world, but if you can't pay for it, what good is it?" she once said. "I am more meat and potatoes, sorry. You want a good-running, functioning state that you can depend on. I am just dependable."

Federal prosecutors indicted a top Blagojevich fundraiser on public corruption charges less than a month before the election, but Topinka was unable to capitalize. But Topinka got an appointment to the Regional Transportation Authority board and in 2010, completed a political comeback by getting elected comptroller.

Before then, Topinka served as Illinois Republican chairman. On her watch, Jack Ryan, the GOP's 2004 U.S. Senate nominee against then-state Sen. Obama, dropped his bid following sordid divorce file revelations.

Key conservative Republican leaders tapped the inflammatory Alan Keyes to take Ryan's place. Topinka was less than enthusiastic about Keyes, but vowed to vote for him while other GOP moderates quickly stepped away. Obama easily won, the first major step toward his White House victory four years later.

Topinka was born Jan. 16, 1944, the only child of William and Lillian Baar, who were the offspring of Czechoslovakian immigrants. She grew up in Riverside, stayed there in a house a few miles from where she was born, married a steelworker, divorced and raised a son.

After graduating from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, she worked as a reporter and editor for suburban Life newspapers, where she was known for her advocacy journalism. Covering politics and local issues motivated her move into politics - she said she could "do things better."

In 1980, she won a crowded Illinois House primary. Four years later, she was unopposed for Illinois Senate. A decade later, she won the first of three terms as treasurer, a post she gave up to run for governor.

Nancy Kimme, her longtime chief of staff, said Topinka died shortly after 1 a.m. The comptroller had been taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn on Tuesday morning after feeling discomfort. She was undergoing testing and observation when she lost consciousness early Wednesday, according to an official statement.

Topinka is survived by her son, Joseph. Aides said a memorial service is tentatively being scheduled for next week.

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(Tribune reporters Monique Garcia and Ray Long contributed to this report.)

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