Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan sees an opportunity to expand his influence into DuPage County and has been supporting Democratic candidates like Karina Villa to assure he is reelected to lead Illinois’ General Assembly yet again.

Despite low approval ratings and the scandals around his toxic culture of harassment in Springfield, Mike Madigan knows how he can remain in power. He can back fake “independent candidates” with campaign contributions and count on their votes when he needs them.

He doesn’t just want their votes to be re-elected Speaker of the House.  Madigan needs their votes to oppose suburban property tax caps that could hurt his law firm that makes millions contesting property tax assessments.

A recent article discussed the “Villa-Madigan Fix” to stop lawmakers who support property tax caps.

The following article originally appeared in the DuPage Policy Journal:

PAC: The ‘Villa-Madigan Fix’ blocking property tax cuts

A political action committee says the candidacy of West Chicago’s state House candidate Karina Villa is part of a scheme by House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) to keep suburban property taxes high.

Madigan is almost entirely financing Villa’s campaign. He has given her $307,037 in all, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

A direct mail piece sent to District 49 voters by Liberty Principles PAC describes what it calls the “Villa-Madigan Fix,” claiming Madigan requires candidates he supports oppose suburban property tax caps “so he can continue making millions as a property tax appeals attorney.”

“If Mike Madigan pays for it, he owns it,” the mail piece says.

District 49 includes all or part of Elgin, Bartlett, Wayne, St. Charles, West Chicago, Batavia, Naperville and Aurora.

Madigan earns a living appealing high property taxes, for which he receives a percentage of the reduction. A 2017 analysis found that his law firm, Madigan & Getzendanner, won cuts of $70 million for its clients between 2008 and 2016.

Liberty Principles PAC, which is supporting Villa’s opponent Tonia Khouri, is pushing a hard, one percent of home value property tax cap.

A home valued at $250,000 would have a bill of $2,500 per year, under this plan.

Daniel K. Proft, founder and president of Liberty Principles PAC, is a principal of Local Government Information Services, which publishes the Dupage Policy Journal.

This story originally appeared in the DuPage Policy Journal on October 3, 2018 and was written by LGIS News Service

“I’M GOING TO SPRINGFIELD TO DEFEND OUR HOMES, REPRESENT THE PEOPLE’S INTERESTS AND STOP THE RAISING OF PROPERTY TAXES.”

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