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Endorsement: McLaughlin for Illinois House Dist. 52

Posted in Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, Commodius Maximus, Cost of Living, Daily Herald, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, League of Women Voters, OP/Ed, Outmigration, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Unions, Village Code on October 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin of Barrington Hills spoke out in February against Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control of residential zoning rules in a news conference in South Barrington. Flanking him were Algonquin Village President Debby Sosine, left, and South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie. | Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

Daily Herald Editorial Board

In District 52, incumbent Republican Martin McLaughlin brings a lengthy Springfield record focused on fiscal responsibility. We endorsed him in 2020 for his energy and resourcefulness, in 2022 for his measured approach to state government and in 2024 as a steadfast voice for controlled spending. Democratic challenger Maria Peterson emphasizes lower costs for working families, affordable housing, gun-violence prevention, health care and tax changes. While Peterson is a strong candidate, McLaughlin’s experience and focus on fiscal restraint and oversight continue to make him the stronger choice. McLaughlin is endorsed.

Endorsement can be seen here.

Related: “Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District” – Chicago Tribune

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Editorial: Martin McLaughlin for Illinois 52nd House District

Posted in BACOG, Board of Education, Chicago Tribune, Data Center, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, Fat Bastard, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Land Use, Look For The Union Label, OP/Ed, Outmigration, Overhead, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Rights, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, Village Code on October 12, 2026| 1 Comment »

Martin McLaughlin is a Republican running to represent Illinois’ 52nd House District. (George Papadakis)

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

Republican state Rep. Martin “Marty” McLaughlin barely survived his last election, defeating Democrat Maria Peterson by just 47 votes in 2024. The two are facing off again in this northwest suburban district.

McLaughlin, 61, an investment manager and former Barrington Hills village president, has been a consistent voice for fiscal restraint in Springfield. He identifies property taxes as the district’s most pressing problem and has helped residents navigate the appeals process. “If government is going to keep raising the bill, taxpayers at least deserve to know how to fight an unfair assessment,” he told us.

McLaughlin’s fiscal conservatism is important in a state that desperately needs greater discipline in that area.

Martin McLaughlin is endorsed.

Read the full editorial endorsement here.

Editorial note: Representative McLaughlin is also endorsed by:

  • Eleanor Sweet McDonnell, Mayor, North Barrington*
  • Paula McCombie, Village President, South Barrington*
  • Karen Darch, Former Mayor, Barrington*
  • Andrew Burke, Mayor, Lake Barrington*
  • Kevin Richardson, Former Mayor, Lake Barrington*
  • Keith Vogeler, Mayor, Port Barrington
  • Jeff Sode, Mayor, Wauconda
  • Debby Sosine, Village President, Algonquin
  • Ray Bogdanowski, Village President, Lake in the Hills
  • Donna Johnson, Mayor, Libertyville
  • Richard McLaughlin, Mayor, Island Lake
  • Steve Henley, Mayor, Volo

It’s important to note McLaughlin’s campaign rival lives in North Barrington yet she could not garner an endorsement for this or her prior campaigns.

*Present and former members of the Barrington Area Council Of Governments (BACOG).

 

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JB PRITZKER’S GREAT DISPLACEMENT

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Cook, Cost of Living, County, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, John Kass News, OP/Ed, Outmigration, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, Wirepoints on October 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Paul Vallas | John Kass News

October 11th, 2026

Illinois leadership is sustaining policies that have done nothing to improve equity or affordability while swapping out middle- and upper-income families for the poor and illegal migrants.

JB Pritzker’s greatest legacy will be the acceleration of the “Great Displacement,” the demographic upheaval in which Illinois is losing scores of affluent residents through outmigration while gaining relatively poorer ones through both interstate and international migration.

This shift is largely the product of the state’s so-called progressive policies. High taxes and fees remain the primary reason Illinoisans cite for leaving, followed by failing schools, rising crime, limited economic opportunity, and expansive sanctuary measures that encourage low-income in-migration.

According to Wirepoints, Illinois continues to hemorrhage wealthy residents. Since 2000, the state has lost roughly 1.6 million people — third most in the nation, behind only California and New York. Chicago’s population, even with the recent influx of migrants, is now at its lowest level in nearly a century. Almost every county in Illinois has experienced a decline in population. Even more troubling, Illinois isn’t merely losing residents — it’s losing income. [1]

The IRS reports that in 2022 alone, 87,311 residents left Illinois, taking with them $9.9 billion in adjusted gross income. The real damage runs deeper: The outflow disproportionately includes residents in their prime earning and spending years. This brain and income drain erodes the tax base, shrinking critical property, sales, and consumption tax revenues that support state and local budgets. [2]

A detailed Wirepoints analysis of IRS migration data for 2022 shows Illinois was the nation’s second-biggest loser of households aged 26-35 earning more than $200,000. Unsurprisingly, zero-income-tax states such as Florida and Texas were the leading destinations for these upwardly mobile millennials. Illinois has been bleeding this cohort for more than a decade, but the acceleration is alarming. [3]

Wirepoints also found that in 2022, the average adjusted gross income for these departing young households was $435,000. The exodus continues among those aged 35-45 with incomes over $200,000 — another key demographic of high earners. Illinois ranks 48th nationally for losses in this income bracket. More concerning, the average AGI among this group leaving approaches $700,000. [4]

Vallas’ report continues here.

Paul Vallas formerly ran the public school systems in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Louisiana Recovery School District. He was a candidate for Mayor of Chicago.

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Editorial: Darby Hills for Illinois 26th Senate District

Posted in BACOG, Chicago Tribune, Data Center, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Flock Cameras, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, Village Code on October 9, 2026| 1 Comment »

State Sen. Darby Hills talks with a colleague during the legislative session at the Illinois State Capitol on Oct. 28, 2025, in Springfield. | John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune

By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune

This north suburban district stretches from Palatine and Barrington north to Lake County municipalities including Lake Zurich, Hawthorn Woods and Wauconda. Republican Darby Hills, 50, was appointed to the seat in early 2025 after fellow Republican Dan McConchie resigned to start a national nonprofit advocating for better access for the disabled. Hills, formerly a Barrington Hills village trustee, is running to be elected in her own right against Democrat Nabeela Syed, 27, an Illinois House member from Palatine in her second term.

Syed tells us she opposed the transit rescue legislation enacted in late 2025 because it included a “regressive” sales tax increase. Except she didn’t oppose it, at least on the floor of the House. As Hills points out to us, Syed didn’t vote on the package. For something so consequential to her constituents, Syed can’t have it both ways. She should have voted no if that was her position.

Hills did vote against the package in the Senate with the fair reasoning that transit-agency reforms should have preceded the hefty toll hike and sales tax increase that bailed out the system.

Hills has voted against her party leadership more than once, including on a measure this year to allow for state regulation of auto insurance rates for the first time, which was signed into law. The last thing the Illinois Senate needs is an even larger Democratic supermajority, and Hills has proven herself the sort of Republican who will work with the other side of the aisle. Darby Hills is endorsed.

Full editorial here.

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The Democratic Socialists of America in their own words

Posted in AI, Cost of Living, Data Center, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Elections, Ethics, Fundraisers, His Master's Voice, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Land Use, Look For The Union Label, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, The New Normal?, The New York Times, Transparency, Unions, Village Code on October 6, 2026| 6 Comments »

Maria Peterson is running for the IL House District 52 seat. Nabeela Syed is running for IL Senate District 26. Currently both choose only to campaign publicly as “Democrats.” | Images courtesy Facebook

Much has been said and written about the, “Democratic Socialists of America (DSA),” in recent months leading to the mid-term elections. Their website states:

“Capitalism is a system designed by the owning class to exploit the rest of us for their own profit. We must replace it with democratic socialism, a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society.

We believe there are many avenues that feed into the democratic road to socialism. Our vision pushes further than historic social democracy and leaves behind authoritarian visions of socialism in the dustbin of history.

  • We want a democracy that creates space for us all to flourish not just survive and answers the fundamental questions of our lives with the input of all.
  • We want to collectively own the key economic drivers that dominate our lives, such as energy production and transportation.
  • We want the multiracial working class united in solidarity instead of divided by fear.
  • We want to win “radical” reforms like:
    • Single-payer Medicare for All,
    • Defunding the police/refunding communities,
    • The Green New Deal, and
    • More as a transition to a freer, more just life.

We want a democracy powered by everyday people. The capitalist class tells us we are powerless, but together we can take back control.”

They have further stated their priorities, including:

That’s pretty much all we needed to read to form our opinions, and most who have read these pages for nearly two decades know what they likely are.

However, feel free to visit the Democratic Socialists of America website to learn more so that you might be enlightened before reaching your own opinions before casting your ballots.

Related: “Inside the DSA’s audacious quest for power in the Democratic Party“

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When Blue States Chase Away Their Billionaires – WSJ

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Cost of Living, Crime, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Ethics, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Wall Street Journal on October 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

America’s Governor Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.) cheers Citadel founder Kenneth Griffin at the announcement of Carnegie Mellon University Miami on Thursday. | Jack Dempsey/AP Content Services for Griffin Catalyst/Associated Pres

By James Freeman | Wall Street Journal

An editorial in the Chicago Tribune laments what might have been had “Kenneth C. Griffin not become so frustrated with the state of Illinois as to move himself and much of the financial company he founded, Citadel, to Miami.” The Tribune is responding to the news that Mr. Griffin is moving a whole lot more to Florida after departing the expensive dysfunction of Illinois governance.

The Journal’s Deborah Acosta reported on Wednesday:

Hedge-fund titan Ken Griffin is donating $2 billion to start a Carnegie Mellon University campus in Miami, part of the largest-ever individual gift toward higher education.

The Pittsburgh-based university, known for its expertise in computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics, will open a 35-acre campus in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood that will focus on technology and innovation.

“The students who graduate and the tech companies that come to Miami to leverage those skills will change the very fabric of Miami for decades if not centuries to come,” Griffin said in an interview.

Citadel’s chief executive is also giving $1 billion to Carnegie Mellon’s main Pittsburgh campus. Griffin’s combined $3 billion donation is the largest single gift toward higher education from any individual, according to an announcement from Carnegie Mellon University.

The donation helps advance Griffin’s aim to establish South Florida as a leading global-business and technology hub.

Back in the Windy City, kudos to the Tribune editorial board for explaining the opportunity cost of driving away the state’s most successful people: “After all, persons who are willing to donate $3 billion to an institution of higher education are not to be found on every street corner.”

Of course New York politicians in general and the mayor of New York City in particular have also been unwelcoming and in some cases downright hostile to wealth-creators like Mr. Griffin. Leftists who enjoyed the mayor’s nasty media stunt outside Mr. Griffin’s Manhattan apartment can now reflect on whether it was worth removing the city as a possible landing spot for the largest individual gift in the history of U.S. higher education.

Article continues here.

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Your vote can make a difference in Illinois elections

Posted in AI, Cost of Living, Data Center, Deception, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Education, Elections, Ethics, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Land Use, Look For The Union Label, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, The Chicago Way, Transparency, Village Code on October 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Illinoisans can vote on races ranging from U.S. Senate and governor to state lawmakers and local officials in the Nov. 3 election.

By Jon Josko and Lilly Rossi | Illinois Policy Institute

Some recent Illinois state legislative races have been decided by just dozens or hundreds of votes.

A look since 2022 shows where the closest races have been, how few votes separated the candidates and what voters in competitive districts identified as their biggest concerns.

Casting a ballot gives Illinoisans a voice in who represents them, while understanding voters’ concerns gives lawmakers a clearer picture of what their constituents want addressed.

How close are races in Illinois?

In 2024, a mere 47 votes out of nearly 59,000 decided who represents Illinois’ 52nd House District. State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Lake Barrington, held onto his seat over Democrat Maria Peterson by less than one-tenth of 1% of the votes.

That was the slimmest margin in Illinois’ most recent two election cycles, but not the only close one. Nine other state House and Senate races since 2022 were decided by fewer than 1,700 votes apiece — and they were concentrated in a handful of places worth knowing if you live nearby.

10 closest state legislative races 2022-2024

Margin of victory in the 10 closest Illinois House and Senate races, 2022-2024

Seven of the 10 sit in Chicago’s outer suburbs and exurbs, stretching from Lake and McHenry counties through DuPage, Kane and Will. The other three are downstate: one anchored around Danville and Champaign, one around Springfield and Decatur and one in the Metro East region across the river from St. Louis.

10 closest state legislative races 2022-2024

Margin of victory in the 10 closest Illinois House and Senate races, 2022-2024

How many people does it take to decide these races?

If you’ve ever wondered whether your vote matters in a state regarded as relatively uncompetitive, consider this: Among the 175 contested state House and Senate races since 2022, half were decided by a margin smaller than 1-in-10 of the eligible adults in that district. A quarter of contested races came down to fewer than 1-in-17.

90 contested legislative races decided by fewer than 1 in 10 adults

Number of contested state legislative races, 2022-2024, by win margin as share of district’s eligible adult population.

That pattern held across both chambers and both years, though state Senate races have generally been decided by a somewhat smaller share of eligible adults than House races. Roughly 6-in-10 Senate races came in under that 1-in-10 mark, versus about 46% of House races, consistent with Senate districts being larger and drawing more votes.

What do Illinoisans care about?

In districts with tighter election margins, candidates will have to make sure they are addressing their constituents’ major issues.

In the Illinois Policy Institute’s statewide tracking poll, fielded quarterly since 2025, high taxes has been the single most-cited concern every time, named by 52% to 60% of respondents as one of their top two issues, roughly double the next-closest answer.

In the most recent poll, from August 2026, 58.1% named high taxes as their No.1 or No. 2 issue, compared with 32.5% for the economy generally and 20.7% for state governance.

Property taxes in particular seem to be the aggravation behind that number. The May 2026 version of the same poll asked residents how satisfied they are with the value their community receives for the property taxes paid. Over 61% said they were dissatisfied, against just 23.5% satisfied.

Article continues here.

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State House District 52 candidates debate taxes, budget and AI

Posted in AI, BACOG, Chicago Tribune, Data Center, Democratic Socialists of America, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Elections, Lake County News-Sun, Land Use, Pension Funding, Politics, Property Taxes, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Village Code on October 1, 2026| 2 Comments »

State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, and Maria Peterson debate issues at a League of Women Voters forum in Barrington on Tuesday ahead of the Nov. 3 election. | Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun

By Steve Sadin | For the Lake County News-Sun

A mere 27 votes separated state Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, from his 2024 Democratic challenger and current reelection opponent, Maria Peterson of North Barrington.

While Peterson and McLaughlin agree that making changes in the tax laws is legislation they will attempt to tackle in the 105th Illinois General Assembly, their approach to easing taxpayers’ burdens is different.

McLaughlin said he lowered the real estate tax levy seven of the eight years he served as mayor of Barrington Hills. He sees providing municipalities the 10% of state income taxes they once received instead of the current 5% as giving the towns an alternative source of revenue.

“That money would come back to your community and your community could lower your property taxes,” he said.

State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, left, talks to a voter before a League of Women Voters forum in Barrington on Tuesday ahead of the Nov. 3 election. | Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun

McLaughlin and Peterson shared views on taxes, artificial intelligence, reduced federal funding, and more, campaigning for the Nov. 3 election before more than 150 people Tuesday at a Barrington forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

After the moderator asked the candidates what they would do to reduce property taxes for homeowners, she queried them several questions later about their top priorities should they be chosen to serve in the 105th General Assembly. Taxes were on both their lists.

Using tax credits as a form of relief, McLaughlin said he had ideas for both younger people and seniors. He would push for a tax credit for young families to “make life more affordable for young families so they can afford a home.”

“I will push for the senior tax credit to be increased to $75,000,” McLaughlin said. “If two seniors are in a home with Social Security, it’s too low. It should be higher, at least $95,000 so seniors can get a break on their property taxes.”

Read the full article here.

Related: “League of Women Voters 52nd District Candidate Forum recordings released”

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Even after upgrades, Illinois’ credit rating is still worst in the nation

Posted in Cost of Living, Deception, Economy, Elections, Ethics, Fat Bastard, Illinois Policy Institute, Look For The Union Label, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on September 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The ongoing pension crisis is a big part of it.

By Ethan Soifer | Illinois Policy Institute

Despite two recent upgrades, Illinois’ credit rating remains the worst in the country, with a couple key issues holding the state back.

Moody’s Ratings raised the state to A1 from A2, and S&P Global Ratings elevated Illinois to A from A-. The ratings are based on a government’s ability and willingness to pay back debt principal and interest on time.

The agencies said significant headwinds remain in Illinois, including sluggish economic and population growth and the state’s unfunded pension liabilities.

A higher credit rating enables a state to borrow or roll over existing debt at lower interest rates. A lower rating creates more risk for investors, who will demand higher interest payments.

Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation credit rating hurts taxpayers. A Charles Schwab report from shortly before the ratings upgrades using Bloomberg data showed that Illinois’ 10-year bond yields are 62 basis points, or 0.62%, higher than bonds issued under a “generic 10-year AAA index.”

Applying that to the $2.6 billion in general-obligation bonds Illinois plans to sell this year would mean $16.1 million more in annual interest payments than states with the highest rating. That could slightly improve given the recent upgrades.

The upgrades reflect the state’s progress in improving its fiscal standing. Since 2019, the year Gov. J.B. Pritzker took office, Moody’s has upgraded Illinois’ credit rating five times from Baa3, the lowest rating deemed investment-grade and one notch above junk status. S&P has upgraded the rating four times, from one notch above junk status, BBB-, to A. Including Fitch Ratings, the governor’s office boasts of 12 upgrades.

Report continues here.

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Taxed out: 10 reforms to stop Illinois from losing people and jobs

Posted in Economy, Elections, Illinois Policy Institute, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes on September 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Jared Walczak | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois’ tax code stands in the way of the state’s economic competitiveness. The combination of high tax burdens and a poor tax structure contributes to the loss of jobs and investment to other states. From a place of former economic dominance, Illinois now ranks 45th in gross state product (GSP) growth over the past decade and 49th in interstate migration, losing some 943,000 people and nearly $90 billion in adjusted gross income to net outmigration over the past decade. Taxes are not the only reason for Illinois’ challenges, but they are an important contributor.

This research identifies 10 reforms that would enhance the state’s tax competitiveness. Some represent substantial changes while others are comparatively modest, but independently or as a whole they would make Illinois a better place to live, work and start (or grow) a business. They are:

  • Eliminating the throwback rule, which raises little revenue but makes it hard for some remaining businesses, especially small manufacturers, to operate in Illinois, because it imposes Illinois’ high tax rates on all income not taxed by another state.
  • Providing first-year expensing for machinery and equipment to eliminate the current tax code’s bias against capital outlays and treat these investments like other ordinary business expenses.
  • Evaluating economic development incentives, curtailing the least efficient credits and reforming others to yield a better return on investment and free up revenue that could provide broad-based tax relief.
  • Decoupling from a tax on international income (NCTI) that distorts the federal-level tax it attempts to copy and increases costs for Illinois businesses and consumers.
  • Permanently uncapping net-operating-loss (NOL) deductions to ensure that businesses don’t face effective rates well in excess of the actual statutory tax rate, and to eliminate a particularly egregious penalty on startups.
  • Repealing the corporate franchise tax, an antiquated tax that imposes high compliance costs and is levied without regard to ability to pay.
  • Modernizing the sales tax base to make the tax fairer and more economically neutral, and to pay for reductions in the tax rate.
  • Repealing the estate tax, which drives many high-net-worth households out of the state in the final years of their lives, harming the state’s economy and depriving the state of other tax revenue from them in those years.
  • Expanding property tax levy limits, stripping out restrictions that have rendered them largely ineffective and turning these limits into a meaningful tool to rein in property tax burdens.
  • Reforming unemployment insurance taxes to better align them with the overall policy goal of reducing unemployment.

Illinois is a high-tax state. That makes it even more important that policymakers get the tax structure right. These reforms, separately or in combination, will make Illinois more competitive, helping the state attract and retain jobs and grow the economy.

The comprehensive solutions piece continues here.

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