Lake County Gazette

Ken Idstein points the finger at the “political ruling class” in Springfield for being responsible for some of the worse ills inflicted on the state.

“Our homes are being stolen by the political class in Springfield,” he told the Lake County Gazette. “They are so desperate to protect their power that they will destroy our home values with higher property taxes. It’s criminal to ask Illinois homeowners, who already pay some of the nation’s highest property taxes, to pay 40 percent more. In many communities, property taxes already exceed 3 percent, 4 percent and even 5 percent of home values.”

Idstein’s critical assessment comes in response to a proposed statewide property tax aimed at paying down the state’s spiraling pension liability. Three economists from the Federal Reserve in Chicago recently proposed the idea of levying a special state property assessment estimated to be around 1 percent of actual property value each year for 30 years.

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

“Low-income areas and communities with largely minority populations have some of the highest property tax rates,” added Idstein, the Grayslake Republican running against Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) in the 62nd District. “That’s the great irony of this proposal. The political and academic elites who style themselves as champions of the poor and oppressed are the same ones calling for a property tax increase on those who can afford it the least.”

Currently, property taxes across Illinois stand at an average of 2.67 percent, the highest levels in the nation. In a working-class community in south Cook County, the average is nearly double that at over 5 percent.

“My opponent has been too cowardly or too corrupt to fight for lower taxes while he has been in office,” added Idstein, who has thrown his support behind a resolution recently introduced by Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) opposing any new statewide property tax. 

“Now he is demanding you pay for his failure with thousands of dollars in new taxes. Where will you find thousands of dollars to send to Springfield for this new tax? What will you cut from your home budget?”

Idstein wants voters to truthfully ask themselves who is standing up for their interests and values in Springfield.

“What Illinois needs, and what I will fight for as your state representative, is reforms to state and local government spending – on pensions, workers’ compensation, prevailing wage and taxes – that will lower costs and the burden on taxpayers, as well as jump-start our stagnant economy,” he said. “My opponent has had five-plus years in office, by any common sense measure he has failed. Failed to curb state spending and allowed our pension debt to grow unchecked; failed to lower property taxes and buried you under enormous debt; failed to bring jobs to Illinois, forcing you to look elsewhere for good opportunities. I’m running to correct these failures, to work with you to revitalize our communities by reforming our government.”

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