A political action committee says the candidacy of Grayslake state Rep. Sam Yingling is part of a scheme by House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) to keep suburban property taxes high.
Madigan is almost entirely financing Yingling's campaign. He has given him $1,564,408 in all, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
A direct mail piece sent to District 62 voters by Liberty Principles PAC describes what it calls the "Yingling-Madigan Fix," claiming Madigan requires candidates he supports oppose suburban property tax caps "so he can continue making millions as a property tax appeals attorney."
Ken Idstein
"If Mike Madigan pays for it, he owns it," the mail piece says.
The 62nd District includes parts of Avon, Fremont, Grant, Lake Villa, Warren and Wauconda.
Madigan earns a living appealing high property taxes, for which he receives a percentage of the reduction. A 2017 analysis found that his law firm, Madigan & Getzendanner, won cuts of $70 million for its clients between 2008 and 2016.
Liberty Principles PAC, which is supporting Yingling's opponent Ken Idstein, is pushing a hard, one percent of home value property tax cap. A home valued at $250,000 would have a bill of $2,500 per year, under its plan.
Daniel K. Proft, founder and president of Liberty Principles PAC, is a principal of Local Government Information Services, which publishes the Lake County Gazette.
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