Lake County Gazette

Going into the general primary election on March 20, Lake County voters will decide whether four local political subdivisions can raise their taxes or extend borrowing, in addition to mulling Republican candidates in state and Congressional house districts.

On the tax-or-borrow front, the Village of Deer Park, Arden Shore North Fire Protection District, Gavin School District No. 37 and Lake Zurich Community Unit School District #95 all have spots on the ballot.

Deer Park is asking voters about a non-home rule sales tax and Arden Shore North Fire Protection District is asking to be authorized to increase its corporate limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law.  Meanwhile, Gavin School District has a proposition on the ballot to establish a debt service extension base while Lake Zurich Community Unit School has its own proposition to issue almost $78 million in building bonds.

Grayslake Republican Ken Idstein, running for the 62nd District Illinois State House

In other parts of the ballot, Lake County voters will decide which Republicans will run this year for two state House and one U.S. Congress seats.

Republican candidates are out to take seats in the Illinois General Assembly that long have been held by Democrats.

Grayslake Republican Ken Idstein, a senior loan officer who serves on the Grayslake's planning commission, wants the Illinois State House seat currently held by Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) in the 62nd District. Yingling has represented the district since he first was elected in 2012, when he defeated the Republican Rep. Sandy Cole in an upset win. 

"As I knocked on thousands of doors this fall, the No. 1 concern I heard was that taxes were too high," Idstein said in a Facebook post earlier in the campaign. "My ears are open, and I am listening. I’m going to Springfield to make Illinois stand up for you."

Idstein faces Adam Solano in the general primary election. The district is located entirely in Lake County.

Lincolnshire Republican Marko Sukovic, who soon expects to graduate from the University of Illinois with a political science degree, is after the 59th District state House seat currently held by Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills). Sente has represented the district since she was appointed to the seat in 2009, following the resignation of Democrat Kathleen A. Ryg. 

Sukovic told the Lake County Gazette earlier in his campaign that the current leadership in Springfield is too quick to punish local officials when they enact local right-to-work laws. 

“I think it is clear they are looking for mechanisms to punish people that have different political perspectives than they do,” Sukovic said. "I think states are realizing that (right-to-work ordinances are) a part of its economic climate that they need to be able to attract new businesses to their state." 

Sukovic faces Karen Feldman in the general primary election. The district is located within Lake and Cook counties.

At the national level, Jeremy Wynes is seeking the U.S. Congress seat currently held by Democrat Rep. Brad Schneider. 

Schneider first was elected to the district seat in 2012 when he defeated the incumbent Republican Rep. Robert J. Dold, who took the seat back from Schneider in 2014 only to lose it again to him in 2016. 

Wynes said in a YouTube video earlier in his campaign that the 10th Congressional District is "unlike any other in American politics. It's a true swing district: one of the few in America traded back and forth between a different Republican and Democrat every election year this decade. We deserve effective representation in Washington based on our shared values – someone who isn’t there to play follow the leader, but who can lead themselves. Someone to push fresh ideas instead of the same old, same old." 

Wynes faces Sapan Shah and Douglas R. Bennett in the general primary election. The Congressional District is most of Lake County with portions of Cook County.