Lake County Gazette

As Kenny Idstein made the trek to Springfield to file petitions to make his run against Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) in the 62nd District official, the words of voters he'd talked to while campaigning rang in his ears.

“As I stood in line very early in the morning, I recalled that while walking door to door, numerous families shared their plans to move out of Illinois because they can no longer afford the taxes,” Idstein told the Lake County Gazette. “My ears are open, and I have taken those concerns to heart. I will be running my campaign to help my constituents remain here in Illinois.”

Idstein said he hears from friends and neighbors all the time vowing to flee the state if things don’t soon change.

Kenny Idstein

“They love Lake County, but they just can’t afford to stay,” he said. “I’m running for office because I love Lake County and I love Illinois. I grew up here, I raised my family here and I started my business here. I’m going to stay and fight.”

For Idstein, the fight begins with lowering still rising property taxes.

“As I walked door to door over the past two months I asked my friends, neighbors and community members what they would like to see changed down in Springfield,” he said. “The overwhelming majority responded that they would like to see lower property taxes, and in order to do so, legislators need to provide a fertile growing environment for businesses. We need to welcome business development here in the state by lowering taxes, not continue down this path of raising taxes to compensate for our out of control spending habits.”

Idstein said the campaign he plans to run will be to serve all his future constituents.

“I will be holding coffee and conversation sessions throughout the coming weeks that will enable me to hear my constituents' concerns and answer their questions face to face,” he said. “My formal filing reinforces my commitment to this position and to the residents of Illinois House District 62.”

The 62nd District includes parts or all of Grayslake, the Round Lake communities and Wauconda.