WHEATON – Dubbed by some of her Illinois House colleagues as tough, independent and more stubborn than cooperative, State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) – who is also running for governor – says she really doesn't care what her colleagues say about her.
Ives says she has a deeply-held motivation for what she does in Springfield and intends to stick with it during the next three months leading up to March 20 – Illinois' 2018 Republican Primary Election Day.
And why is Ives not in contention for the House's Miss GOP Congeniality?
"I have a heart for Illinois taxpayers." Ives says she sees everything through taxpayers' eyes – how a public policy will affect them and their hard-earned dollars.
Governor Bruce Rauner's challenger in the March 20, 2018 GOP primary says her main priority as a candidate is to let voters from one end of Illinois to the other know that how public policy affects their bank accounts matters.
Even before being elected to represent DuPage's 42nd House District in 2012, Ives entered local politics when the Wheaton City Council tried to raise its sales tax. "It affected our family, and that was enough to run for city council," she said.
Since becoming a member of the Illinois House, Ives has proposed bill after bill that hit a brick wall set up by Illinois' Democrat Party chairman and longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan. She's pointed out a need for county assessors to update their property values records.
In public testimony last summer, downstate superintendent Gary Kelly of Du Quoin Community Unit School District 300 told the Illinois House Education Appropriations Committee Ives serves on that the property in his Perry County district had not been reassessed “in decades.”
“It was shocking to hear a veteran school superintendent (Kelly started at Du Quoin in 1993) so casually suggest that his county is willfully ignoring state law,” Ives said at the time in a press release. “Property reassessments must be done by law a minimum of every four years. The law is clear.”
Ives found that the last Perry County property reassessment was conducted in 1982. She also found that lack of reassessment was a statewide problem.
“If we are going to fix the school funding formula, it is imperative that we also fix the assessment system upon which the school funding formula depends,” added Ives. “School funding across the state will continue to be inequitable and unfair until we deal with this issue.”
During the recent debate over whether Illinois should resume collecting a higher rate of income taxes – 32 percent hike for personal income and 33 percent for business income – Ives said although Governor Rauner vetoed the measure that was finally overridden, he had conveyed to several Republican House members that he supported a tax hike. He left them with the impression that he would cover for them if they voted yes on the tax hike.
"Fifteen House Republicans supported the tax hike," Ives said. "It was wrong for them to do that."
Ives' concern for the state's taxpayers is part of why she opposes unfunded public school mandates, higher pension costs, more expensive health care subsidies. She also opposed taxpayer funding of abortion because it would force hardworking Illinoisans to pay more and cause the state's debt to increase.
"So much of what we do in Springfield is based on emotion, not reason," Ives said. "I may come across as cold-hearted and mean when I speak out against programs that make people feel good, but I really do have a heart. It's a heart for those paying for all these programs – the taxpayers. We should represent them."
More on Illinois Review's recent interview with Ives in the coming days.
Jeanne Ives is correct. The Madigan, Cullerton, and Ruaner families are not needed in Illinois government.
God Bless Jeanne Ives
Carl Lambrecht
I wish her the best, but the IL GOP will not back her, and the Marxicrats will elect Pritzker. Get ready Illinois for Commies run wild.
Fox News reported on Wednesday that Rauner is the worst Republican Governor, sighting high taxes, poor business climate and high crime rates.
We need Jeanne Ives to replace him!!!!
I’ll admit its very hard to get enthused to work to get a rebel like Jeanne Ives elected because conservatives are despised in the IL GOP and liberal elites are esteemed. But if she’s got the heart to take on this mess, the least we can do is get behind her. It’s either get behind Ives or leave Illinois. That’s the two choices we have now.
Heartless??? I have a question for those who lie and say that about Jeanne Ives. How can you call her heartless when you incompetent and irresponsible heartless overspending commiecrats are leaving massive state debt to our children and great grandchildren, and our great-great grandchildren. Let me clue you in trash, its immoral to leave YOUR bills for someone else to pay, its nothing short of theft by cradle to grave entitlement scumbags in the Illinois state legislature. You heartless dirtbags SUPPORTING A SANCTUARY STATE even LEAVE YOUR UNPAID BILLS FOR UN-ENTITLED ILLEGAL ALIENS TO OUR PROGENY WHO IS NOT YET BORN. THAT IS HEARTLESS!
We know your dishonest tactics:
We know Illinois commiecrats are utilizing the tactic of psychological projection or “blame-shifting” where the attacker blames the victim. Sigmund Freud wrote in Case Histories II (PFL 9, p. 132) of “psychological projection” where humans resort to the defensive mechanism of denying in themselves the existence of unpleasant behavior while attributing that exact behavior to others, ie., a rude person accusing others of being rude.
Karl Marx is attributed with saying “Accuse the victim of what you do.” In the political context, be the first to accuse your opponent of what you are guilty of:
-If you are lying, accuse your opponent of it.
-If you are racist, accuse your opponent of it.
-If you are intolerant, accuse your opponent of it.
-If you are hateful, put up a website listing groups you hate, accusing them of being hateful.
-If you have something to hide, accuse your opponent of it.
-If you are organizing voter fraud, discredit those exposing it.
-If you, or your spouse, have been sexually immoral, accuse your opponent of it.
-If you (Hitlery) are receiving millions from globalists & Hollywood elites, accuse your opponent of it.
WE KNOW WHO THE HEARTLESS COMMIECRATS MEMBERS OF THE ILLINOIS STATE LEGISLATURE ARE AND ITS NOT JEANNE IVES!
The Illinois GOP is an ASS.
This contest will be decided by the voters, NOT the RINO Illinois GOP.
Remember: The Illinois GOP attempted to force
RINO leftist Mark Kirk on us, too.
How did THAT work out?
If we end up with a Democrat governor, place the blame where it belongs: the gutless, leftist snowflake Illinois GOP.
Love the fan boys who lap up the Dan Profit Koolaid. Let’s start with Jeanne getting the Brietbart endorsements and less we forget her ethical problem at Milton township. You can bet some of Jeanne proud moments will be known. Jeanne is not the shinning star you think she is. Most don’t know the real Jeanne. If she does defeat Bruce, you think JB’s boys don’t know the real Jeanne as well. Jeanne will not be able withstand what will be coming her way. JB will have 100s of millions to shape Jeanne’s image. And remember, the 42nd district, where Jeanne comes from, it’s demographics are very different.
Nice pseudonym change.
There is no ethical problem at Milton township
Anything that leads to Rauner’s eventual defeat is ok with me.
GOP gripes about property taxes, but Ives wants assessors to get out there and raise property values/taxes. That is not a winning position for her.
Tell the truth, Jeanne wants them to obey the law, which says they must re-assess. 1/2 the truth is nothing but a lie.
read and learn
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2012/07/whats-the-matter-with-milton-township-part-ii.html
RE: “Rauner is the worst Republican Governor.”
I’m glad someone other than we citizens of Illinois also recognizes this.
“1/2 the truth is nothing but a lie” pretty well describes every edition of the DAILY HERALD as well.
As Michael Moore once said
“If Jeanne Ives is the BEST we can do, We deserve to lose!”
Nothing against Jeanne Ives but she is underwhelming…
Nice to see the Bruce-paid consultants are earning their money. But you’re not one of those, right, Clutch? So what “ethical problem” with Milton are you talking about?
Please reply to this in the form of a statement of fact using specific persons’ names, and not by hiding behind “my opinion”…