Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s $42 billion budget address Feb.19 has drawn attention and criticism and it seems that the word is still getting out.
Dan Yost, a candidate for the House 61st District, is running against Rep. Joyce Mason (D-Gurnee).
After Pritzker unveiled his budget and vision for Illinois during the 2021 fiscal year, Yost released a statement critical of the speech.
“Illinois families and businesses are struggling under the weight of skyrocketing taxes, record spending, and government mismanagement," Yost said in his statement. "We have the second-highest property tax in the nation and now Springfield wants to spend even more money we don’t have, with higher taxes and fees, and greater uncertainty for Illinoisans.”
Yost is a trustee in Antioch, the chief operating officer at an employee benefits consulting firm called Vertus, and a married father of three. He aims to encourage dialogue about the issues that he sees in the state, and to work toward fixing them, including high property taxes. He says property tax and budget reform, spending and, pensions are all key to creating major change in the system, which is structurally flawed.
“No end is in the foreseeable future as politicians like Rep. Joyce Mason remain silent while more and more people leave our state for better opportunity," said Yost. "Where is Rep. Mason’s independent voice she promised?“
Yost promised to "put our communities ahead of any political agenda, work to cut taxes and spending, and to stand up for our families and job creators.”
Yost has worked in the employee benefits industry for more than two decades and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ripon College. He majored in politics and government, and is a member of the Antioch Police Pension Board, the Ripon College Alumni Board, and is president of his homeowners association, according to his bio at Vertus Benefits.
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