Here Is a List of All the Referendums On Every Ballot In DuPage County and its Towns for 2014

Below list of the propositions on the ballot for Illinois as well as all the towns residing in DuPage County. We’ve included our basic thoughts on each of these, but of course, each vote is ultimately up to the voter who lives in each town. Some of the propositions we didn’t issue opinions on – these we felt were specific only to residents of the town, who would know the situations best. All of our opinions are in italics. Stay informed.

NOVEMBER 4, 2014, GENERAL ELECTION – PROPOSITIONS

STATE OF ILLINOIS
“NOTICE THE FAILURE TO VOTE THIS BALLOT MAY BE THE EQUIVALENT OF A NEGATIVE VOTE, BECAUSE A CONVENTION SHALL BE CALLED OR THE AMENDMENT SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE IF APPROVED BY EITHER THREE-FIFTHS OF THOSE VOTING ON THE QUESTION OR A MAJORITY OF THOSE VOTING IN THE ELECTION. (THIS IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A DIRECTION THAT YOUR VOTE IS REQUIRED TO BE CAST EITHER IN FAVOR OF OR IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSITION HEREIN CONTAINED.) WHETHER YOU VOTE THIS BALLOT OR NOT YOU MUST RETURN IT TO THE ELECTION JUDGE WHEN YOU LEAVE THE VOTING BOOTH”.

CONSTITUTION BALLOT PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE 1970 ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION
The proposed amendment makes changes to Section 8.1 of Article I of the Illinois Constitution, the Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights. The proposed amendment would expand certain rights already granted to crime victims in Illinois, and give crime victims the ability to enforce their rights in a court of law. You are asked to decide whether the proposed amendment should become part of the Illinois Constitution.

Our recommendation: VOTE YES (While we’d prefer to see this as  an individual law, we still believe it is a good idea and can stand by the amendment)

For the proposed amendment of Section 8.1 of Article I of the Illinois Constitution.
CONSTITUTION BALLOT PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE 1970 ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION
The proposed amendment adds a new section to the Suffrage and Elections Article of the Illinois Constitution. The proposed amendment would prohibit any law that disproportionately affects the rights of eligible Illinois citizens to register to vote or cast a ballot based on the voter’s race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a language minority, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or income. You are asked to decide whether the proposed amendment should become part of the Illinois Constitution.
For the proposed addition of Section 8 to Article III of the Illinois Constitution.
“Shall the minimum wage in Illinois for adults over the age of 18 be raised to $10 per hour by January 1, 2015?”

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (This will increase the number of unemployed by pricing people out of the job market, it will create a massive inflation in Illinois and it will chase business out of the state.)

“Shall any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides prescription drug coverage be required to include prescription birth control as part of that coverage?”

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (The price of insurance, and health care itself, will increase for all people in Illinois)
“Should the Illinois Constitution be amended to require that each school district receive additional revenue, based on their number of students, from an additional 3% tax on income greater than one million dollars?”

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (There isn’t a sound spending plan in place to do anything with these supposed additional funds, it will be government waste at best. Additionally, this is likely to chase wealthy people, investors and business owners away from Illinois, they will stop spending their money here and stop employing people here, which will ultimately lead to less taxes being paid)

VILLAGE OF BENSENVILLE
Shall Congress direct the City of Chicago to initiate and conduct a Part 150 Noise Compatibility Plan in connection with the newly opened runway, 10 Center/28 Center and the additional runway anticipated to be commissioned in the fall of 2015, 10 Right/28 Left, to identify and implement noise mitigation resulting from the increased impact from aircraft operations at O’Hare International Airport?
Shall Congress enact legislation that requires the Federal Aviation Administration “Fly-Quiet” restrictions, now voluntary upon the airlines, be made mandatory to require airlines to reduce airport noise between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., for those Airports located in close proximity to residential properties?
Shall the Illinois General Assembly enact legislation which establishes a Community Noise Equivalent Level metric for airport noise that accounts for increased sensitivity to airport noise in residential areas from 7:00 o’clock p.m. to 10:00 o’clock p.m.?

VILLAGE OF BLOOMINGDALE
Shall the Village of Bloomingdale request the United States Environmental Protection Agency or other appropriate federal agency to enforce the regulations of the Noise Control Act of 1972, 42 U.S.C. 4901, et seq., against aircraft which violate them?
Shall the current Federal Aviation Administration “Fly-Quiet” restriction, now voluntary upon the airlines, be made mandatory to require airlines to reduce airport noise between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.?
Shall the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission increase the residential sound-proofing in residential areas in the Village of Bloomingdale near Chicago O’Hare International Airport to remediate aircraft noise?

VILLAGE OF BURR RIDGE
ADVISORY PROPOSITION TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE VILLAGE OF BURR RIDGE SHOULD COMPENSATE CERTAIN ELECTED OFFICIALS
Shall the Village President (Mayor) of Burr Ridge, who receives a stipend of $6,000 per year, and the Burr Ridge Trustees, who receive a stipend of $3,000 per year, continue to be compensated?

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (Government serving the public should be volunteer work)

VILLAGE OF CLARENDON HILLS
Shall the Village of Clarendon Hills in order to preserve its historic small town charm maintain building heights at two stories or 30 feet (whichever is less) and no PUDs in the downtown as is consistent with Hinsdale, Illinois?

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (Shouldn’t communities be allowed to evolve at the demand of citizens’ spending and renting desires? This will only create another layer of regulations to hold back businesses.)

VILLAGE OF ITASCA
Should Congress pass a law that requires the Federal Aviation Administration to revisit the criteria it uses to create the “noise contours” that determine which residences near airports across the country are eligible for noise mitigation?
Shall the current Federal Aviation Administration “Fly-Quiet” restriction, now voluntary upon the airlines, be made mandatory to require airlines to reduce airport noise between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.?

VILLAGE OF VILLA PARK
PROPOSITION TO ISSUE NOT TO EXCEED $23,000,000 GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS
Shall bonds in an amount not to exceed $23,000,000 be issued by the Village of Villa Park, DuPage County, Illinois, for the purpose of paying costs of street and related improvements throughout the Village and expenses incidental thereto, said bonds bearing interest at a rate not to exceed 5% per annum?

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (Stop wasteful government spending – taxes are already paid to the city for street improvements; where did that money go? There should be more transparency and elimination of waste before more money is spent.)

CITY OF WOOD DALE
Shall the City of Wood Dale request the United States Environmental Protection Agency or other appropriate federal agency to enforce the regulations of the Noise Control Act of 1972, 42 U.S.C. 4901, et seq., against aircraft which violate them?
Shall the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission increase the residential sound-proofing in residential areas in the City of Wood Dale near Chicago O’Hare International Airport to remediate aircraft noise?
Shall the current Federal Aviation Administration “Fly-Quiet” restriction, now voluntary upon the airlines, be made mandatory to require airlines to reduce airport noise between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.?

UNINCORPORATED DOWNERS GROVE TOWNSHIP
PROPOSITION TO AUTHORIZE THE TOWNSHIP TO CONTRACT, ADMINISTER OR LICENSE A REFUSE COLLECTION, DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING PROGRAM
Shall Downers Grove Township be authorized to contract, administer or license a refuse collection, disposal and recycling program on behalf of the residents of the unincorporated areas of the Township, pursuant to Section 85-13(f) and Article 210 of the Township Code?

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (Keep the government out of your garbage – why are we inviting the government into every single aspect of our lives? This will only lead to future laws to will create fines for not meeting certain criteria that will be created at a later date. Citizens can make these choices for themselves.)

BUTTERFIELD PARK DISTRICT
PROPOSITION TO ISSUE $2,985,000 PARK BONDS
Shall the Butterfield Park District, DuPage County, Illinois, acquire, maintain, improve and protect the land at the Northeast corner of Illinois Route 56 and Illinois Route 53 for nature areas, open space and park and recreation purposes, improve trails, outdoor park amenities, gardens and passive recreation areas, accessibility, safety, and programming space for children and adults throughout said Park District and issue its bonds to the amount of $2,985,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?
Our recommendation: VOTE NO (This is wasteful government spending which will lead to property tax increases.)

GLEN ELLYN PARK DISTRICT
PROPOSITION TO ISSUE $13,500,000 PARK BONDS
Shall the Glen Ellyn Park District, DuPage County, Illinois, construct and equip an indoor aquatic facility and issue its bonds to the amount of $13,500,000 for the purpose of paying the costs therof?

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (This is wasteful government spending which will lead to property tax increases. Lower regulations and make it easier for a private waterpark to open in Glen Ellyn.)

LEMONT PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT
PROPOSITION TO ISSUE $2,800,000 LIBRARY BONDS
Shall the Lemont Public Library District, Cook and DuPage Counties, Illinois, repair, remodel and improve, furnish necessary equipment and acquire electronic data storage and retrieval facilities for, build an addition to and improve the site of the existing library building and issue its bonds to the amount of $2,800,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?

Our recommendation: VOTE NO ( This is wasteful government spending which will lead to property tax increases. Why spend millions when all of our citizens have access to the internet – even the poorest of people have iPhones)

COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT 201
PROPOSITION TO ISSUE $26,000,000 SCHOOL BUILDING BONDS
Shall the Board of Education of Westmont Community Unit School District Number 201, DuPage County, Illinois, improve the sites and the safety and security of and alter, repair and equip school buildings and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $26,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (This is wasteful government spending which will lead to property tax increases. Safety for $26 Million dollars? Who’s getting rich on this job? This sounds less like a way to improve safety and more of a way to funnel taxpayer dollars into a well-connected business.)

HINSDALE TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 86
DISTRITO 86 DE ESCUELAS SECUNDARIAS DEL MUNICIPIO DE HINSDALE
Shall the Board of Education of Hinsdale Township High School District 86 continue to offer eligible teachers the opportunity to earn six percent (6%) salary increases in each of four (4) school years prior to retirement?

Our recommendation: VOTE NO (This is wasteful government spending which will lead to property tax increases. This will significantly increase the cost of education without any improvement to curriculum or student’s quality of education. This will make massive pensions become even more bloated without additional funding – hasn’t anyone in Illinois been paying attention to the pension crisis??)

So, How Has the Campaign Been Going?

Glad you asked! With less than two weeks left in the campaign, I figured now would be a good time to sum up everything we’ve been going through since being confirmed on the ballot. Keep in mind that there WILL be an official Election Night Party at the American Tap @ 701 W. Lake St. in Addison, IL starting around 6pm and going all night, and everyone is welcome to stop by and chat with us and our candidates.

The Chicago Tribune held their usual round of endorsement interviews with the two-party candidates for each office. While the Libertarian party candidates were not invited to participate along with their 2-party counterparts, we did manage to sneak our way into a couple editorial board reviews. Candidate for Governor Chad Grimm spent a good 45 minutes with the editorial board in the Tribune Tower answering questions on everything from gun control, to health care, to the pension crisis.

A few days later, we managed to get another solid 90 minutes to be split up between three more candidates; Julie Fox for Comptroller, Chris Michel for Secretary of State and Ben Koyl for Attorney General. Julie talked about her experience as an accountant and controller in the private sector making her more than qualified for her office, Chris discussed his ideas on lightening the load for business owners and future entrepreneurs in Illinois to get through red tape, and Ben brought in printouts of the Attorney General’s budget with his own ideas for how to save money while redirecting the efforts of the AG office into a libertarian approach for justice.

Despite our efforts, we didn’t snag any of the endorsements, but that wasn’t entirely the goal; the goal was to be included and to be set on equal ground with the other parties. On a side note, Julie Fox did get a VERY honorable mention from the Chicago tribune about her qualifications, despite not getting the endorsement, which is a huge victory in itself.

Julie Fox also did some radio ads for AM560 in Chicago and the suburbs, and has moved a huge effort to deliver campaign materials door-to-door in the suburban towns. She also snatched up an endorsement from radio personality and former Congressman Joe Walsh, and the Illinois Herald. Go Julie!!

Other candidates kept themselves busy, including Matthew Skopek for Treasurer, who hosted a fundraiser at the Village Tavern and Grill in Schaumburg to help raise money for Libertarian yard signs that can be used well after this election cycle.

Matthew also traveled to East St. Louis with Ben Koyl, Chris Michel and me (I’ve been at almost all of these events, really) to take part in a candidate forum hosted by the NAACP East St. Louis Branch, the Pan Hellenic council of East St. Louis, and the New Life Community Church. No other candidates from the other major parties attended, so our Libertarian candidates had a good opportunity to explain our philosophy and demonstrate our ideas to people in Central Illinois.

The Fall Festival in Mt. Vernon in Southern Illinois was also attended by Chris, Ben, and Matt as well as Lt. Governor candidate Dr. AJ Cummings. The candidates were incredibly well received by almost everyone in attendance, who were thrilled that statewide candidates running for office would come down that far to visit and talk with them. They were cheered in the parade that they marched in, they were approached at their booth, hosted by the new Southern Illinois Libertarian Party, and even later in the evening discussed politics at the local taverns in town with voters. The folks in Southern Illinois were happy to have statewide candidates visit them and discuss their concerns, and our candidates were excited to take part in their events and to listen to the people who are often overshadowed by Springfield and Chicago. Kudos to the volunteers in the Southern Illinois Libertarian Party for getting organized so quickly!

Grundee County’s annual Cornfest is always a big hit, and we joined in on the CornFest parade which draws over ten thousand people every year. Hosted in Morris, IL right off of the highway, candidates Matthew Skopek, Chris Michel, Ben Koyl and Sharon Hansen candidate for US Senate joined the DuPage Libertarians along with members from both the Will County and Lake County chapters.

A few high schools were also visited by Libertarians. Chad Grimm, joined briefly by his Lt. Governor candidate Dr. AJ Cummings, spoke all day long to history and social studies classes at Jacob High School in Algonquin, while I, Brian Lambrecht, Chair of the DuPage Libertarians, spoke to a few AP Political Science classes up in Mundelein. I spoke to high school kids about politics, and the hypocrisy, cronyism and failures among the two parties – and they loved it. They asked questions, and they engaged me in discussion.

The kids admitted that they don’t know much about how things work in the political world, and they were admittedly cynical about it. Even the 18 year olds said they don’t want to vote because they don’t trust anyone (though I think I secured their vote). I openly told them that “hey, don’t ever trust someone in politics – not even me. Hold me accountable.” Kids know when they are being lied to, as opposed to most adults, who can watch a speech full of lies and passionately re-post it while talking about how great the person is lying to them. I didn’t even have to spend much time talking about libertarians; I spent most of it talking about how politics exists today. I related it to them, their personal lives and framed it in a way so they could see and understand it. I made them laugh repeatedly because the stupidity and corruption is so obvious that they couldn’t help but laugh.

Kids really are the future, because you can help them open their minds and keep it open before some useless political hack comes along and welds it shut for them for the rest of their lives. Not on my watch. This was one of the greatest moments of this year for me, and I didn’t have anyone with me to grab a photo.

I also did an interview for CLTV about our ballot access struggle and managed to sneak in mentioning in the names of all 7 of our statewide candidates. You can see the video at the link HERE. Chad also did some interviews for the Sun-Times, FOX News, WGN, and CLTV. Other candidates appeared at the Junior League of Chicago candidate forum and the SWAN candidate forum in Elgin.

In a nutshell, for a group of independent-minded libertarians who don’t have many resources to exploit, a small group of volunteers and not much money (despite Chad Grimm getting some big bucks for his particular campaign) we’ve done extremely well. Regardless of how everything turns out on Election Day, every Libertarian in the state of Illinois has something to celebrate. And if you are an active member of the state party, you should bask in the glow of all the great accomplishments we’ve made so far, and what there is to come. This Election Day isn’t the end – not by a longshot. Once we get past November 4th, the time begins to immediately start planning for next year, the year after that and the year after that.

We will not slow down and we will not lag behind. We’ve learned too many great tactics, indulged in great experiences, and gained a lot of ground. To everyone in the Libertarian Party of Illinois and all her Chapters around the state, you have great reason to celebrate. And don’t forget – you can celebrate with us on Election Day at the American Tap @ 701 W. Lake St. in Addison IL starting at roughly 6pm throughout the night. Stop by and celebrate with us.
And for the rest of you who aren’t members… what are you waiting for?!? We have such BIG plans for 2015, so jump on it and GET INVOLVED!!