

"The greatest asset to any neighborhood is the concerned citizen."
Issues
Property Taxes
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Property Tax Freeze: I have spoken with many residents of the 2nd Ward who have told me they cannot afford their taxes and are looking to leave Rockford. If we want to continue to improve our ward and our city, we need to make living in Rockford more affordable for our residents. I will work to decrease our property tax rates in future years to ensure Rockford is an affordable place for our homeowners and taxpayers. We cannot foolishly continue to raise property taxes in a city already suffering from higher than average rates of poverty and unemployment. I resolve to work with our elected state representatives to Springfield to decrease our property tax burden through a responsible income tax raise. While realizing we get what we pay for, I will make sure our state representatives know our state’s low income flat tax rate makes it necessary for cities like Rockford to have extraordinarily high property tax rates. Let’s strengthen our neighborhoods in Rockford by incentivizing home ownership. Let’s invest in us.
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Lower Property Taxes: Many families in Rockford cannot afford their property taxes on their homes. There is a way to lower property taxes and I am committed to it: broaden Rockford's tax base and work toward eliminating the flat tax in Illinois that disproportionately hurts middle-class Rockford homeowners.
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Broaden the Tax Base: In Rockford, sales and property tax account for the vast majority of city revenue with other services. If Rockford can broaden its tax base by bringing into the fold more taxable services, middle-class home owners will finally be able to realize property tax relief. Let's work toward being a top 25 city- ...but not in property tax rates.
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Eliminate the Flat Tax: Our state representatives in Springfield cry often about the high property taxes in Rockford. One of the main reasons it is so high is because Illinois has such a low flat income tax at 3%, which disproportionately affects a region like Rockford with low property values. When the State of Illinois taxes income at such a low rate, allowing the wealthy to skate by, middle-class homeowners in Rockford are left to shoulder the remaining burden and that means higher property taxes. Let's hold our representatives to Springfield accountable and demand a graduated income tax to lessen the property tax burden on Rockford homeowners.