Lake County Gazette

With the General Assembly in Springfield failing yet again to agree on a reasonable budget, families in Illinois are uneasy.

Dawn Abernathy, Republican candidate for the state House District 59 seat, has heard the concerns of families in her district firsthand.

Dawn Abernathy | Contributed photo

“As I talk to families in the 59th District, they are concerned with the rising property taxes, the loss of job opportunities for their families and friends,” Abernathy said to the Lake County Gazette. “They expect their representative, Carol Sente (D-Dist. 59), to push her party leaders for a balanced budget, not to play politics. They don't care about the political battles in Springfield. They care about the real, negative impact this is having on their lives. I am going to Springfield to address these impacts and protect the residents of our community."

The impact already has been felt in some communities as more and more businesses and families are leaving the state or planning to move out. There is, however, a proposed budget created by House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Dist. 22) that passed the House, but much to the chagrin of House Democrats, the Senate vehemently rejected it, as it is $7 billion in the red. Gov. Bruce Rauner also came out against it. Madigan and his party refused to budge, and this has caused concern for schools and universities. Some public schools are not sure they will be able to open after summer break.

“Our schools are already under-funded,” Abernathy said. “We cannot afford to have money funneled from our schools to fund Chicago Public Schools. CPS has mismanaged their pension fund; they have to make the hard decisions how they are going to fund their schools and not expect suburban and downstate schools to bail them out.”

Another problem with Madigan’s budget, Rauner and his allies said, is that procuring the money to pay all of the spending would force the state income tax rate up to 5.5 percent -- a $1,000 increase for the average Illinois family annually.

Abernathy said families in Illinois cannot carry that burden. Their shoulders are already heavy.

“Families in Illinois are already struggling,” Abernathy said. “A $1,000 increase on families is unrealistic. For 502 days, the politicians in Springfield have put their interests ahead of the needs of our families. They refused to set aside their partisan differences and compromise to protect our families from higher taxes. I am going to Springfield because the families being taxed out of their homes can't afford to wait any longer, and they can't afford to pay anymore.”

A report by Truth in Accounting said the average taxpayer in Illinois already owes over $45,000 in state taxes due to the state's financial mismanagement. Abernathy said a tax increase on taxpayers is not a solution, and that Springfield already has imposed enough taxes on families, and they didn't work.

“Increasing taxes is not the answer to the high-tax burden being placed on our families,” Abernathy said. “I am going to Springfield to bring reform to the state, to bring about the changes necessary to balance the budget without placing more taxes on the residents. We already had a tax increase, and the politicians in Springfield only increased spending, rather than act responsibly and pay down the debt as they promised.”

Abernathy wants accountability and believes her opponent Sente has not properly represented her district. Abernathy said Sente has been playing a politician’s game.

Abernathy is seeking Sente’s seat to deliver on the promises Sente can’t.

“Our state is broke,” Abernathy said. “Yet every time I open the mailbox or turn on the TV, there is an ad or a glossy pamphlet from Carol Sente how she is doing great things for our community. This charade works for the elite, but it doesn't work for our families. We pay the highest property taxes in the nation, despite her claims she wants to lower or freeze property taxes. We don't have a balanced budget despite her claims she is fiscally conservative.

"I am going to Springfield to do the right thing, not just say the right thing.”