Promotion of the Senior Citizens Circuit Breaker Property Tax Relief idea proposed by Govenror Richard B. Ogilvie is an idea I actively promoted in my 1972 race for State Representative.
Ogilvie had a TV ad of an old couple at the back of their Ford Model A putting on an Ogilvie bumper sticker that year.
While it was a good idea, no refunds had yet been paid so it probably didn’t get him many votes.
I discovered that the amount budgeted for the program ($28 million) was grossly underutilized, so I introduced a bill to take up the slack with increased benefits.
My bill was passed and signed by Governor Jim Thompson on Senior Day at the Illinois State Fair.
Now comes Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi asking in the Chicago Tribune that a “circuit breaker” bill be enacted.
