Retirees are better off in North Dakota and Nebraska than in Illinois, according to a new analysis from WalletHub. Illinois came in seventh from last compared to other states, according to the ranking.
The study measured a state’s affordability, quality of life and health care. WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez said Illinois wound up in the bottom 10 of the 50 states because of how its economy is made up.
Illinois ranked 44th overall.
“Illinois is much less affordable than the other Midwest states,” Gonzalez told The Center Square. “In general, it costs more to retire in Illinois than it does in most other states in the country.”
Despite Illinois not taxing retirement income, general tax policy and lack of taxpayer friendliness were the main factors in Illinois’ low ranking, Gonzalez said.
“Taxes are a huge part of why Illinois loses out to other states like Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Nebraska,” she said. “Special tax breaks for seniors and tax policy for retirement income just aren’t there in Illinois.”
High sales taxes, high property taxes and high inheritance taxes are among the main reasons why Illinois came in 47th for affordability, she said.
The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce will host an economic summit, “State of the Greater Barrington Area,” from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Barrington’s White House, 145 W. Main St. in Barrington.
Village officials from Barrington and surrounding communities will update local business leaders and the community on current economic conditions and what lies ahead for the area.
The public is invited to attend the event, which includes pastries, coffee, networking and the program. Cost to attend is $10 (cheap). Register at www.BarringtonChamber.com.
Confirmed speakers to date include: Barrington Village Manager Scott Anderson; Barrington Hills Village President Brian Cecola; Deer Park Village President Greg Rusteberg; Killdeer Village President Nandia Black; Lake Barrington Village Administrator Karen Daulton-Lange; Long Grove Village President Bill Jacob; North Barrington Village President Eleanor Sweet McDonnell; Port Barrington Village President Keith Vogeler; and South Barrington Village President Paula McCombie.
Editorial note: Hopefully the summit presentations will be recorded and distributed so we might share President Cecola’s “pearls of wisdom” with residents.
Yesterday we reviewed some candidates running for seats on the District 220 Board of Education (BOE) April 4, 2023 elections. To summarize, we recommended residents not vote for Leah Collister-Lazzari and Barry Altshuler so far.
Five other candidates are asking voters to consider voting for them, and they are:
Leonard Munson: Munson is a United States Air Force veteran, and served as a Survival Resistance and Escape instructor for 20 years. He brought these experiences to the private sector running small businesses including training and operational support on the Global War on Terror. Munson has served on the LEADS board educating and mentoring a drug free District 220.
Munson was often found to be the voice of reason during public comment at BOE meetings, advocating for choice and parental rights when it came to masking the District 220 students. In addition, Munson recently gave public comment at a BOE meeting in favor of the District funding all day kindergarten, which Collister-Lazari would presumably not support given her interest in raising the cost to parents of kindergarten enrichment.
Katey Baldassano: Baldassano has a master’s degree in educational leadership with a bachelors in early childhood education. She’s been a teacher in Carpentersville and has provided educational support in the home setting.
Baldassano has spoken at BOE meetings during public comment urging the Board to ensure that parents retain their right to determine what books their children had access to when deciding on keeping books, such as Gender Queer, the book endorsed by Altshuler, in the school libraries. She also addressed the Board during the remote learning and masking debate, discussing the potential long term effects of denying young children the education they need, the need for human connection and relationships, and that true equity is about children getting what they need so they can learn.
Matt Sheriff: Sheriff has served many executive and c-level roles professionally with diverse business experience leading companies and negotiating contracts. Given the District’s contract with the Barrington Education Association is currently being negotiated, Sheriff’s experience negotiating with fortune 100 companies will be a great asset in the union negotiations, particularly in light of Hunt’s departure.
Sheriff volunteers with the Lake County Sheriff’s auxiliary deputy unit, assisting Lake County’s local municipalities in times of emergencies and when additional manpower resources are required.
Diana Clopton: Clopton works in marketing for AbbVie Pharmaceuticals. Clopton did face a challenge to her candidacy for failure to properly file her statement of economic interest. She prevailed in that proceeding and her name will remain on the ballot. She piloted two children programs, Born Beautiful, a workshop for young women, and Gamechangers, which teaches kids about entrepreneurship.
We have not seen Clopton speak at any Board of Education meetings, but we know that self-proclaimed activist Jim McGrath, a serial speaker before the BOE, who advocates against the rights of parents to choose whether to vaccinate, mask, or determine appropriate reading material for their children has advocated on Clopton’s behalf on Twitter, referring to her as one of “our candidates,” along with Altshuler and Collister-Lazarri, each of whom has taken similar positions as McGrath on taking away these parental rights.
Nelda Munoz: Munoz has been outspoken during Board meetings over masking and indoctrination of students over the availability of the book Gender Queer. She was also a plaintiff in one of the pandemic related lawsuits brought against D220. Her grit and determination in the effort to raise awareness of issues to the current BOE has been commendable.
While we appreciate the passion of Munoz, in the wake of Superintendent Hunt’s departure, we think it important that the upcoming board have well-reasoned and thoughtful members to not only search for the next superintendent, but to figure out how to retain him or her for more than 18 months, and to control the madness of the current BOE President Ficke-Bradford.
Having considered all 7 candidates and weighing the pros and cons of each, we’re endorsing Leonard Munson, Katey Baldassano and Matt Sheriff for seats on the District 220 Board of Education.
In an era where the voices of the community have fallen on deaf ears, we believe they will bring a willingness to listen to all voices, integrity, common sense, fiscal responsibility, negotiating skills, and much needed balance to the District 220 Board of Education.
Angela Wilcox, Leah Collister-Lazzari and Barry Altshuler
Angela Wilcox, current and second longest serving 220 Board of Education member, recently withdrew from the race for another term on the board. This week, the district’s superintendent, Dr. Robert Hunt, announced his departure only eighteen (18) after his installment (as an aside, the BOE under former President Kazmier and then VP Ficke-Bradford spent nearly a year and Lord knows how much in taxpayer dollars searching for Hunt in 2020).
In light of these two recent events, we think it’s time to take a good look at the candidates running for 220 Board of Education in the upcoming April election.
Incumbent Barry Altshuler, a pediatrician who espouses on his professional website to believing in ‘holistic’ care, routinely advocated for vaccination of students, to keep students remote and masked. Altshuler voted to keep Gender Queer in the District’s libraries, saying, “kids need the book,” and he “wished that book was around when (he) was in middle school.” For reference, the book is recommended for ages 16 and up.
Altshuler was also heard violating the doctor/patient HIPPA confidentiality when he discussed his patient, Alex Strobl, publicly during BOE meetings surrounding the controversy of Strobl dropping from the 2021 BOE election.
Incumbent Leah Collister-Lazzari voted to keep students remote and masked. Collister-Lazzari also wrote emails micro-managing Dr. Hunt, such as asking him to tell BHS basketball coaches to make sure the kids were properly masked while playing sports.
In December, Collister-Lazzari voted remotely for an increase in the levy while on a purported ‘business meeting’ in New Zealand, yet also advocated in favor of the District increasing the parental cost of kindergarten enrichment and voted against keeping the fees at their current rate in favor of raising them.
During the D220 strategic planning meetings she brought a 3×5 card with Ficke-Bradford’s equity statement written on it and advocated to have the equity statement put into the D220 mission statement.
Most egregiously, in the opinion of the Observer, in 2021 when three new members of the current Board were sworn in for their first BOE meeting, Altshuler and Collister-Lazzari colluded with Sandra Ficke-Bradford and Erin Chan Ding to oust Member Wilcox from any position as a Board Officer. Wilcox was 6 years into the position, to Altshuler’s and Collister-Lazzari’s 2, and had an exemplary record as the Treasurer of the Board in preceding years.
In addition, the public had made it clear to the BOE Board that Wilcox was preferred to succeed to the position of President surrounding controversial actions of Ficke-Bradford and Kazmierz and their treatment of Alex Strobl who withdrew as a candidate in the 2021 election following their strong-arm tactics.
For these reasons, and more to come, we urge voters NOT to vote for Barry Altshuler and Leah Collister-Lazzari. They do not deserve to continue on our 220 school board.
Illinois’ state and local governments collect some of the most fines and fees in the country on a per capita basis, a new study shows.
The Reason Foundation found that Illinois is second highest in the nation, averaging about $50 per resident in 2020. That is compared to less than $3 per resident in Kentucky.
In 2019, local fines and fees revenue accounted for less than 2% of pre-pandemic general revenue in all 50 states. The year 2017 is the most recent year for which local revenue data is available. During that year, 28,159 U.S. cities, townships and counties reported a total of nearly $5 billion in revenue from fines and fees after excluding jurisdictions without sufficient data.
Data for the study was obtained from the Census Bureau’s annual survey of state and local government finances.
“In Illinois, local governments retain a fairly substantial portion of the revenue generated by citations and traffic tickets within that jurisdiction,” said Vittorio Nastasi, director of Criminal Justice Policy with the Reason Foundation.
Nastasi notes that fines and fees have turned many courts into revenue centers for state and local governments, creating what he calls undesirable conflicts of interest.
“The Seed Library opens on Wednesday, February 1, beginning at 10 AM!
Drop in on Feb 1 to see what’s available in the Seed Library this season (or plan in advance by visiting our Seed Library website). Master Gardeners will be here to answer questions and share seed starting tips. Learn how to make custom garden items with the laser cutter, help us create painted rocks for our fairy garden (and for you, too!), and pick up Take-And-Make Kits for kids and adults.
Take-And-Makes, info tables, and activities run from 10 AM – 4 PM on February 1; after 4 PM tomorrow, the Seed Library will be open during all regular Library hours. While supplies last. Seeds are organic and non-GMO.”
Chicago Teachers Union lobbyist and mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson unveiled his ‘tax-the-rich’ revenue plan, including $800 million in new taxes on suburbanites and those who come to the city to work or play.
Mayoral challenger Brandon Johnson Jan. 23 introduced his “tax-the-rich” revenue plan for the city of Chicago, calling for $800 million in new taxes on those who come from the suburbs and elsewhere to work and play, or those in the city he deems “wealthy” that the details of his plan show are actually middle-class workers.
Johnson proposes reinstating the $4-per-month employee “head tax” on large Chicago businesses, imposing $100 million in new user fees for areas “frequented by the wealthy, suburbanites, tourists and business travelers,” and raising the real-estate transfer and financial transactions taxes for a combined $200 million.
“The suburban tax base utilizes Chicago’s infrastructure to earn their disproportionately higher income, yet their taxes fund already wealthy towns,” the plan states. “A Metra ‘city surcharge’ will raise $40 million from the suburbs.”
The Chicago Teachers Union organizer and avowed Socialist said his plan would also increase the Chicago hotel tax – which is already the highest in the nation – to generate an additional $30 million. He wants to make “the big airlines pay for polluting the air” in Chicago neighborhoods to the tune of $98 million.
Since my family and I moved from Ohio to Barrington in 2021, I have had the absolute privilege of becoming a part of this community and serving as the Superintendent of Schools for Barrington 220. You have welcomed me with open arms, which is why this message is difficult to write.
On Monday, January 30, the Board of Education for Upper Arlington Schools in Ohio will consider entering into a contract for me to become the next Superintendent of Schools. This decision is based on what is best for my family, as I will be moving back to Ohio.
Upon approval at Upper Arlington, I will resign my position as Superintendent of Schools of Barrington 220 effective June 30, 2023.
On Tuesday, Jan. 31 the Barrington 220 Board of Education will hold a special meeting in closed session to discuss next steps. I am fully confident in the Board’s commitment to ensure that there is no disruption to the great work happening within our school district. We will communicate more information next week, following the special meeting, about the search for Barrington 220’s next Superintendent of Schools.
Please know that this was a personal family-based decision, and it was a very difficult decision to make. I am truly grateful for all that you have done to welcome my family into this school district and for the community’s support for Barrington 220. We have important work ahead during the second half of the 2022-23 school year. I look forward to continuing to serve as your Superintendent of Schools and will work to ensure an effective transition in district leadership.”
Tuesday evening, during the District 220 school board meeting, member Collister-Lazzari once again claimed that when she called in remotely to vote at the December 20th Board of Education meeting on the controversial $170M tax levy she was on a 3 week “work” trip in New Zealand!
Collister-Lazzari has filed a Statement of Candidacy and of Economic Interest wherein she identifies her ‘Job Title’ as ‘School Board Member’ and stated ‘Not Applicable’ in response to the question regarding the source of any income “in excess of $7500 required to be reported during the preceding calendar year.” Are we to believe, then, that her jaunt to New Zealand was on the taxpayer’s dime in pursuit of Board of Education business?
After searching for alternative potential employment, the only position she seems to hold is with SHP Holland, Inc., an apartment complex in Holland, MI. What business could someone with real estate holdings In Michigan be conducting in New Zealand?
Thanks to the Overseas Investment Amendment Act of 2018, you must be a resident of New Zealand to purchase property, so that’s ruled out. Instead of addressing the issue and explaining exactly what ‘business’ she was conducting during her extended sojourn in New Zealand that caused her to be away for two board meetings, but, coincidentally, only calling into the one with an important vote implicating your tax dollars, Collister-Lazzari deflected with a call for “trust” among board members.
Trust? A person who kept our kids out of school and behind masks?
The community deserves clarity around this issue. What type of ‘business’ trip turns into a three-week vacation, in a country that doesn’t allow foreigners to purchase property? This does not follow the policy laid out for remote participation in school board business. And Collister-Lazzari and Ficke-Bradford, who colluded in this farce, know it.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is making free college a priority in his second term. Tuition is driven up by pension costs, which Pritzker routinely ignores.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is making affordable college a priority in his second term, but so far he’s ignored the surest way to ensure it can happen: pension reform.
“It’s also our obligation to make college more affordable by removing financial barriers. That’s why we need to bring down the cost of higher education. Since I took office, we’ve increased scholarships by more than 50%. Now let’s focus on making tuition free for every working-class family,” Pritzker said.
The biggest barrier to affordable college in Illinois is pensions. Rising pension costs push up Illinois tuition, forcing students to pay the difference.
It’s why Illinois has the fourth-highest in-state tuition and fees for public universities in the nation at $14,455 a year. Pritzker boasts increased scholarships, but scholarships are like a coupon: they help people but do nothing to change the price tag.
Other big states keep their universities affordable. Public colleges in California, New York, Texas and Florida all cost under $9,000 a year for residents.
