Illinois
First-time candidates compete in GOP primary for Illinois House District 49 seat
This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the Aurora area in the March 19 primary election.
The race in the Republican primary for representative from Illinois House District 49 is between two first-time candidates, Aris Garcia and Hannah Billingsley.
The primary election is set for March 19.
The winner in the GOP contest will square off against incumbent state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
A first-time candidate, Garcia, 24, of Streamwood, said voters’ concerns include the economy, safe communities and education.
“A lot of people are losing jobs or they may not be losing jobs but they didn’t get a Christmas bonus,” he said. “People didn’t get their usual raises and taxes are increasing, prices of goods are increasing and our wages are not. People are considering leaving and the economy is at the top (of the reasons).”
Safety, Garcia said, remains an issue that he said “depends on location.”
“So, safety has been a much bigger contributor to what we are hearing down in West Chicago versus Bartlett,” he said.
Regarding education, Garcia said it is “an issue that keeps creeping up.”
“Our people are not happy with the education kids are receiving, especially at this price point. No one is against property taxes but they want to see the money spent well,” he said.
If elected, Garcia said his goals would include making sure fiscal responsibility is practiced, along with focusing on safety and the health care system.
“We want to bring jobs back. We used to be a big manufacturing place that created jobs,” he said. “With job security and more money in our community comes security and safety and a better education system. It’s important we attract local manufacturers.”
Residents are spending a lot of money on health care, Garcia said, and “what we’d really like to see is that our residents not be overwhelmed by medical bills.”
Billingsley, 35, of West Chicago, is also a first-time candidate who said issues in the district include immigration, the economy and the current drug and opioid crisis in the area.
“Immigration – I get a variety of responses about the federal government doing something about the border, people keep coming into our area and eventually we’re going to run out of resources for them,” Billingsley said. “A lot of people are very compassionate about the immigrants. People understand why they are coming over, but we’re very finite with our resources. We can’t make Illinois a border state.”
Regarding the economy, Billingsley said people are “concerned about taxes and the rising cost of living” and where things are headed.
Solutions to the drug crisis include there being stronger enforcement and penalties for using them, she said, “based on a survey I sent out to people recently.”
“The other thing is educating people about drugs when it comes to young people and that education leads to prevention and going that route,” she said.
If elected, Billingsley said her goals would include having more transparency in government, accountability and good fiscal practices.
Everyone, Billingsley said, “is accountable. People see their leaders and say they’ll represent you – they need to be accountable. If their constituents are saying, ‘This is how we feel,’ those state reps can’t just go and do their own thing.”
Billingsley said her background is in business and finance and that she would like to make things more efficient in Springfield as well as more affordable through that efficiency.
“I want to find a way for communities to work with each other and lean on each other through churches and non-profits and neighbors helping neighbors,” she said. “It will make government a little less needed and make a stronger sense of community.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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Combined state and federal taxes would take more than 50% of the top-end income for 22,000 Illinois small businesses.
Proposals in the Illinois General Assembly could slam massive tax hikes onto small businesses, the state’s primary job creator historically and in the recovery from the COVID-19 downturn.
One measure would punish 22,020 Illinois small businesses with a huge increase in their marginal state income tax rate and create a top tax rate of nearly 50.3% for them, once all state and federal income taxes are factored in.
S-corporations and partnerships, which “pass-through” their business income to their owners, who pay taxes as individuals, would see their top marginal state income tax rate jump from 4.95% to 7.95%, a 61% hike.
That would happen because the legislation, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 21, adds a 3% income tax on income above $1 million. It is scheduled for a hearing April 23 at which it could pass out of committee and go to a potential full House vote.
Research has shown that an increase in the top marginal tax rate is associated with a decrease in entrepreneurs’ hiring activity and lower wages for their employees.
Illinois has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and among the slowest wage growth. These are exacerbated by some of the highest state and local tax burdens in the nation, including the second-highest property taxes and eighth-highest sales taxes.
In 2017 Illinois residents endured the largest permanent income tax hike in state history, when lawmakers increased the rate by 32%, from 3.75% to 4.95%.
Illinois already pushes out more businesses than virtually any other state. The “millionaire’s tax” could make the situation even worse. Illinoisans should reject this call for higher taxes on the state’s vital small business community.
Contact your state representative to stop the small business tax hike here.
SYCAMORE, Ill. – A Sycamore mother said she is still waiting for justice more than two years after her teenage son was stabbed to death.
The case is back in court this week, where a judge will consider a key request that could change how the case moves forward.
What we know:
A mother said her son’s life was cut short during a confrontation that turned deadly.
Heather Gerken said her 17-year-old son, Kaleb McCall, was stabbed during an incident in September 2023. She said Kaleb agreed to meet another teen for what he believed would be a fist fight while sticking up for a friend.
According to Gerken, the other teen, who was 15 at the time, pulled a knife and stabbed Kaleb in the chest. Kaleb later died from his injuries.
Gerken said a jury later found that teen guilty of second-degree murder after the defense argued he acted in self-defense.
Dig deeper:
The case is not over.
Gerken says the defendant’s attorneys are now trying to move the case out of adult court and into juvenile court. That decision could impact how the teen is ultimately sentenced.
What they’re saying:
Gerken said the legal process has been long and frustrating.
She said the case has stretched on for more than two and a half years and that ongoing court proceedings have made it difficult for her to grieve her son.
“He was everybody’s big brother,” Gerken said. “He had the biggest smile and the sweetest personality. He enjoyed fishing and being outside, and he was the best gift giver. He always got me flowers for every little holiday. Just a very thoughtful boy.”
Gerken also said the possibility of the case moving to juvenile court is especially upsetting, as she continues to push for what she believes is justice for her son.
“I don’t want anybody else’s child to die the way that my son died,” Gerken said. “Caleb is my whole world. I gave birth to him at 17 and he changed my life completely. He made me a better person. He taught me what real love truly is…And I just miss him so much more every day. And just knowing that he died the way he did. It makes me sick.”
What’s next:
The case returns to court Thursday morning.
A judge is expected to determine whether the case remains in adult court or is moved to juvenile court, a decision that could shape what happens next in the case.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago’s Lauren Scafidi.
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