I am never surprised when a tax hike advocate does not tell the truth.

I am surprised that one tax hike advocate makes it so easy to prove his is not telling the truth.

His name is Kevin Rewerts and a sentence about how his taxes have gone down since the Huntley school district tax hike referendum in a letter to the Northwest Herald was dissected here.

He writes a letter to the editor in response to one from Gerald McMahon in which he makes what he calls “corrections.”

One is,

”I wasn’t a leader in the educational funding referendum.”

Please take a look at the Illinois Board of Elections record reproduced here.

In mid-2005, Rewerts was still listed at the treasurer of the B.E.S.T. I clicked on the “previous officers” button and found: “There are no previous officers for this committee.”

So, that seems to make Rewerts “a leader in the educational funding referendum,” doesn’t it?

The tax hiker also asserts,

“I didn’t work diligently on the last referendum.”

Maybe serving as a tax hike committee’s treasurer might not be considered working “diligently on the last referendum,” but I have just finished my very minor State Board of Elections filing (type in “Skinner Campaign Fund” in the ISBE web site to see it). It was not a walk in the park, probably because I only use the program about every six months and have to reminded what to do.

I’ll grant there were not many itemized contributions. I just found one for $500 from Neumann Homes. (Isn’t that the one filing for bankruptcy?)

But there were expenditures like $1,517.48 to fellow BEST member Michael Andre.

The two worked together to raise money from private sources, according to one District 158 school newsletter (April, 2005, I was told) I got sent. (Click to enlarge. Look at third paragraph.)

There were lots of contributions in the last half of 2004, however:

• $250 – Control Solutions, 811 Ogden Ave, Lisle, IL 60532 $250.00
• 9/30/2004 Individual Contribution
• $500 – Gillifan Gallahan Arch, 1600 Golf Rd, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
• $250- Illinois Paper Co, 6 territorial Ct, Bolingbrook, IL 60440
• $200 – Jane Jeannero, 3600 Lakeview D, Elgin, IL 60121
• $2,500 – Lamp Inc, 460 North Grove Ave, Elgin, IL 60121
• $250 – Lowery McDonnell, 1280 Mark Street, Bensenville, IL 60106
• $500 – Manhhard Consulting, 900 Woodlands parkway, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
• $1,500 – Meadowbrook LLP, 3436 Kennicott, Arlington heights, IL 60004
• $500 – Midwest Transit, POBox 582, kankakee, IL
• $500 – PAR Developments, 99 Boulder Drive, Lake In the Hills, IL 60156
• $1,000 – Pulte Homes, 2250 Point Blvd, Suite 401, Elgin, IL 60123
• $500 – Shales McNutt, 425 Renner St, Elgin, IL 60123
• $200 – Steve Swanson, 310 Prestwick Drive, Algonquin, IL 60102
• $2,000 – Town and Country Homes, 1806 Highland Ave, Lombard, IL 60148
• $2,000 – Wing Point-Kirk Corporation, 201 Juniper St, Streamwood, IL 60107 $2,000.00

Parenthetically, I would note that the financiers of the tax hikers are the same-ol’, same-‘ol, that is, hold your breath,

(If you see some other connections, let me know. I’d be happy to share them.)

There were also $16,505.22 in expenditures to keep track of, including $575 in rally fees and expenses at Miller park reimbursed to a Suzanne Rewerts, same address. There was another $145.22 for helium and “general expenses.”

Sounds like someone in the family worked “diligently.”

From personal experience, I’d say that political campaign committee treasurers work “diligently.”

The figures above are just from the successful fall referendum. There was more work for the treasurer in the unsuccessful spring referendum effort.

Since I listed all of the big fall contributors, it seems only fair to do the same for those who opened their check books for the spring effort:

• $1,000 – First American Investment Properties, 3436 Kennicott, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
• $1,000 – Meadowbrook LP 3436 N. Kennicott, Arlington Heights, IL 60004 $1,000.00
• $1,000 – Chuck Ruth, Huntley, IL 60142

Suzanne Rewerts was reimbursed $1,225.19 for “general expenses,” among the $6,313.25 spent, about 20% of the total amount spent.

Certainly, the family worked “diligently” to hike Huntley and Lake in the Hills school taxes in 2004.

Rewerts reiterates in his letter that the political action committee B.E.S.T. does not exist.

He is correct in that it does not exist as a state-registered group.

But, as Larry Snow said,

“Who were those people passing out flyers door to door under the B.E.S.T. name saying that they endorsed Mike Skala, Kevin Gentry and Jim Carlin in the April school board election last year?”

Tomorrow: More Evidence of Kevin Rewerts’ leadership in the tax hike referendum campaigns.