To the editor:
Don DeWitte is making the big “rookie mistake” of believing his own press releases when he scolds the Kane County Board about how we should run our finances, including the COVID Relief Fund millions that we’re distributing to local governments.
Don, to be a Vichy Republican state senator playing a feckless role who voted “yes” to doubling our gas taxes and automobile fees while playing politics in primaries rather than minding the store in Democrat-supermajority-controlled Illinois, just isn’t that big a deal.
Shouldn’t you mind your own responsibilities to taxpayers you serve in Springfield?
For example, the U.S. Treasury sent $206 million in total relief funds to Illinois, based on Kane County’s population, $92.9 million to the county and $113.5 million to Springfield on the county’s behalf. Isn’t it more appropriate for a state legislator to stay focused on getting our area’s $113.5 million relief out of Springfield, rather than sending press releases grandstanding and criticizing what the county is handling?
DeWitte should remember that Kane County has frozen its aggregate tax levies for eight years, legitimately balanced its budgets every year, reduced its public debt by 70%, fully funded its pension obligations, and with an AA+ rating now borrows at 1.54% annual interest.
The state of Illinois continues to make a dismal mess of its finances, raising income taxes 66%, borrowing $5 billion this year from the U.S. Treasury to make its inflated payroll, has the worst unfunded public pension liability in the country, and with a BBB-debt rating borrows at a staggering 5.95% (four times what Kane County pays).
In the more rural parts of his district, the expression is: “Mind your own business; there’s plenty for you to catch up on in Springfield.”
Chris Lauzen
Kane County Board Chair