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OAK PARK—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) is taking their demand for justice to the streets of Oak Park. In a canvass blitz of Oak Park Government School District 97, TUA is pedaling awareness of the status of its lawsuit against the district.
“Every resident in the district needs to be aware of the political games being used to protect district leadership from the consequences of the electioneering that we allege to be illegal”, said Jim Tobin, president of TUA.
“TUA and Noel Kuriakos have filed an appeal to the unbelievable ruling of Chicago Machine judicial darling, Judge Mary Mikva, that basically approves of the district’s practice of knowingly grossly underestimating the amount by which property taxes would increase on the April 5, 2011 property tax increase referendum.”
“We are covering the district with flyers to make sure every taxpayer is aware of the tactics the district used to pass the property tax increase referendum and the remarkable approval of those tactics by Judge Mikva”, added Tobin.
“Like the others before it, this property tax increase has nothing to do with ‘the children’ and everything to do with preserving the generous salaries and benefits of the government school employees. 80% of District 97 spending goes to salaries and benefits”, said Tobin.
View the top 100 pensions and salaries of Oak Park Government School District 97 (PDF).
“The lavish pensions of the government school employees are paid by the 67% income tax surcharge passed in 2011. The average government teacher pension of those who have retired in the last two years is $65,000.”
“We are not going to be intimidated and we are not going away. We are just waiting for dates for oral arguments or a ruling in the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. This is just the next step in the process that we will see to the end”, stated Tobin.
“The ‘status quo’ political gamesmanship is no longer acceptable.”
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CHICAGO—Jim Tobin, president of Taxpayers United of America (TUA) announced today that representatives of the taxpayer organization are going to canvas in the communities of the Riverside-Brookfield Government School District 208, to raise awareness about the organization’s lawsuit regarding illegal electioneering by the school district in 2011.
“When we challenged the electioneering activities used by the Riverside-Brookfield Government School District, we knew it wouldn’t be easy,” said Tobin. “But the actions of the school board were so blatant, we had no choice.”
Those sentiments were echoed by co-plaintiff Anthony Peraica, former Cook County Board member, and concerned taxpayer in Riverside-Brookfield.
“Teachers, janitors – all the other unions conspired with the school leadership last year to use taxpayer funds illegally to raise property taxes,” said Peraica. “And unless someone stands up to them, they’re going to get away with it like they have for decades.”
The suit charges that the government school district used taxpayer funded resources, school equipment on school grounds and inside the school building, to promote the referendum, as well as recruiting students as “volunteers” to distribute pro-referendum material. Finally, the suit charges that public resources were used to fund a pro-referendum mailing and TV campaign ad, and used phrasing on the ballot to intentionally mislead voters with a significant understatement of the actual financial impact of the referendum.
Judge Leroy K. Martin Jr. expressed his concern regarding the gravity of the alleged misuse of public funds for electioneering activities of the school board, especially the possible violation of the civil rights of those opposing the referendum.
District 208 lawyers made a motion to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, but Judge Martin denied the motion, allowing the suit to proceed in amended form. The hearing on the amended complaint will be held on April 5, 2012 before Judge Martin, in Cook County Circuit Court, one year to the day after voters struck down the bid to raise property taxes.
CHICAGO–A decision on Friday, March 2, by Judge Leroy K. Martin Jr. of the Cook County Circuit Court, Chancery Division, allowed the lawsuit of plaintiffs Anthony Peraica, former Cook County Commissioner and concerned taxpayer in Riverside-Brookfield, and Taxpayers United of America, (“TUA”) one of the largest taxpayer organizations in America, to proceed in amended form against Riverside-Brookfield School Dist. 208.
The suit challenged the electioneering activities used by Riverside-Brookfield School District 208 school board in its unsuccessful attempt to have the voters approve a property tax increase referendum on April 5, 2011. Attorney Andrew B. Spiegel is representing the plaintiffs in this case.
Dist. 208 attorneys had asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, which if granted, would have left an appeal as the only avenue for the plaintiffs.
After hearing oral arguments, Judge Martin retired to his chambers to study the matter, after which he denied the school board’s motion to dismiss with prejudice. Part of the plaintiff’s motion was denied, and part was allowed to proceed in amended form.
The judge expressed his concern regarding the gravity of the alleged electioneering activities of the school board, and gave the plaintiffs until March 30 to file an amended complaint.
The next hearing of the lawsuit is scheduled for April 5.
“Judge Martin did a very thorough and impartial job,” said Christina Tobin, TUA Vice President. “In my opinion, the actions of School Board 208 were so egregious that justice is sure to prevail in this case.”
