Letter to the Editor: Vote for John Barrington, Ela First

I recently received a call from Wayne Wnek, the Ela Tax Reform Party candidates for Assessor. While I was already inclined to support John Barrington, this call cemented my position.

At the start, Wnek repeated the talking point that his slate has been pushing since day one: that they would refund $2 million of the $2.2 million surplus to Ela Township taxpayers. Of course that sounds great…who wouldn’t want a tax refund? But, as in all things, the devil is in the details. So I asked him what we would do if we were faced with an unexpected expenditure, like a weather disaster or another economic downtown. His response: they would borrow to cover the expenditures. So the Ela Tax Reform Party wants to clean out the township’s reserves and begin down the slippery slope of borrowing, which will certainly lead to tax increases. 

Then Wnek said that they would “buckle down on spending and hire a bunch of people with PhD's and Masters degrees to review costs and find savings.” I’m not sure where they’ll get the money for this, but it’s irrelevant since the current officials have been able to accomplish this work without having to make additional hires. 

Finally, Wnek exemplified the lack of experience on his slate by stating that he is going to reduce everyone's taxes by lowering assessments. This is pure pandering to receive votes, because what he didn’t explain (or didn’t understand) is that if you reduce everyone’s assessments this simply shifts the tax burden proportionately and means everyone will still be paying the exact same amount in taxes (though the rates will now be increased).

The more I learn about the Ela Tax Reform Party, the more I realize the stakes in this election. The Ela First candidates stands out as refreshing opposites of what I heard from Wnek and his slate: they are qualified, experienced candidates with a record of fiscal responsibility.

I am voting for Ela First in this election, and I urge all my neighbors to do the same. The stakes are just too high to get it wrong.

Steven Gall

Palatine