To the Editor:
The headline was eye-catching: “Democrats refuse to reject automatic pay raise.”
Even more dramatic was State Representative Jeff Keicher’s conclusion: “The fact remains, while more than a million of our fellow Illinoisans are filing for unemployment, Democrats in the House and the Senate voted to give themselves a raise.”
Not true! The Democrats are being truthful when they say there will be no pay raise this year. They accomplished this by simply not appropriating any money for one. Comptroller Susana Mendoza confirms this. "Legislator raises this year will be zero." Perhaps Mr. Keicher should check his pay stub.
Even more irritating is that Mr. Keicher's lie – intended to smear the Democrats to benefit Mr. Keicher in the upcoming election – was in a flyer that was printed and mailed using tax-payers' money. It was purportedly an update for constituents on what's been happening in the legislature.
It's time for a change. Vote for a candidate with integrity, someone who won't play political games with the truth. Vote for Paul Stoddard to be the next representative for the 70th district.
Deborah Booth
DeKalb