The Two-Tiered Campaign of Lying Jack Franks

The bracelet that Jack Franks is passing out.

The bracelet that Jack Franks is passing out. No ambiguity here.

Jack Franks is running a two-tied campaign for McHenry County Board Chairman against Republican Mike Walkup.

Most important is the BIG LIE level.

That’s the level that casual voters will see.

It is aimed at low information voters, that is, those who know very little about property taxes, except that their bill is too high.

“Cut 10” to them means (and I am certain it is meant for them to infer) that Jack Franks will cut their total real estate tax bill by 10%.

To more sophisticated audiences, such as editorial boards of newspapers, Franks talks about cutting McHenry County government’s tax levy by 10%.

From experience, we know that the County real estate tax take can be reduced.

Franks’ opponent Mike Walkup led the successful fight to cut it by $3 million last year.

That property tax cut from $79 million to $76 million was a 3.6% decrease.

Not 10% as Franks says he will do, but significant nonetheless.

And that 3.6% is not a promise that may prove empty.

It has already occurred.

= = = = =
I wonder what is new at LyingJackFranks.com.


Comments

The Two-Tiered Campaign of Lying Jack Franks — 17 Comments

  1. The big lie works as most elections are more about a beauty contest anyway.
    Jack is a sweet dude, Mike not so much.
    Cutting 10% across the board will probably never happen in my life time.
    If we were given the vote on tax rates and levy changes, empowering the people to at least freeze taxes, things in this country would be way different.
    The self serving elected, like Jack would lose some of their power.
    Those in office now would hate losing any power, but it would be a win win for the rest of us.

  2. Now there’s a fashion statement.

    A Jack Franks & John Bartman Cut10.org rubber wrist band.

    +++++

    Is selling the county owned Valley Hi nursing home included in Jack Franks’ plan to cut the County taxes 10%?

    Is outsourcing Valley Hi services included in Jack Franks’ plan to cut the County taxes 10%?

    Since he refuses to release his plan until after the election, we don’t know.

    +++++

    In terms of the County, Cut 10 is actually Cut 1.

    That’s because the County is 10% or so of a municipal resident’s property tax bill.

    And 10% of 10% is 1%.

    So for a $10,000 property tax bill, Cut 1 would result in a $100 tax savings.

    ++++

    The only thing we know about Jack Franks’ plan to reduce property taxes in taxing districts other than the county is he plans to use the County Board Chair position as a bully pulpit.

    Wikipedia definition of bully pulpit: A bully pulpit is a conspicuous position that provides an opportunity to speak out and be listed to.

    The top result in a Google search for bully pulpit: a public office or position of authority that provides an occupant an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue.

    +++++

    The biggest portion of any Illinois residents property tax bill is for the local school district(s).

    The county board leader has zero, or next to zero, influence over a school district.

    +++++

    Talk to the board members and leaders of any taxing district other than the county and ask them, if Jack Franks and John Bartman are elected, explain how that would prompt you to cut property taxes in your taxing district more than if their opponent was elected.

    +++++

    Cut 10 is an election gimmick that has zero chance of succeeding in its stated mission which is to cut property taxes 10% in every taxing district in the county.

    +++++

    Underfunded pensions is the biggest reason Cut 10 is an election gimmick.

    Many taxing districts in McHenry County have underfunded pensions.

    That would include all school districts and all the larger cities, villages, and fire protection districts.

    In absolute dollars (not necessarily percent), the pension underfunding has been increasing in recent years, not decreasing.

    The taxing districts have not even been able to stop the taxpayer IOU from increasing in most of the above examples.

    ++++++

  3. Person 1: Cut 10, what’s that?

    Person 2: Cut 10 % of the property taxes.

    Person 1: Are you kidding me?

  4. So this link about Killary’s pants
    Being on fire totally works for
    Jacko Franko.

    http://safeshare.tv/x/kXjbXGyQDsE

    Just insert Jack’s face next to or
    Instead of Killary’s face during
    The HILARIOUS refrain in this video.

    So easy to amuse yourself at Jacko’s
    expense.

  5. Since the County has no control over spending by the school district or any other taxing body on someone’s tax bill, shouldn’t the first question to Mr. Franks be:

    How does he specifically plan to cut the County’s Operating Expenses by 10% in order to deliver a 10% property tax promise to the residents?

    If plans to implement Operating Expense cuts don’t precede a decision on a 10% Levy cut, Mr. Franks is setting up the County for fiscal disaster by creating a large, structural operating deficit.

    With a total levy of $76.3 million, Mr. Franks needs to find $7.6 million in savings to realize his Cut 10 goal.

    Having gone through the process myself with the D-26 turnaround process starting in 2010, I know that it has to come from dozens of different areas.

    Somewhere I have a list of almost a hundred items that we evaluated/implemented in order to drive down costs, because there is no single lever to pull which drives you to a cost reduction target of that magnitude.

    But it can be done.

    D-26 Operating Funds in FY16 spent 26% less than in FY10.

    To Cut 10, it requires a plan to get there and the will power to implement the plan.

    So, first things first:

    Where’s the Plan?

  6. **Person 1: Cut 10, what’s that?

    Person 2: Cut 10 % of the property taxes.

    Person 1: Are you kidding me?**

    Actually. The reality is that for most voters it will go like this:

    Person 1: Cut 10, what’s that?

    Person 2: Cut 10 % of the property taxes.

    Person 1: Sweet. My taxes are too high. I’m in.

  7. I see NO issue of people running but what is the deterent is the FACT No One Will get Out and VOTE The Old OUT so the new can come in!!!!

  8. Good one AGAIN.

    OMW !

    Yep we have ALOT of MULTI-TIERED
    BIG SPENDERS & PLACE HOLDERS in MC
    the tax payers & voters need to EVICT !

  9. Jack Franks the self proclaimed tax fighter does not support the Republican Governor Bruce Rauner’s Turnaround Agenda, which is a tax fighting agenda, other than to say he’s for lower taxes.

    Jack Franks refuses to release his tax fighting plan until after the election, other than to say he’ll use the county board chair as a bully pulpit.

    Jack Franks is a pro organized labor, backed by organized labor, Democrat, who says he’s a tax fighter.

    Jack Franks was on the Task Force for Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates chaired by the Lieutenant Governor Leslie Munger, yet he doesn’t talk about how unfunded mandates in general or specifically hike taxes.

    The Illinois Municipal League, a lobbyist organization for local governments, submitted a report to that Task Force which included a list of unfunded mandates passed by State Representatives and Senators and signed into law by Governors.

    Jack Franks voted for some of those unfunded mandates that became law which hiked costs to local government, and it’s almost impossible to say none of those have hiked property taxes.

    So when Jack Franks says he never voted for a tax hike, what does that mean?

    Apparently it doesn’t mean, according to Jack Franks, that he voted for unfunded mandates which hiked the cost of government which will result in tax hikes.

    +++++

    Illinois Municipal League

    Report to the Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates Task Force

    submitted to Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, Chair

    on

    March 4, 2015

    – 27 pages

    +++++++

    One of the unfunded mandates from the Illinois Municipal League report that was signed into law that hiked local government costs and it’s ridiculous to claim that did not and will not hike property taxes.

    91st General Assembly

    Public Act 91-0466 (PA 91-466)

    Signed into law August 6, 1999 by George Ryan

    Was Senate Bill 0856 (SB 856) that passed the General Assembly on June 15, 1999.

    (Jack Franks was first voted into office in 1998, taking office in January 1999, as a State Representative).

    This law increased the accrual rate in the Downstate Fire Pension System from 2.0% to 2.5% of salary for the 21st through 30th year of service.

    Here is the pension formula.

    Number of years of service x Accrual Rate = Multiplier.

    Multiplier x Final Average Salary = Starting Pension.

    Thus, hiking the accrual rate, hikes the multiplier, which hikes the starting pension.

    That hikes the pension contribution from the employer to the pension fund.

    That hikes the taxpayer cost for Downstate Fire pensions.

    +++++

    Most Downstate Fire pensions were underfunded at the time of the hike.

    That means the taxpayers already owned money to the pension fund.

    If the taxpayers already owe money, why hike the accrual rate, increasing the amount that taxpayers will owe?

    +++++

    Which Downstate Fire pensions are present in McHenry County?

    – City of Crystal Lake Fire Pension

    – Algonquin Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District

    – Cary Fire Protection District

    – Fox Lake Fire Protection District (apparently this pension began in 2010).

    – Huntley Fire Protection District

    – McHenry Township Fire Protection District (this one is overfunded, not underfunded, began 2012, and is thus an exception to the norm).

    – Woodstock Fire / Rescue District

    ++++++

    There have been several comments written about fire pensions in McHenry County.

    Here is one.

    McHenry County Blog

    Crystal Lake Taxpayers Owe Tens of Millions to the Crystal Lake Police and Fire Pension Funds.

    August 26, 2016

    http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2016/08/26/crystal-lake-taxpayers-owe-24-million-to-the-crystal-lake-police-and-fire-pension-funds

    ++++++

    State of Illinois

    Delivering Efficient, Effective, and Streamlined Government to Illinois Taxpayers

    Final report submitted by:

    Task Force on Local Government Consolidation and Unfunded Mandates

    in consultation with

    Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Evelyn Sanguinetti,

    and

    Northern Illinois University, Center for Governmental Studies

    approved by the Task Force on December 17, 2015

    – 406 pages

  10. Jack Franks is a Cost Hiker.

    That is irrefutable due to the above unfunded mandate for which he voted that passed into law that hiked the fire pension accrual rate from 2.0% to 2.5% for the 21st – 30th years of service, at a time when most fire pensions were already underfunded.

    We can find many other unfunded mandates which hike costs for which Jack Franks voted yes, that became law.

    Legislative pension unfunded mandate hikes to pensions that are already underfunded is the worst type of tax hike imaginable, as once sentence added to the Illinois State Constitution on December 15, 1970, says that retirement benefits are contractual and cannot be diminished or impaired.

    +++++

    That sentence was added to the state constitution allegedly to protect worker pensions.

    What ensued in the past 46 years was anything but protection pensions.

    What ensued was benefit hike after benefit hike after benefit hike.

    And salary hike after salary hike after salary hike.

    All those hikes are protected by that one sentenced to not diminish or impair the resulting pension.

    The Illinois Supreme Court has apparently ruled that once a benefit is in place, and the worker works one day, that benefit is protected for that worker until they perish, and even after that, the survivor benefits are protected until the survivor passes away.

    Unbelievable.

    Read about some of the legislative pension benefit hikes in Illinois Pension Scam by Bill Zettler, available at the Crystal Lake library, or for $14 paperback or $3 Kindle version on Amazon.com.

    Also read a very basic summary about some of the legislative unfunded mandate hikes of various sorts in the Illinois Municipal League report listed in a previous comment in this post.

  11. Jack Franks says, I’ve never voted for a tax hike.

    But he has voted for costs hikes.

    Notice he never says, I’ve never voted for a cost hike.

    That’s because has definitely, irrefutably, voted for a tax hike.

    To say he’s never voted for a tax hike, in the practical sense, is not true, but maybe he has some legal wiggle room there….maybe.

    No wiggle room for voting for cost hikes though.

    When Jack Franks or one of his supporters says, I’ve never voted for a tax hike.

    Ask him or (or his supporter), have you ever voted for a cost hike?

    Of course you will need the above example in case Jack denies he’s ever voted for a cost hike.

    Reminds one of the infamous line by Bill Clinton.

  12. typo.

    4th sentence should be:

    That’s because he has definitely, irrefutably, voted for a cost hike.

  13. The major reason we have a pension disaster?

    Unfunded Cost Hikes.

    Very similar to Unfunded Mandates.

    A major reason we have high property taxes?

    Unfunded Cost Hikes.

    Jack Franks has voted for unfunded cost hikes.

    But he says he has never voted for a tax hike.

    With Jack Franks, you have to listen carefully to every single word he says, and think about every single word he says.

    Did you realize, Jack Franks supporters, that when Jack Franks says he never voted for a Tax Hike, that he did in fact vote for cost hikes.

    And how do cost hikes get funded?

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