Strategic Playbook — Bryan Drew for Illinois Comptroller

Section I

Leesburg Grid · Strategic Four-Quadrant Analysis

The grid maps our positives against opponent positives, and our vulnerabilities against opponent vulnerabilities. Q1 and Q4 are our primary action quadrants — run on our strengths, exploit their weaknesses. Q2 demands inoculation. Q3 requires neutralization.

Bryan Drew — Our Candidate (R)

Margaret Croke — Opponent (D)

Positives

Q1 — Our Strengths · Run On This

25+ years holding courts, clients & institutions accountable — dozens of jury trials, won before the Illinois Supreme Court
Never held elected office — no Springfield record to explain, no debt to anyone in state government
Has actually made payroll at Café Bloom — understands what government mandates cost a real business
Ran his own law firm serving all of Southern Illinois — statewide credibility grounded in real communities
Born and raised in Benton, Franklin County — authentic downstate roots his opponent cannot match
Rend Lake College Board Chair, Franklin County Bar Assoc. President, youth coach, La Galarie arts founder — proven community leader
Owes nothing to Pritzker, the Cook County machine, or any union PAC — his only obligation is to taxpayers
On the record: will follow every dollar wherever it leads, regardless of who it embarrasses
Drew already landed the general's defining line: "The job of the Comptroller is to stand with the people — not with JB."
Won Republican primary — unified party nominee heading into November

Q3 — Their Strengths · Neutralize

5 years in the Illinois General Assembly — statewide name ID and Springfield credibility
Pritzker's full financial and organizational machine — TV ad budget, party GOTV infrastructure
Chicago Tribune primary endorsement — cross-party credibility signal she will deploy heavily
Won a competitive 4-candidate primary — proven primary winner with coalition experience
Incumbent party advantage: Democrats have dominated IL statewide offices for over a decade
"Steady fiscal leadership" brand appeals to moderates in a volatile national environment
Historical significance framing — she would be the first elected Democratic woman to hold the office; NOTE: five women have previously served (Netsch, Didrickson, Topinka, Munger, Mendoza) — do not concede any "first" claim; the office has a strong record of women's leadership across both parties
Frames herself as the continuation of Mendoza's record — inherits a favorable predecessor narrative

Negatives

Q2 — Our Vulnerabilities · Defend & Inoculate

Deep-blue structural headwind — IL has not elected a Republican to statewide office in over a decade
No prior government office — first-time candidate who has never managed a public agency or budget
Low name recognition north of I-72 — largely unknown in Chicago and collar counties entering the general
Financial disadvantage — Pritzker's PAC money gives Croke a significant TV and digital advantage
Southern Illinois base alone is insufficient — must win collar county independents to have a viable path
Republican label creates automatic headwinds with Chicago and near-suburban voters

Q4 — Their Vulnerabilities · Exploit

Think Big America board seat — self-disclosed on her own website: one of three board members of Pritzker's political advocacy nonprofit. The Comptroller cannot watch over the Governor's budget while governing his nonprofit.
"I stand with JB on everything" — her own words, on the record. The Comptroller's job is specifically to NOT stand with the Governor. She said the quiet part out loud.
Nine-year documented career inside Pritzker's orbit — this is not a political endorsement, it is a continuous employment and governance relationship: (1) 2017–18: Statewide Women's Outreach Director, JB Pritzker for Governor; (2) 2018–19: Personnel Assistant, Pritzker–Stratton Transition; (3) 2019–20: Head of Special Projects / Deputy Chief of Staff, IL Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity — a Pritzker cabinet agency; (4) 2021–present: State legislator with repeated Pritzker financial backing; (5) 2023–present: Treasurer & board member, Think Big America, Pritzker's political nonprofit. She did not receive a late endorsement from the Governor — she built her entire post-college career inside his political apparatus.
$55.1B record-high budget votes — calls her votes for the record budget a qualification; families leaving Illinois call it the reason they can't afford to stay
Prevailing Wage enforcement = policy benefit to her biggest donors — promises to use Comptroller payment authority to benefit the Plumbers, Laborers, Iron Workers, Carpenters, and UFCW — all listed on her endorsement page
Super PAC money flagged by her own Democratic primary opponent — Karina Villa publicly raised conflict-of-interest concerns; bipartisan, not a Republican attack
Lincoln Park legislator, Chicago machine funding — represents the state's wealthiest zip codes; won primary almost entirely on Chicago margins; 101 downstate counties are an afterthought

Primary Contrast Frame

Independent watchdog vs. the Governor's hand-picked ally

Every communication traces back to one structural argument: the Comptroller is the check on the Governor. Croke cannot be that check. She governs his nonprofit.

Key Attack Vector

Think Big America + "stands with JB on everything" = a structural disqualifier

Both items are self-disclosed or on the record. She cannot rebut either without defending the board seat or the quote — both keep the story alive.

Inoculation Priority

Define the independence frame before she defines the experience frame

Croke will lead with "no government experience." Drew must establish that the absence of a Springfield record is an asset — no conflicts, no debts — before that attack lands.

Section II

Campaign Architecture · The Three Pillars

Both candidates will use the words "transparency," "accountability," and "fiscal responsibility." The contest will not be won on vocabulary — it will be won by demonstrating why Drew can deliver on those values and Croke structurally cannot.

1

Affordability

End the waste working families pay for

Croke: calls the $55.1B record budget a qualification

Working families across Illinois are being crushed. Young people cannot afford a starter home. Seniors are being taxed out of their family homes. People are choosing between medication and their electric bill. The record-high $55.1B state budget Croke voted for and defends is not responsible fiscal management — it is the reason families cannot afford to stay in Illinois. The Comptroller cannot rewrite that budget. The Comptroller can do something Springfield has refused to do: open every payment, every contract, every voucher to public view, and name the waste by name. Every dollar of waste exposed is one Springfield can no longer hide from the families paying for it. Drew has lived on a real budget — he knows what each dollar costs because he has had to count them himself.

2

Accountability

The Comptroller cannot be the Governor's ally

Croke: governs Pritzker's political nonprofit

The Comptroller's constitutional role is to independently oversee state spending — including the Governor's budget. Croke helped run Pritzker's first campaign in 2017, has received his financial backing through multiple elections, sits on the board of his political nonprofit, and publicly says she stands with him on everything. She cannot be an independent watchdog on a Governor she has worked for nine straight years; Drew can and will. He has never worked for Pritzker, never voted for his budgets, and holds no seat in his political organizations. The structural-independence question is the question voters get to answer in November.

3

Transparency

Follow every dollar, regardless of who it embarrasses

Croke: union donors = Prevailing Wage enforcement beneficiaries

Both candidates say the word "transparency." The question is whether a candidate who benefited from Pritzker's PAC money, the Cook County Democratic machine, and major union donations will apply real transparency to those same organizations' spending when she finds it. Drew has no such conflict. Every dollar he investigates is one he has no reason to protect. As Comptroller, he will publish full public spending data — updated and accessible to every taxpayer — and will name waste by name, regardless of whose allies created it.

Section III

Head-to-Head Contrast by Issue

Note: Both campaigns will use nearly identical vocabulary. The differentiator is always the structural independence argument — shared values are irrelevant when one candidate cannot act on them freely.

Issue	Bryan Drew — Our Position	Margaret Croke — Her Position
Independence & Oversight	Run On This Owes nothing. Answers to no one but the taxpayer. Has never worked for, campaigned for, or received money from the Governor. Holds no seat in any political organization. The Comptroller must be willing to follow the money wherever it leads — even if it leads to powerful political allies. Drew has no allies to protect.	Exploit Board member of the Governor's political nonprofit. Self-disclosed on her own website: one of three board members of Think Big America, JB Pritzker's political advocacy nonprofit. Helped run his first campaign in 2017. Has received his financial backing through multiple elections. Said publicly she stands with him on everything. The Comptroller cannot watch over the Governor's budget while governing his political organization.
The State Budget	Run On This No fingerprints on the $55.1B budget. Never cast a vote in Springfield. Has never voted for a state budget. No record in Springfield to explain or defend. As Comptroller, will dig into where every dollar goes and shine a light on it — including waste created by the administration his opponent served.	Exploit Voted for the record budget and calls it a qualification. Her Priorities page explicitly frames her votes for the $55.1B record-high budget as evidence of fiscal competence. That budget is the reason families cannot afford Illinois. Familiarity with a broken system is not independence from it — it is complicity in it. A Comptroller who voted for the waste she now proposes to oversee cannot investigate it with clean hands.
Cost of Living	Run On This Has met actual payroll. Knows what a dollar costs. Runs Café Bloom on a real budget with real margins. Has operated a law firm for 25+ years serving families across Southern Illinois. The families Drew has represented — the farmer, the small business owner, the senior on a fixed income — are exactly the families being crushed by government waste. He understands the cost because he has lived it.	Exploit Career legislator from Illinois's wealthiest neighborhood. Has managed government appropriations, not a personal or business budget. Represents Lincoln Park — consistently among the highest-income zip codes in Illinois. Defends the record-high budget as necessary while the families bearing its costs cannot afford to stay in the state.
Credentials & Qualifications	Run On This Law. Governance. Business. 25 years of real accountability. Legal education: J.D., Saint Louis University School of Law — one of the nation's established law schools with a tradition of public interest legal training. Accountability record: 25+ years of jury and bench trials, service as special prosecutor, and a win before the Illinois Supreme Court. Has held clients, institutions, and government agencies accountable under oath for a career. That track record maps directly to the Comptroller's audit and oversight function. Governance and budget oversight: Former Chairman, Board of Trustees, Rend Lake College — a governance role with direct responsibility for institutional budget oversight, capital planning, and fiduciary accountability to the public. Business financial management: Operates Café Bloom as a working family business, meets actual payroll, manages real margins. Has lived the consequences of budget decisions that government officials only read about in reports. Neither candidate holds a CPA or accounting credential. The Comptroller role has two core functions: payment operations and independent audit/oversight. Drew's legal career anchors the audit function. His Rend Lake governance role and business ownership anchor the financial management credential.	Exploit The credential she leads with is also the conflict at the heart of this race. Education: B.A. in Political Science and Communications, University of Michigan (2014, GPA 3.7). No law degree, no accounting credential, no CPA. Her strongest credential: Chair, House Financial Institutions and Licensing Committee — genuine exposure to banking regulation, payment processing, and financial technology. She is also a member of the Revenue and Finance Committee. These are legitimate credentials for the Comptroller's payment operations function and should be acknowledged, not dismissed. The structural counter: Chairing a legislative committee that oversees financial institutions is not the same as independently auditing the spending of the Governor who appointed you to his transition team, employed you in his cabinet, and has financially backed your campaigns across multiple elections. Her credential for the payment operations function is real. Her capacity for the independence function is structurally impossible given the nine-year documented career inside Pritzker's political apparatus. The record that disqualifies: There is no instance of Croke publicly challenging any Pritzker administration expenditure during five years in the legislature. The Comptroller must be willing to scrutinize the very people she has served since 2017. Her pre-legislative career was entirely political operations — not financial management.
Transparency Promise	Run On This No conflicts — every dollar is one he has no reason to protect. Will publish full public spending data accessible to every taxpayer. Will name waste by name. When the money trail leads to Pritzker's allies, Drew will follow it — because he has no obligation to protect them. Transparency only has meaning when the person promising it has nothing to hide.	Exploit Her donors are also her enforcement beneficiaries. Croke promises to use the Comptroller's payment authority to enforce Prevailing Wage law — the direct policy benefit flowing to the Plumbers, Laborers, Iron Workers, Carpenters, and UFCW listed on her endorsement page. Her transparency pledge requires following money to the same organizations funding her campaign. That is not independence — it is a conflict dressed as a priority.
Geography & Representation	Run On This The only candidate who lives in the communities feeling the fiscal pain. Born and raised in Benton. Practices law in Southern Illinois. His clients — farmers, small business owners, working families — are the people most hurt by Springfield's budget choices. He does not visit these communities to campaign; he serves them professionally every day.	Exploit Lincoln Park legislator, Chicago machine funding. Won her primary almost entirely on Chicago margins. Backed financially by Pritzker, the Cook County Democratic Party, and Chicago aldermen. Represents Lincoln Park — the state's wealthiest zip code cluster. The fiscal pain she promises to address is most acute in exactly the communities her donors and endorsers have consistently ignored.

Section IV

Attack Narratives · Their Vulnerabilities (Q4)

All four attack narratives are grounded in documented, unarguable facts — her own campaign website, on-the-record quotes, and public voting records. None requires characterizing her intent or attacking her character. The structural conflicts speak for themselves.

Attack Line 1 · Independence

She Governs the Governor's Political Organization. Then Proposes to Watch Over His Budget.

Margaret Croke's own campaign website states she is one of three board members of Think Big America — JB Pritzker's political advocacy nonprofit. This is not a past association. She currently holds a governance seat in his political operation.

The Illinois Comptroller is constitutionally the independent check on the Governor's spending. A Comptroller who helped elect the Governor in 2017, has received his financial backing through multiple elections, calls him "the guy I look up to," publicly says she stands with him on everything, and currently governs his political nonprofit — cannot perform that function. This is not a partisan attack. It is a structural disqualification drawn directly from her own biography.

Soundbite

"Margaret Croke's campaign website says she sits on the board of the Governor's political organization. The Comptroller is the independent check on the Governor's spending. You cannot be both. I have no such conflict. I never have."

All Formats Earned Media Debate Opener Direct Mail

Attack Line 2 · The Quote

"She Stands with JB on Everything." She Said It. It's on the Record.

At a Republican Unity breakfast in Naperville the morning after the primary, Drew already landed the defining line of the general election: "Unfortunately, my opponent said she stands with JB on everything. That's not the job. The job of the Comptroller is to stand with the people."

Croke said this. It is on the record. The goal through November is to force her to either repeat it — reinforcing the structural conflict argument — or walk it back — creating a reversal story. Every debate question, every press statement, and every contrast ad should be designed to put her back in front of that quote. Do not let it fade. Make her live in it.

Soundbite

"My opponent said she stands with JB on everything. That is not the job. The job of the Comptroller is to stand with the people — not the Governor — and that is exactly what I'm going to do."

All Formats Every Debate TV Ads

Attack Line 3 · The Budget

She Voted for the Record Budget. She Calls It a Credential. Working Families Call It the Reason They're Leaving.

Croke's priorities page explicitly frames her votes for the $55.1 billion state budget — the highest in Illinois history — as evidence of her fitness for the Comptroller's office. Drew's counter: that budget is why working families cannot afford Illinois. Voting for a budget is not a qualification — being willing to hold the people who wrote it accountable is.

Every opponent Croke faced in her own Democratic primary voiced support for the record budget. Not one of them will be the independent check taxpayers deserve. She is no different. The Comptroller's job is not to defend the Governor's spending — it is to scrutinize it. She cannot do both.

Soundbite

"My opponent is running on her record of voting for the $55.1 billion budget — the highest in Illinois history. The families in Benton, in Marion, in every downstate community I've represented for 25 years are being crushed by that budget. That is not a credential. That is the problem."

Downstate Markets Collar County Mail Debates

Attack Line 4 · Conflicts of Interest

Her Biggest Donors Are Also the Direct Beneficiaries of Her Stated Enforcement Priority.

Croke's priorities page commits to using the Comptroller's payment authority to enforce the Prevailing Wage Act — directly benefiting workers in unionized construction trades. Her endorsement page lists the Plumbers Local 130, Chicago Laborers District Council, Iron Workers District Council, Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, UFCW Local 881, and multiple pipefitter and steamfitter locals as backers.

The policy benefit flows directly and specifically to the organizations funding her campaign. This is not the promise of a neutral watchdog — it is a political arrangement dressed as policy. Even her own Democratic primary opponent Karina Villa publicly raised concerns about the conflict between Croke's funding sources and her independence. Those concerns were not resolved by winning the primary.

Soundbite

"Look at her endorsement page and her priorities page side by side. Every union she promises to benefit through enforcement is also funding her campaign. That is not a watchdog. That is a political arrangement. The Comptroller's payment authority is not a reward system for campaign donors."

Earned Media Debates

Section V

Inoculation Scripts · Our Vulnerabilities (Q2)

Inoculation requires getting ahead of the attack before it lands, in Drew's own words. Never repeat the attack in the block — redirect immediately to our ground. The goal is to make the attacks feel familiar and answered before Croke's ads run them.

1

Anticipated Attack: "No government experience — never managed a public office."

Croke has previewed this: "Illinois needs steady, experienced fiscal leadership." This will be her primary TV argument.

How They'll Use It

Tie every Comptroller function to prior government experience
Use her 5 legislative years and committee chair role as a credentialing contrast
Frame the race as a choice between "ready on day one" and "learning on the job"
Invoke Mendoza's legacy as the standard Drew cannot meet
Croke already on record: "Having previous experience in state government is critical to serve as Comptroller"

Our Response Framework

25 years holding courts, clients, and institutions accountable IS the relevant experience for a watchdog
Won before the Illinois Supreme Court — a higher standard than any legislative vote
No government experience means no Springfield debts, no conflicts, and no record to protect
The Comptroller's job is to audit the system — not to be part of it
Flip it: her "experience" is five years inside the system she now proposes to oversee

Bridge Line

I've spent 25 years holding people and systems accountable in court — including winning before the Illinois Supreme Court. The Comptroller's job is exactly that: holding the people who spent your money accountable for every dollar. My opponent's 'experience' is five years voting for the budgets I'll be auditing. That is not independence. That is a conflict.

2

Anticipated Attack: "He's a Republican in a blue state — a wasted vote."

Structural headwind messaging designed to suppress independent and soft-Republican turnout before votes are cast.

How They'll Use It

Run party-ID messaging in Chicago and suburban media markets early
Invoke Democratic dominance of statewide offices to frame Drew as unelectable
Tie Drew to national Republican figures to generate suburban voter resistance
Depress GOP donor enthusiasm with "it's unwinnable" framing to create a self-fulfilling funding gap

Our Response Framework

The Comptroller is not a partisan office — it is an independent watchdog role
The question is not Republican vs. Democrat — it's independent vs. Pritzker's hand-picked ally
Off-year 2026 environment historically favors opposition party
Collar counties are genuinely competitive — the path is real, not theoretical
Even Democratic primary voters (Villa coalition) flagged independence concerns about Croke

Bridge Line

I'm not asking anyone to change their values. I'm asking one question: do you want the person watching over the Governor's spending to be a board member of his political organization — or someone who has never worked for him, voted for his budgets, or governed his nonprofit? That is the only question on the ballot in November.

3

Anticipated Attack: "The Chicago Tribune endorsed Croke — even Republicans agree she's more qualified."

She will use the Tribune endorsement in TV ads as a cross-party credibility signal. This will be her strongest play with collar-county moderates.

How They'll Use It

Lead TV and digital ads with the Tribune endorsement graphic
Cite it in debates as evidence of cross-party support
Use it to blunt Drew's independence argument with moderate voters
Frame it as the definitive answer to the "experience" question

Our Response Framework

The Tribune endorsed in the primary — against a different field, before the general election question was posed
The general election question was never put to the Tribune: can a board member of the Governor's nonprofit watch over his budget?
Editorial boards and voters are asked different questions — the Tribune picked the best Democrat; voters pick the best Comptroller
Respect the endorsement; redirect to the structural question it did not address

Bridge Line

I respect the Tribune editorial board. They chose the best candidate in a Democratic primary. But the general election asks a different question: can someone who sits on the board of the Governor's political nonprofit independently oversee his budget? The Tribune hasn't answered that. Voters will on November 3rd.

Section VI

Closing Argument

The Case for Bryan Drew · Illinois Comptroller 2026

An Independent Watchdog for Every Illinois Family.
No Springfield Debts. No Pritzker Obligations.

Margaret Croke is a Chicago candidate with a Chicago career, bankrolled by a Chicago billionaire, who currently governs his political nonprofit, voted for his record-high budget, and publicly says she stands with him on everything. She will go to the Comptroller's office carrying every debt she has accumulated in nine years of building a career inside Pritzker's political orbit. She cannot follow the money to people she has served. She cannot be the independent check on a Governor she helped put in power.

Bryan Drew is different. Born and raised in Benton. Running a family café and a law practice on a real budget with real margins. Twenty-five years fighting for families, farmers, and small businesses across Southern Illinois in courts — holding people and institutions accountable under oath. He won before the Illinois Supreme Court. He has met actual payroll. He has never held elected office, never voted for Pritzker's budgets, and never taken a seat in anyone's political organization.

He has no Springfield record to hide. He has no political debts to protect. He owes his campaign to working-family donors across Illinois — not to a billionaire governor with presidential ambitions.

As your Comptroller, Bryan Drew will follow every dollar — wherever it leads, regardless of who it embarrasses. His only client is the taxpayer of Illinois.

Pillar 1

Hold Politicians Accountable for Every Dollar Spent — Including the Governor's

Pillar 2

Stop the Waste So Working Families Can Actually Afford to Live in Illinois

Pillar 3

Full Transparency — Every Dollar, Public, No Exceptions, No Protected Allies

Section VII

Rapid Response Cheat Sheet · Staff & Surrogates

Block first — acknowledge without repeating the attack. Then pivot immediately to our ground. Never let surrogates litigate the attack on its own terms. Every block-pivot ends on the independence frame.

If they say…	Block — acknowledge, do not repeat	Pivot — our ground
"Drew has never held government office. He'll be learning on the job."	Bryan Drew has spent 25 years holding courts, clients, and institutions accountable — including winning before the Illinois Supreme Court. He has operated a business on a real budget with real consequences. That is the relevant experience for a watchdog.	My opponent's "experience" is five years voting for the budgets I'll be auditing and sitting on the board of the Governor's political nonprofit. That is not independence — that is a career-long conflict of interest. Illinois does not need someone who knows the system. It needs someone who will clean it up.
"The Chicago Tribune endorsed Croke. Even Republicans think she's more qualified."	The Tribune made a choice in a Democratic primary, against a Democratic field. We respect the endorsement and the board's judgment within that context.	The general election question was never posed to the Tribune: can someone who governs the Governor's political nonprofit independently oversee his budget? That is what voters will answer on November 3rd — and the answer to that question is clear.
"Illinois hasn't elected a Republican statewide in years. This is a waste of a vote."	The Comptroller is not a partisan office. It is an independent oversight role — and the question of independence has never been more relevant than in a race where the Democratic nominee sits on the Governor's political nonprofit.	Even Democratic primary voters raised independence concerns about Croke — Karina Villa publicly flagged her super PAC money and Pritzker relationship. This is not a Republican argument. It's a structural observation that voters of every party should consider.
"Stratton — I mean, Croke — has the full state Democratic machine. How can Drew compete?"	We're building a statewide coalition of taxpayers — not a political machine. Bryan Drew is funded by working-family donors who want an independent watchdog, not a political ally of the Governor.	The size of the machine backing her is exactly the argument against her. Every name on that endorsement page — Pritzker, the House Speaker, the Cook County machine, the union PACs — is a political obligation she carries into the Comptroller's office. Drew carries none of them.
"Croke has a plan for transparency — Budget to Bill software that shows every dollar's lifecycle."	That is a worthy goal and Drew shares it. Full public spending transparency is essential.	Transparency only matters when the person promising it has no reason to hide what it reveals. When her Budget to Bill software shows money flowing to the Governor's allies, her union donors, or the organizations funding her campaign — will she publish it? Drew will. He has no one to protect.
"Croke chairs the Financial Institutions Committee — she has direct relevant experience in payment systems and banking regulation."	That committee role is a real credential and we acknowledge it. Legislative oversight of financial institutions does develop relevant knowledge of payment processing and banking regulation, which is one part of the Comptroller's work.	The Comptroller has two core functions: payment operations and independent fiscal oversight. Her committee chairmanship addresses the first. But the second — independently auditing the spending of the Governor's administration — requires someone who has no career obligation to that Governor. She ran his campaign, staffed his transition, served in his cabinet, and now governs his political nonprofit. There is no version of independence available to her on that second function. Drew's 25 years of legal accountability work, his Rend Lake College board chairmanship, and his business ownership cover both functions — without the career-long conflict.
"Think Big America is a nonprofit, not a campaign organization. That's a smear."	Think Big America is JB Pritzker's political advocacy nonprofit — those are his own words for it, and it is disclosed as such on her own campaign website, where she lists it as a leadership credential.	If she is proud enough of her board seat to list it on her campaign biography, she should be able to explain how she will independently oversee the budget of the man whose political advocacy organization she governs. We have asked that question. She has not answered it.
"Drew is a Southern Illinois small-town lawyer nobody's heard of."	Bryan Drew has represented clients across Illinois for 25 years. His reputation was built in courtrooms, not press releases.	The families in Benton, Marion, Carbondale, and every Southern Illinois community I've served for 25 years are exactly the families being squeezed by the $55.1 billion budget my opponent voted for and calls a qualification. I don't need name recognition from the Springfield establishment. I need the trust of the people the Comptroller is supposed to serve.