There are three reasons people run for office, the Field Director for the Republican National Committee told a campaign management school held in Jacksonville in about 1968, mid-way through my term as McHenry County Treasurer.
He helped us to remember them by referring to them as the “Three P’s”:
- Power
- Prestige
- Pecuniary
The first two are obvious; the third refers to money.
That could refer to a salary (as was the case when I ran for office) or something more nefarious.
Now comes State Rep. candidate Paul Serwatka with a plan to put his salary, if elected, into a fund to help local candidates who work to cut property taxes.
That could balance off local units of the teachers’ union, the IEA (Illinois Education Association), which were active and rwo-thirds successful in Crystal Lake High School District 155’s school board elections last year.
Here is Serwatka’s press release:
Paul Serwatka Proposes “IL Property Tax Relief Fund”
Pledges To Donate Entire Salary To Fund
Paul Serwatka
(LAKEWOOD) February 17 – Paul Serwatka, Republican candidate for Illinois’ 66th House Seat, announced, today, that one of his first actions in office will be the creation of a PropertyTax Relief Fund to combat the extreme Property Taxes plaguing 66th District families.
To help jump-start this fund, his first year in office, Serwatka pledges to contribute his entire salary to the fund.
“By contributing my salary, we can IMMEDIATELY begin efforts, as well as leverage other contributions, to initiate REAL reform, locally, where property taxes are affected most,”
Serwatka said.
“Countless families are being forced out of their homes due to the punishing property tax burdens in McHenry & Kane Counties.” Serwatka added,
“By creating this “IL Property Tax Relief Fund” we can begin to hold local taxing bodies accountable, effect fiscal responsibility and promote fiscal conservatism within – and in a very meaningful way.”
Serwatka continued,
“This fund will be the first of its kind and I have complete confidence that it will have real, tangible effects on the property taxes residents pay. I’m so confident, in fact, I’m betting my salary on it!”
“Every day, I speak to families who tell me, ‘We are being taxed out of our home! Something has to be done!’” Serwatka said.
“I have been successful in fighting property taxes in my village.
“Now, it’s time to turn things up a few notches.” Serwatka added,
“I’ve never been one for just talking. I’m a guy who takes action – and this will be an opportunity for me to publicly ‘put my money where my mouth is,’ so to speak.”
Specifically, the “Illinois Property Tax Relief Fund” will serve as a concerted effort to stop reckless and abusive spending by local taxing bodies which results in the increased tax levies that affect our property taxes most. The fund will focus on creating a local awareness of relevant issues, organizing residents, promoting fiscally conservative policies and electing fiscally conservative members to local taxing bodies within the 66th Dist.
The 66th District includes parts of southeastern McHenry and northern Kane counties, including parts of: Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Lakewood, Lake in the Hills, Huntley, East & West Dundee, Elgin, Gilberts, Sleepy Hollow and Carpentersville.
= = = = =
State Representatives are earning $67,836 this year.
One of Serwatka’s three opponents, Carolyn Schofield, has been endorsed by the Illinois Education Association.
Allen Skillicorn
Serwatka has also pledged not to participate in the legislative pension plan, the legislative health benefits plan and the legislative life insurance program.
His two male opponents, Allen Skillicorn and Dan Wilbrandt have taken basically the same position.
Schofield has not.
Her position as of mid-August can be found here.
Exactly what we need.
Imagine how quickly we could ‘fix’ school boards if candidates without relatives in the teacher unions could launch financed campaigns for themselves to actually represent taxpayers.
When a school board member displays he / she will stand up for the taxpayer, the union finances a campaign to have him / her defeated in the next election.
Check out the background / familial relations of your school board members.
Go to a school board meeting and observe how the Superintendent manipulates the board members like little puppets.
SCHOOL BOARD ADMINISTRATORS RUN THE SCHOOL BOARDS – IT IS NOT THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD, THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE ‘RUBBER STAMP’ PARTY!
The same ‘rubber stamp’ attitude is prevalent on the McHenry County Board when they vote to approve wage increases while FREEZING the budget!
To use an Agenda 21 term – THAT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE!!
We could probably save more tax payer money if the hypocrite would decline his public pension.
This is a rare example of a SPECIFIC plan to bring about lower government spending.
Bravo.
Example of the crisis level of property tax rate– an Economic Black Hole Community–Is Woodstock Il.
Property tax rate is 4.6% of home value. (National average is 1.4%).
1. Anomalously high property tax rate causes the monthly mortgage payment to be higher than the allowed ratio for a conventional mortgage loan( 30% of household income).
That means that the pool of qualified home buyers is cut in half when median income is insufficient to qualify for mortgage loans.
Scarcity of interested buyers exerts a sucking force on home values, prices are driven toward zero.
2. Homeowners are ‘trapped’ because their Woodstock home value has dropped while home prices all over America have risen, and the Woodstock resident cannot afford the cost of conversion ( sell low here, buy high elsewhere).
3. Households in Woodstock of median income and lower must pay over 12% of household income just for property taxes. ( Average in America is 3.6% of household income paid in property taxes).
Even higher income households are paying around 8% , which is double the national average.
Paying so much extra in property taxes means that those funds are unavailable for other budgetary spending.
Other budgetary spending includes saving for retirement or children’s college fund.
What is event horizon for Economic Black Hole community?
1. The property tax rate at which a median income household cannot qualify for a conventional mortgage loan on a median priced home.
2. The property tax rate which demands in excess of 5% above national average percentage of household budget spent on property taxes.
School spending is the primary driver of this crisis. The Woodstock D200 school board refuses to cut spending. Board members with public defined benefit pensions may not be capable of comprehending the necessity of most household budgets to save for personal retirement.
Other communities may not be at the crisis level of Woodstock, but may be nearing or beyond the event horizon. Even prosperous Lakewood exceeds the inflection point ratio when you consider property tax is 3%, median home value is $340,000, median household income ( non-family) is $70,000. ( yes Lakewood is still below inflection point when you use the median family household income $122,000. If a family gets divorced or widowed, though, and has to sell, the pool of potential buyers is smaller).
rawdogger: Should everyone who receives a disability pension return it?
If not, who is the hypocrite?
He did not do well in the survey.
Panic remedy.
Questioning: Yes, no matter how horribly mangled your body is, you should not receive a lifetime income if you are fully capable of supporting yourself after the injury.
Paul has or had a real estate license and must be doing pretty good for himself given the amount of cash he was able to dump into his campaign.
The topic at issue is property tax rates so high that an Economic Black Hole community is formed, and a Specific plan to something about that.
Everything else is irrelevant.
DATA – On the contrary, Paul told us of his plan to implement this fund at the first town-hall meeting he held for residents, last year.
Funny, how a guy who does nothing but serve others and selflessly sacrifice his own personal well being, is ostracized by those who serve themselves and/or do nothing for others.
– Paul Serwatka ran a write-in campaign, to become a Lakewood trustee at the request of the residents. Their was a need and he rose to the occasion.
– To date, Paul is the only Lakewood village board member who has waived his salary. That being said, he is the only candidate, in this race, to have waived their current salary as an elected official.
– Paul was the first to waive the legislative pension and benefits as a state representative – while some candidates will still take the pension.
– Now, he pledges to forego his salary, to lower our property taxes, and there are a few who will bad mouth him for that?
Shame on you!
Thank you Paul for all your efforts and for being a true servant of the people!
If you re-read the article, you will see Paul Serwatka, Allen Skillicorn and Dan Wilbrandt have all declined their legislative pensions.
Paul has a great plan to eliminate these spending fanatics that ruin I mean run our school districts!
The NEA, the teachers unions, and AFSME all promote their agenda through campaign contributions so it is time we do the same.
Thank you Paul for stepping up to the plate with a real plan to help save the taxpayers of Illinois!
Chuck – get a grip.
Yes, Cal, but as I stated, while Paul was the last to publicly announce his candidacy, he was the only one at that point in time, to pledge to forego taking the pension.
Then, when you pressed the others to “match” Paul, Allen and Dan stated they too would forego the pension while Carolyn Schofield, essentially, told us she was taking it.
DATA (Christina Myers) “Get a Job!
Meanwhile – thousands more residents and businesses have left or are preparing to exit Illinois …
This is really commendable for a young family man to do.
It’s not easy paying these taxes.
This is a sacrifice.
Upon this news, I will have to rethink my choice.
This is just really great.
And “Rawdogger” (I suspect is Bob Miller stumping for his establishment lackey) So what if Paul S. gets a public pension.
You’ll begrudge the guy that, and his salary!?
You want someone to work for you for free?
Or you just want to discredit him.
You’ve once again, lost all credibility!
Joe Tirio is running for a county wide position to abolish his job, essentially term limiting himself to One Term.
You probably have something negative to say about him too.
Keep stumping for your own family of govt. thieves.
You are officially at ~0~ credibility.
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2015/04/21/algonquin-township-annual-meeting/
Read the comments there, slick, and let me know if you still think I’m Bob Miller.
And for the record, I think every single candidate for Tryon’s seat is a loser.
Not just Paul.
Generalized statements about character are irrelevant.
We citizens are in a fight for survival, against our own rulers who are empowered to tax (and thus destroy).
Campaigns are full of generalities. This candidate has a specific, defined plan to address a discrete crisis: McHenry County property tax rates which are 200%-300% of national average.
Generalities are the go-to tool for those protecting status quo.
Status quo in this county is only befitting a few at the expense of many.
ESPECIALLY Now, in this property tax rate crisis: Generalities are irrelevant.
Not practicing what you preach is highly relevant because it reflects Paul’s likelihood of making good on his promises, Susan.
Paul is an ambitious man, hungry for power.
He’s been trying to amass a lot of it in the extremely short period of time he’s been on the scene. Without an extensive voting record, what else do we have to go on other than generalities about his character?
You’re not seriously recommending that we take a politician at his word, are you?
Springfield is where principled men and their principles go to die.
It’s a dead end for a quest to gain more power unless you are flexible with your principles. That’s what scares me about Paul.
He wants to rise to the top. Will be abandon his principles once he gets to Springfield, or will he remain steadfast and true and be completely ineffective because he won’t play well with the vermin on both sides of the aisle down there?
Neither option is appealing.
Specific Plan to avert certain destruction in a Property Tax Rate Black Hole.
4.6% Property tax rate.
Everything else is irrelevant.
Even If you personally haven’t reached the point of pain inflicted by property taxes which exceed all danger zone maximums, it doesn’t mean that you are making cogent analyses.
When you ignore the crisis boiling point inflicted on AT LEAST HALF (Median) the population, you are whistling past the graveyard.
“Specific Plan to avert certain destruction in a Property Tax Rate Black Hole.
4.6% Property tax rate.
Everything else is irrelevant”
What evidence do you have that this proposal could gain any sort of traction in Springfield?
Or are you content to send a Ron Paul type (rants about the proper function of government; never gets a single bill passed) down there to do nothing more than tilt at windmills?
Rawdogger – You seem to have preconceived notions as to what Paul Serwatka stands for, what his principles and beliefs are.
Without projecting what you believe to be the case, cite one example from his literature, press releases, public statements, anything, that makes him hypocritical because he receives a disability pension from his fire-service.
Again, not what YOU believe to be true, but anything that Paul, himself, actually stated.
As far as his being “ambitious” and “hungry for power”, have you ever met Paul?
Have you ever actually heard or read what he says or what he’s done?
No need to answer that, because if you had, you would know that Paul is the absolute last person that has any lust for power.
You say “he’s been trying to amass a lot of it in the extremely short period of time” please explain this?
Paul empowers the residents he serves and for that we are grateful.
But, Paul is one of the most humble people I have ever met, particularly among elected officials!
And he doesn’t take a dime for any of it!
In fact much of what he has done for our village has been at his own expense.
The only ones with anything to fear in Paul are the status quo, establishment types who sense that Paul seeks to rain on their parade.
Until you give selflessly of yourself, until you work for free, until you sacrifice your own money and precious time with your family, to serve others and make our community a better place for ALL, then I suggest you be a bit less critical and a bit more thankful!
There are many in government who lust power and serve themselves.
Particularly among a couple of Paul’s opponents, but Paul in no way falls into this category. I suggest you learn more about him.
Boethius – Read again!
The fund Paul proposes needs no support from Springfield politicians, whatsoever.
It would be quite effective without them tainting it.
What’s this fund?
A PAC that Paul will control?
A two-bit PAC is going to reduce our property tax bills?
What’s to keep this from becoming the “Paul Serwatka Election PAC” where use uses the funds to support himself?
Is this what we’re falling over ourselves to applaud him for?
“Paul has recognized the need for pension reform since his early days as a Firefighter/Paramedic, more than 20-years ago. Paul understands the need to transition from a defined benefit program to one of a defined contribution (i.e. 401(k), 403(b) or 457 plan). This has been a generally acknowledged issue for decades that has been intentionally avoided and evaded by Illinois politicians.”
That’s what I was going off of.
It’s hypocritical to preach about a problem while being a part of the problem.
Trolls (who are paid or not) attempt to divert attention from the issue at hand.
The issue at hand:
Economic Black Hole Communities with property tax rates high enough to engender negative feedback loops sucking all value out of property.
Drawing attention, specific plans to sandbag the flood of spending-in-excess-of-means, or any other measures are the only relevant issue.
Does anyone think Paul has lots of names?
Back at You:
Yes.
And apparently a lot of “free time” to monitor this blog.
DATA: On this issue, Mr. Wheeler has the grip while all you have appears to be a gripe (jealousy maybe?).
Federal Farmer is correct.
If you have even a glimmer of doubt relative to Serwatka’s sincerity, do your self a favor, call him – talk to him or set up a meeting with him.
We need more Republicans like Serwatka – we do not need more trolls and we sure do not need some of the destructive two legged animals presently within the County GOP.
We have major problem within our State educational system which can only be addressed within each school district.
We need school boards who will hire superintendents who will work for the taxpayer and the children -NOT for the teacher unions and administrative staff.
Paul’s innovative idea has great merit and would actually be a move in the correct direction.