CHICAGO- Two lawsuits were filed today in Illinois by disgruntled taxpayers and Taxpayers United of America (TUA). The suits attack the way in which the property tax increase referenda were placed on the April 5th ballot in Oak Park School District 97 and in Riverside-Brookfield District 208. Both of those districts as well as at least 8 other districts miscalculated the amount of the property tax increase resulting in a much lower amount than is actually the case.
“This lawsuit is meant to send a strong message to public employees and their unions that electioneering cannot be conducted on taxpayer dime,” said Tony Peraica, former Cook County Commissioner and plaintiff for the Riverside-Brookfield lawsuit. “As taxpayers, we must hold our elected officials accountable. When union or political activity is done on taxpayer paid time, it is important that those who violated the law are held responsible.” Read more →
The President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today filed a complaint with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Cook County States Attorney Anita Alvarez alleging that Riverside-Brookfield School Dist. 208 violated the election code provision against election interference (10 ILCS 5/9-25.1) by improperly spending public funds to advocate raising property taxes in the April 5 property tax increase referendum, possibly in violation of state law.
In the letter to Madigan and Alvarez, TUA President Jim Tobin stated, “Taxpayers United of America counts more than 200 supporters in the Riverside-Brookfield area. One month ago, several of them contacted us about a property tax increase referendum to be decided April 5 by the voters of Riverside Brookfield District 208.” Tobin added, “In more than thirty years of anti-tax activism in Illinois, I can say without equivocation that this has been, by far, the most shameless, open and notorious use of public resources in support of a political outcome that I have ever seen. The school should file with the State Board of Elections as a campaign committee to detail every cent it has expended in this effort.”
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