Chris Lauzen announcing his candidacy for Kane County Board Chairman as wife Sarah observes.
A press release from State Senator Chris Lauzen, who is running for Kane County Board Chairman:
Lauzen Announces “Kane County Taxpayer Revitalization Plan”
Aurora, IL (February 4, 2012): Illinois Senator Chris Lauzen, who is a candidate for Kane County Board Chairman, announced today at a rally of more than 300 grassroots supporters of government reform his “Kane County Taxpayer Revitalization Plan”.
Five Areas of Improvement for Kane County Government
1. Property Tax Levy Freeze. With home values falling, property taxes continue to rise. “Personal income taxes have gone up 67%, income taxes on employers have increased 46%, tolls have nearly doubled, the costs to commute have been jacked up more than 25%, utility rates are increasing . . . at the very least, let’s freeze the Kane County portions of our property taxes on our current residents!” Lauzen said.
2. Mortgage Help. Through information and connecting to programs that already exist (HARP 2.0) for those who have stayed current on their mortgages and whose mortgages are already guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, we can help Kane County homeowners stay in their homes by lowering their interest rates and saving hundreds of dollars per month. Lauzen said, “This won’t cost Kane County taxpayers any money, but it will improve their family budgets. Empty homes don’t pay taxes, they destroy neighborhoods and families.” (See LauzenKaneCountyMortgageRelief.com)
3. More Jobs Paying Higher Wages. “By helping to coordinate the efforts of the existing network of Chambers of Commerce and restructuring how county government serves the employer community,” Lauzen continued, “ . . . we will take at least the following five steps:
- Streamline the permit process setting predictable prompt standards for response.
- Coordinate a framework of incentives countywide, to minimize tensions of regional “bidding wars”.
- Partner with private industry and educational institutions through quarterly roundtable discussions and employer forums.
- Coordinate planning for infrastructure among federal, state, local agencies and developers who are willing to invest their capital . . . make sure that our projects are “shovel-ready”.
- Establish a Kane County Cooperative Clearinghouse website and portal to exchange and exploit innovative ideas, equipment and services, especially in areas of access to capital, e.g. SBA 504 Loan Guarantees and the New Market Tax Incentive Program (which I helped pass into Illinois law) to lower the down payment, decrease interest rates, and extend repayment terms for commercial buildings.
And, we’ll have some fun learning from successful businesses, both large and small, as we recognize their progress and increase smart, hard-working Kane County commercial confidence.”
4. Drain the Swamp of Political Cronyism. “One million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,5000,000 . . . five times what it costs good candidates in this area to run and win an Illinois State Senate seat) of campaign contributions into the political fund of a local government administrative office is an obvious abuse of political competitiveness and clout. A 75% correlation between campaign cash amounts and contracts, employment and other political favor is a problem with the status quo just begging for reform,” asserted Lauzen. Former U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald and State of Illinois reform leader Adam Andrzejewski have endorsed Lauzen’s plan for 48-hour disclosure of contributions from contractors, a “searchable” database like
DuPage County has offered Kane County at no-charge, voluntary refusal of contributions from no-bid contractors, and the expansion of an unpaid ethics advisory panel from the current one member to three members, making sure that both the majority and minority parties are represented on the commission.
5. Zero-based “Reality” Budgeting to Streamline County Government Spending.
Lauzen said, “We will simply deliver honest competent administration of county
business through innovation and austerity. We will survey best practices from
anywhere in the world, prioritize and implement these innovations for the benefit of
Kane County taxpayers and citizens.”
As the only candidate for Republican nomination for Kane County Board Chairman who personally knows what it feels like to start, grow, manage and successfully sell a million-dollar small business, Lauzen is aligned with employers’ needs. And, as a tax specialist who has completed thousands of income, sales, and payroll tax returns for hundreds of families, he is sensitive to the burdens on taxpayers.
For answers to any questions, please call 630-264-2419 or email campaign@lauzen.com