Metro East Sun

Doug Jameson wants voters to know the power for change lies in their hands and the time to flex their muscle is now.

“Citizens who are tired of ‘business as usual’ in Springfield can elect new representatives to carry their message to the Capitol,” Jameson told the Metro East Sun. “Ending (House) Speaker (Mike) Madigan's (D-Chicago) historic reign as speaker of the House is the key to putting Illinois back on a growth trajectory. With only nine new seats, Republicans would be able to take away Mike Madigan’s speakership and institute a fresh approach to get Illinois working again.”

Jameson, a Belleville Republican running for the seat held by Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) in the 113th District, was recently moved to publicly speak out by news that State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith's fiscal year 2019 budget proposal to the Illinois State Board of Education would result in a $7.2 billion increase in school funding, representing a more than a 60 percent increase from the fiscal year 2018 appropriation.

Such a budget increase could leave taxpayers paying nearly twice the current state income tax rate of 4.95 percent.

“Superintendent Smith accurately highlights that Illinois fails to meet its constitutional mandate to assume the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education,” Jameson said.

With the state having abandoned its constitutional responsibility, Jameson said the burden of financing schools has squarely fallen on the shoulders of already-overtaxed property owners.

“Legislators have taken advantage of this ‘cost shift’ for decades by using the funds that should have been used to fund our schools to propagate a bloated network of nearly 7,000 units of local government,” he said. “This creates unnecessary government jobs (and pension liabilities) that, too often, are filled by a system of political patronage.”

Jameson said such a faulty system is largely fueling the state’s growing out-migration problem, which is only made worse by the alarming number of millennials now seeking greater opportunities in other places.

“The Madigan-controlled Illinois House of Representatives has focused on devising new ways to extract tax revenue from its citizens and not enough time on creating reforms that would jump-start economic growth,” Jameson said. "As a new state representative, I will be relentless in seeking an environment where private investment accelerates – the spark needed to ignite economic prosperity.”

The 113th House District includes all or parts of Belleville, Swansea, Fairview Heights, Washington Park, Fairmont City, Caseyville, Madison and Granite City.