Bait and switch, then tax and spend

For months, the DuPage County Board has threatened to cut 200 law enforcement jobs unless voters approved the county's $40 million sales tax referendum.

However, Chairman Schillerstrom went behind our backs and convinced Springfield to raise the sales tax by $47 million, which made the county's referendum unnecessary.

But now, Schillerstrom and the County Board says they really only needed $10 million to prevent those job cuts and they plan on spending the remaining millions from the sales tax increase on other projects.

The old “bait and switch” trick followed up by the old "tax and spend" trick both executed perfectly by DuPage County Republicans.

Does anyone else feel duped?

/s/ Robert “Bob” Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board – District 3

Bennington, McMahon commercial?

DuPage County Board Members Tom Bennington and Michael McMahon (District 3) are running a television commercial. A commercial? Has that ever been done in a DuPage County Board election? You can view the commercial here.

A couple of items need to be corrected:

Narrator: Bennington and McMahon have "held the line on taxes."

FACT CHECK: The DuPage County Board has raised property taxes for three years in a row; they voted for referendum to raise the sales tax; they convinced Springfield to raise the sales tax for them instead and now have $47 million more tax dollars to spend every year.

Narrator: Bennington and McMahon are "keeping our families safe and criminals off the street."

FACT CHECK: Michael McMahon is a criminal defense attorney. He works to get criminals off the hook, not off the streets. www.DolciMcMahon.com

Rule #1 in politics - Never let the truth stand in the way of getting re-elected.

/s/ Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

Transparency and Home Rule in DuPage County

Today, I participated in a press conference with other candidates for DuPage County Board on the topics of transparency in county government and the possibility of "home rule" for DuPage County.

Transparency: DuPage County taxpayers have a right and need to understand where their tax dollars are spent....(however the) entire process seems to be designed to thwart transparency, rather than to enhance it.

I call on the County Board to create a web-based database of all county personnel and vendors.

Home Rule: Home rule power is an unlimited ability to increase taxes...Home rule makes raising taxes easy. Raising taxes should never be easy...Home rule power will bring "pay to play" politics to DuPage County.

If elected, I will fight against any attempt to bring home rule power to DuPage County.

My full remarks are posted here.

/s/ Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

The "Schillerstrom" amendment

Click here to see the "Schillerstrom" amendment - the three little words that Schillerstrom snuck into HB0656 (the transit bill) in order to go behind our backs and raise our taxes.

/s/ Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

The Doings picks Curran, Bennington as best Republican picks in DuPage County District 3

"First-challenger John Curran not only has an impressive resume, he has a lot of good ideas. The Doings endorses Curran as the best nominee for the Republican Party in the DuPage County Board District 3 race...."

..."So for the second seat The Doings endorses incumbent Tom Bennington, who has achieved a lot in his nine years of service to District 3...."

The full endorsement is posted here.

The other Republican candidate - Michael McMahon - was not endorsed by the Doings. He was also not endorsed by the Chicago Tribune in his last election (2004):

"District 3 - 2004 election: Republican board member Michael McMahon, a Hinsdale attorney, has had an unremarkable tenure, except for what he said after he voted for a $3.5 million settlement with three former defendants in the Jeanine Nicarico murder case: "If it was up to me, we'd take these three guys into the basement and shoot them." Democrat Richard Moss, a corporate recruiter from Downers Grove, is a far better pick...."

The Democratic nominee - Robert "Bob" Brandt - is uncontested in the Democratic primary.

/s/ Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

Latest transit plan - new Schillerstrom end-around

In the latest transit plan - currently sitting on Gov. Blagojevich's desk - the sales tax in DuPage County would be increased by a half-percent and the county could use half of that half-percent for public safety.

"The measure was helped by the addition of a provision to allow the suburban collar counties to use a portion of their sales-tax increase to fund public safety, a feature that helped attract the votes of three DuPage County senators.

The county has threatened to cut police and prosecutor jobs if voters don't approve a Feb. 5 tax increase."

I guess Schillerstrom didn't trust DuPage residents to make the right decision on the sales tax referendum so he went behind our backs.

A newspaper article is posted here.

/s/ Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

New ad campaign for $40 million sales tax referendum?

I'm not sure I like the DuPage County Board's new ad campaign for their $40 million sales tax referendum on the February 5, 2008 ballot.

(This is obviously not a real ad - although it resembles a real magazine cover from 1973 - and no dogs were harmed during the making of this spoof).

Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

Schillerstrom tries an end-around on the sales tax increase

On January 6th, DuPage County Chairman Robert Schillerstrom (R-Naperville) was quoted:

"My belief is that the people of DuPage County are smart people who use their money wisely and if they understand the issue, (the quarter-point sales tax referendum) is something they've got to be supportive of."

But on January 9th, when the latest transit bailout in Springfield failed:

"The transit bailout was based on a quarter percentage point sales tax increase, but the same plan would have given those counties the authority to approve their own quarter point sales tax increase to fund transportation or public safety issues.

That provision was inserted at the request of DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom, whose county is facing its own financial crunch and has repeatedly, but so far unsuccessfully, turned to lawmakers for help."

I guess Schillerstrom was worried that the people of DuPage County weren't smart enough.

Or maybe...that we're too smart.

A newspaper article is posted here.

Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

$600,000 in loans, $100,000+ in donations

Public records indicate that relatives of DuPage County Board Member Michael McMahon (District 3) have loaned DuPage County States Attorney Joseph Birkett's campaign fund $600,000 since 2002. McMahon's relatives have also donated over $78,000 outright to Birkett; McMahon's law firm has donated $16,750 to Birkett; and McMahon has personally donated $2,800 to Birkett. Click here for a list of the loans / donations to Birkett.

That’s a lot of money, but it’s not illegal. But there's more….

Michael McMahon, besides being a DuPage County Board Member (which is a part-time job), is also a criminal defense attorney. He routinely represents criminal clients who are prosecuted by the DuPage County States Attorney's office for DUI, drug offenses, sex offenses, domestic violence, etc. Click here for his law firm's website.

Do you think $600,000 in loans and $100,000+ in donations from McMahon, his relatives, and his law firm to Birkett's campaign fund have any effect on those prosecutions?

You be the judge.

Hawthorne Melody (Joseph McMahon) loaned $200,000 to Birkett and contributed $20,000 to Birkett.
JP McMahon (James McMahon) loaned $200,000 (two $100,000 loans) to Birkett.
Edward McMahon loaned $150,000 to Birkett and gave $12,000 to Birkett.
Anthony McMahon loaned $50,000 to Birkett and gave $10,450 to Birkett.
McMahon Foods (Frank McMahon) gave $35,500 to Birkett.
Dolci & McMahon (Michael McMahon) gave $16,750 to Birkett.
Michael McMahon donated $2,800 to Birkett.

Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

"You gotta trust your elected leaders...?"

Quote from a recent newspaper article on the $40 million sales tax referendum on the February 5, 2008 ballot in DuPage County:

"You gotta trust your elected leaders and if they need the money, we should vote for it..."

Okay, show of hands - who trusts their elected officials?

Anyone?.....Anyone?.....Bueller?......

Just say "no" on February 5th.

The entire article is posted here.

Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

www.StaySafeDuPage.info

For more information on the $40 million sales tax referendum on the February 5, 2008 ballot, go to www.StaySafeDuPage.info.

Vote early, vote often? 106% voter turnout in one precinct

In the November 7, 2006 election, voter turnout in one particular precinct in Milton Township was an astounding.....106%. That's right - 106%. There are 577 registered voters in Precinct 21 but they officially recorded 610 votes. The surrounding precincts averaged around 60%. Click here for the official canvass.

There could have been a couple of provisional ballots. But 263 of them? No way.

The DuPage County Election Commission has some explaining to do.

Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3

My New Year's Resolutions for 2008

My New Year's Resolutions for 2008:

If elected as a DuPage County Board Member (District 3):

1. I will work to bring fiscal responsibility back to DuPage County government.

2. I will work to change the fundamental structure of DuPage County government which will lead to leaner, more sustainable, government for the future.

3. I will work against home rule power for DuPage County as home rule will undoubtedly lead to higher taxes for DuPage County residents.

Robert "Bob" Brandt
Candidate for DuPage County Board - District 3