McHenry County History photo
MCHENRY – State representative-elect Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) has placed a target on getting under control what he considers the biggest threat to his constituents: their out-of-control property taxes.
But he's run into an unlikely obstacle in his ongoing campaign to protect property owners – the McHenry County chief deputy clerk. (See McHenry County Clerk's response HERE)
"Property taxes are way too high in McHenry and Kane counties. Working families and seniors are being forced out of their homes because of skyrocketing property taxes," Skillicorn said Monday.
Before being sworn in to succeed retiring State Rep. Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake), Skillicorn has been wrestling with property tax hikes as a trustee for East Dundee. On the very first day possible, Skillicorn submitted for consideration in the April municipal elections a referendum for voters in McHenry County and Kane County.
The petition wording that Skillicorn submitted for public consideration asks whether voters should have a voice in whether their property taxes are raised. The queries, one for Kane County and the other for McHenry County, would say:
While the Kane County referendum is yet to be challenged, McHenry County Clerk Chief Deputy Linda Fitzgerald filed opposition to Skillicorn's referendum Monday – an interesting development, Skillicorn says.
"I find it troubling the Clerk's office would work against property relief. McHenry County Clerk Mary McClellan has already denied our FOIA requests concerning this referendum challenge," Skillicorn said in a statement. "I have to ask, what is Clerk McClellan and Chief Deputy Fitzgerald hiding?"
Skillicorn says he will appeal to the Attorney General's office to gain access to the information about what's going on behind the referendum challenge for McHenry County.
"Let's be crystal clear, The interests that oppose this referendum want to hike our taxes," he said.
Skillicorn will be sworn into the Illinois House Wednesday, the first day of Illinois' 100th General Assembly.
Northern Illinois is the land of RINO. It’s also the land of highest property taxes in the state. This does not surprise me one bit.
This is Skillicorn trying to save face:
He filed an advisory referendum that blantently violates the Election Code whereby 8% of the signatures are required from the last Govenor race that means over 7000 signatures were needed. How many did Skillicorn put on petitions? The answer is 92 of which many are not registered voters. This is not acceptable from a legislator to disregard the law. This objection was based upon the breaking of the law not about the content of the referendum.
The laws are made by legislators in Springfield.
The law requires a circulator to obtain 8 percent of the signatures of the last governor race.
That means it would have required more than 7000 signatures for the petition to be able to be put on the ballot.
Skillicorn only obtained 92 signatures and the objection says that 26 of them are not good.
The objection also says that the notary is deficient and he failed to follow the statutory requirements.
This seems to me to be a complete disregard for our laws.
Pablo,
That is baloney. Unless the law changed, Illinois law requires election clerks to check each petition for ballot placement to be in “apparent conformity” with the law before it is accepted. This allows the McHenry County Clerk to look at the petition, note it is short of thousands of signatures and then reject it outright.
I do not know the politics behind this particular situation, but I do know it is mighty funny that an assistant to the McHenry County Clerk is filing an objection as a citizen – that the County Clerk rules on with other county officials – when all that needed to happen is for the Clerk to deny the application because it is not in “apparent conformity” with Illinois election law.
If Skillicorn wants to do something about property taxes he should go after the school boards in his district and across the state!
Is County Clerk McClellan still employing her husband at McHenry County? Did the sexual harassement complaint lawsuit against him ever get resolved?