SPRINGFIELD -- Former state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka is looking to return to state government.
The Riverside Republican is eyeing a run for state comptroller, a position now held by Democrat Dan Hynes.
"I am very frustrated watching what is going on in Springfield," Topinka said Thursday. "It would give me a chance to fight back."
Topinka, 65, left state government in January 2007 after losing a bid for governor to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Topinka had served as treasurer for three terms and was a state senator prior to that.
Since leaving state office, Topinka has been a member of the Regional Transportation Authority board, which oversees mass transit offerings in the Chicago area.
She said her background in running the state's other fiscal office - treasurer - would be an asset in her bid for comptroller at a time when the state is facing major budget problems.
Hynes hasn't announced his 2010 election plans, but he is likely to seek out a different office after three terms as the guardian of the state's checkbook.
Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, who grew up in Peoria, also is considering a run for the post.
Krishnamoorthi is a former deputy Illinois treasurer and assistant Illinois attorney general.