Send a Loud and Clear Message

The voters of Massachusetts have spoken. The outcome of Scott Brown’s U.S. Senate victory is historic. Along with recent wins in New Jersey and Virginia, we are seeing a fundamental realignment of American politics. Local and nation-wide conservative activists and independent-minded citizens are uniting to tell politicians enough is enough. DuPage County candidates and elected officials need to hear the people.

Loud and clear.

American voters are moving toward common-sense conservative candidates, especially when they represent the core values of fiscal responsibility, and transparent good governance. Mainstream conservative values can win anywhere in the United States, and that includes Illinois, and that includes DuPage County. Brown’s victory is a lesson for politicians of all stripes that the days of Chicago-style politics is over.

I know we’re right.

With your money and your time, citizens are supporting conservative candidates all over the U.S. DuPage County voters should know that Republicans in DuPage County need a positive message of fiscal responsibility that resonates with the voters. Politicians must pledge to be transparent in all they do on our behalf. Republican candidates need to be strong. They need to work hard for your vote. I encourage all of you to vote in the February 2, 2010 primaries and support your local candidates.

Send your message.

Join the revolution.

For my analysis on the DuPage County Board Chairman candidates:

Debra Olson

Gary Grasso

Dan Cronin

Debbie Olson – In Her Own Words

Debra Olson mercilessly attacks and distorts Dan Cronin’s record. Why? So we don’t look at what Debbie does in DuPage on the County Board. It’s time to set the record straight.

“I am committed to smaller, limited government, long-term fiscal responsibility, restraint, and accountability, and have the record to prove it.” – Debra Olson to the Chicago Tribune editors

THE FACTS:

Debbie Olson and the DuPage County Board blew though tens-of-millions of dollars they had pilfered from the DuPage County Water Commission. There has been no accounting of where that money went.

Debbie Olson has primary oversight of the Water Commission as head of the County Board Committee on Public Works.

While her opponents demand the dismissal the General Manager of the Water Commission, Debbie Olson wants to “study the issue.”

Debbie Olson promised to hold public hearings on the Water Commission before the end of 2009, no such meetings have occurred and none are scheduled.

DuPage County was required to borrow $30 million because of this “oversight” that occurred on Debbie Olson’s watch.

“As a County Board Member, I have consistently voted to hold the line on property taxes and spending, and our budgets are balanced every year.” – Debra Olson, Illinois Review, 1/15/2010

THE FACTS:

In 2007, the DuPage County Board “Doomsday” budget showed tens-of-millions of dollars of deficit.

Debbie Olson did not, could not, and would not identify any budget cuts. Instead of showing leadership, she and other county officials went hat-in-hand to Springfield begging for a new revenue stream into county coffers.

Springfield responded with a one-quarter cent tax increase, much of which was paid for by NON-DuPage residents.

Now, Debbie Olson is attacking Springfield for providing the money. “We’ve all seen too much of Springfield-style government – overspending, overtaxing, playing politics and ignoring the real issues.” – Debra Olson, Illinois Review, 1/15/2010.

You can’t have it both ways, Debbie. Your attacks are just more of the shift, shuffle and blame we are sick and tired of seeing from empty-suit politicians.

“This month [December 2009] DuPage County, where I have served for the last 8 years, had its AAA bond rating reaffirmed because the County Board has been fiscally responsible.” – Debra Olson, Illinois Review, 1/15/2010

THE FACTS:

The 600-page 2010 budget, passed under the claimed leadership of Debbie Olson, is based on unrealistic budget assumptions. The current budget assumes sales tax revenues will significantly increase in 2010, in spite of the continued economic downturn and a state unemployment rate above the national average.

The 2010 budget assumes continued issuance of grants by Springfield despite the bloated and busted budget deficits in Springfield. There is no reason to believe these grants will be provided at levels equivalent to those from last year.

Even while knowing about the 2010 budget assumptions, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Debbie Olson said that she could probably find funds to spend more on human services in 2010, which would deplete any budget reserves that would be used in the event that revenue estimates are not achieved.

The budget contains no plan to find new or increased revenue streams.

The only budget cuts Debbie Olson has ever stated (again in the Chicago Tribune interview) has been for critical public safety employees like Jail Guards, Bailiffs, Sheriffs, Probation Officers and State’s Attorneys.

The budget contains no contingencies showing prioritized reductions that could be immediately implemented to achieve cost savings to cut spending if the revenue assumptions are not met.

Debbie Olson has never answered the simple question: “If you can’t or won’t identify any spending cuts, and you won’t vote for tax increases, how would YOU balance the budget.” 


Any guesses why she won’t answer the question? Because she can’t.

“I have run a campaign on issues, I have nothing to hide, and my record is available for all to see online – my votes, my contributions, everything.” – Debra Olson, Illinois Review, 1/15/2010

THE FACTS:

Debbie Olson committed to posting all of her campaign contributions on her web site, saying in September 2009, “Because the reporting mechanisms are not yet in place, Olson is committing to putting all campaign contributions made to me [sic] since July 1, 2009 online on my [sic] campaign website within 5 business days of receipt.”

To date, neither Olson campaign web site lists any contributions whatsoever.

When challenged on her failure to live up to her self-imposed commitment, she is quoted as saying it is “too difficult” to do so.

For eight straight years and as of April 2009, as required by Illinois law, Olson filed a Statement of Economic Interest stating she had no business relationship with DuPage County. In October 2009, after declaring her intention to run for Chairman, she filed another statement saying she did actually do business with the County.

According to Illinois State Board of Election and DuPage County Board Records, Debbie Olson has received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from vendors doing business with the county.

One of her campaign coordinators works for ARAMARK, a major vendor for DuPage County that is under the purview of a committee chaired by Olson. Olson claims to have returned all of the campaign contributions received from ARAMARK, however, the Illinois State Board of Elections shows un-returned campaign contributions from an ARAMARK vice president. ARAMARK was the recipient of a favorable ruling during the negotiations for a county food service contract.

“Politicians promising to be all things to all people are what gets government in trouble.” – Debra Olson, Daily Herald 1/4/2010

Agreed.

For my analysis on the DuPage County Board Chairman candidates:

Gary Grasso

Dan Cronin

RTA Tax - A Tough Choice

In 2008, DuPage County faced a several million dollar budget shortfall created by Mrs. Debra Olson and the DuPage County Board that would have severely impacted public safety and human service agencies in the county. Debra Olson, a member of the County Board for years, and currently running for the Chairman position, was unable to find a way to maintain these agencies at an acceptable level after having overspent on other projects. The residents of DuPage County were looking at staff reductions of critical personnel in both the State’s Attorney Office and the Sheriff Department, Bailiffs, and Probation Officers, those departments essential to the public safety.

To head off these layoffs and showing a great amount of responsibility, the State’s Attorney, Joe Birkett, and County Sherriff, John Zaruba, and a few other County officials reached out to Sen. Dan Cronin in Springfield to help find a new revenue stream for those critical departments. Even though it meant supporting a fare increase, Dan Cronin felt that the one-cent-on-four-dollars on public transportation tax (a sizeable portion of which is paid by residents NOT living in DuPage County) being debated in Springfield as part of the RTA Act would provide those critical public safety departments with the additional revenue that would allow them to continue funding those departments so they could most effectively serve the residents of DuPage County.

While Debra Olson was sitting on her hands doing nothing, Dan Cronin answered the call.

Cronin agonized over his vote since he was acting against his fundamental principles of low taxes and small government that he’s always followed during his time as a legislator in Springfield. Up until the County he loves was faced with increasing property taxes or cutting services, Dan was and remains a reliable vote against the outrageous spending and taxes we’ve grown to expect from the corrupt politicians in Springfield. Cronin obviously felt that the best interests of the County’s residents would be best served if he voted for the RTA Act, a consumption-type tax (if you don’t want to pay it, don’t ride the RTA). He listened to the arguments of the State’s Attorney and DuPage Sherriff, and looked at Debbie’s and the County Board’s inability to fill its impending deficit and took action.

Dan Cronin, along with his State Senate colleagues Kirk Dillard and John Millner, braved enormous political pressure and helped secure passage of the RTA bill in Springfield. Not every one of our DuPage legislators had the courage to make this tough choice. After Dan made the tough choice, Debbie and the County Board gratefully accepted the additional revenue provided by the RTA plugging a $20,000,000 budget shortfall they had no way to address other than drastic spending cuts or massive tax increases.

Not only was DuPage County able to avoid layoffs in the State’s Attorney Office and the Sheriff’s Department, the additional revenue stream provided by the miniscule fare increase, much of which was paid by non-residents, allowed the DuPage County Board to abate the property tax levy by $1,000,000, providing the residents of DuPage County with much needed tax relief while lowering the reliance on property tax to fund our critical programs and services. Without the revenue increase provided by the RTA, the DuPage County Board would have either had to raise taxes, cut critical services including those involved in public safety, or some combination of both.

Debbie takes all the credit for these rebates, while slamming Dan Cronin, the man who made them possible. What say you, Mrs. Olson? Aren’t you being a touch hypocritical?

It’s easy for a legislator to collapse under political pressure and other legislators in DuPage County did. Some County Board members, like Debbie Olson just stood by and watched, and now those same County Board members criticize Cronin for his vote. Why hasn’t Debra Olson ever been called on the carpet to explain why Cronin had to make this vote? Simply because she wouldn’t look to good if everyone knew Cronin had to cover her butt and she has worked hard covering up these facts.

It’s easy for weak local officials like Debra Olson to snipe about Cronin voting for tax increases when they themselves had no ideas on how to balance their budgets and maintain public safety in DuPage County. Cronin’s tough choice on the RTA Act was courageous and the right thing to do for the citizens of DuPage County.

I hate taxes, and I hate politicians like Debbie Olson who overspend in their areas of responsibility and go crying up the chain, in this case Springfield, for help. Dan Cronin made a tough choice. He was right.

For my analysis on the DuPage County Board Chairman candidates:

Debra Olson

Gary Grasso

Dan Cronin