The level of government that most affects your family is much closer to home than the White House or the halls of Congress. Your local government – city council, county commissioners, school board, etc. – is the level of governance responsible for establishing the speed limit on the streets in your town, setting rules for business, industrial and residential development, funding the public schools and determining staffing levels for your police and firefighters departments. These representatives live and work in your area and have a significant impact on your life every day.

With property taxes in Illinois skyrocketing,  jobs leaving, and schools and social services struggling it is crucial to demand greater accountability at every level of government. For that reason, we have highlighted local races and referendums on our partner site, Upstream Ideas. 
In case you missed it, here is a sample of what we have covered:

Dollars and Sense: For Our Children

You already pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation even while your property values drop lower and lower. Yet, school districts across the state are demanding more of your money, claiming it is “For Our Students.” Pat Hughes explains in this edition of “Dollars And Sense”.

Latest Regional Analysis of Property Taxes: McHenry County

On Chicago’s Morning Answer (560-AM), Dan Proft & Amy Jacobson look at McHenry County in the latest exclusive regional analysis of property taxes produced by Proft’s Local Government Information Services as reported in community newspapers throughout Illinois. Read the full analysis here.

The Fight Against Predatory School Boards

Across the state from DuPage County to the Metro East Region, local school boards are after more and more of your hard-earned money. And they think their con is bulletproof: “It’s for the children.” Who can argue with that? Pat Hughes does in this “Two Minute Warning.”

And The Children Shall Lead Us

On Chicago’s Morning Answer, Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson discussed school spending, increasing property taxes, and local government elections with Jake Leahy, an 18-year-old running for school board in Bannockburn. Jake argued that we need a new generation of leadership to have a say in the future, rather than leaving it to the same old voices in Springfield. Watch here.

Dollars and Sense: School Boards Demand a ‘Yes’ Vote

If you are a Glen Ellyn resident, you know your school board is demanding a ‘Yes’ Vote on a $24 million referendum. You may not know that since the last major referendum in Glen Ellyn, enrollment growth has slowed and even fallen. Yet, local property tax spending has increased by 253%. Pat Hughes explains in this edition of Dollars And Sense.

Illinois Rising: Mayoral Races in Aurora and Orland Park

On this edition of Illinois Rising, Dan Proft and Pat Hughes talk to a candidate for mayor in Aurora who is looking to make reforms to benefit taxpayers. They also explain how Orland Park’s mayor – now one of the highest paid in the world – raised his own salary to spike his pension. Listen Here.

Pension Spiking: Same Story, Different Cast

Another Illinois politician is raising his salary to maximize his pension benefits before he retires. This time it’s Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin. Pat Hughes gives his take on this edition of Two Minute Warning.

Orland Park’s Decades of Debt

On Chicago’s Morning Answer (560-AM), Dan & Amy discuss the Village of Orland Park’s Mayoral Race and 24-year incumbent Dan McLaughlin’s efforts to spike his pension by quadrupling his salary. Listen Here.
The South Cook News took an in-depth look at Orland Park and Mayor McLaughlin’s record:
When the shopping spree started back in 1998, Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin was warned.
One trustee asked village leaders “not do something comparable to going to Disney World on a credit card.”
They would do that, and then some.
A recreation center. A pool. A fund to buy vacant land. Renovating a shopping district. More employees. Higher salaries.
Two decades and some $234 million in debt later, the bill for McLaughlin’s borrowing and building, hiring and public employee pension-increasing has come due.

The mayor, 63, is preparing for retirement. Orland Park property owners are girding themselves for years of suffocating property taxes.