Metro East Sun

Republican state Senate candidate Tanya Hildenbrand is sounding the alarm over the growing number of residents from 57th District now fleeing the state.

“From 2013-2017, St. Clair County lost 4,277 residents & they took their tax dollars with them, approximately $118.4 million,” Hildenbrand recently posted on Facebook.

Over that time, the U.S. Census Bureau reports the county’s out-migration loss was 1.6 percent of its total population, larger than the 0.7 percent incurred by the state as a whole.  

Tanya Hildenbrand

“So what does that mean for you? If tax revenue demanded by the city, county, & state stays the same (it's actually increasing) we pay more,” Hildenbrand warned residents in her post.

According to the Belleville News-Democrat, over the five-year period surveyed, Madison County lost population at the same rate as the state, while Bond, Randolph and Washington counties lost residents at a faster pace of 2 percent each.

A longtime veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Hildenbrand, who now resides in Belleville, knocked off controversial challenger Bob Romanik in the March 20 Republican primary and will face Democrat Christopher Belt in November. After more than two decades in office, Sen. James Clayborne (D-Belleville) decided not to seek re-election.

Hildenbrand previously told Metro East Sun she sees going to Springfield as “another way to serve the country.” She said she decided to launch her campaign after once considering leaving the state herself because of all the rising taxes.

The 47-year-old Hildenbrand said she believes her disciplined nature will go a long way in helping the county and the state get back on track.

“In the military, you have to make decisive decisions that people’s lives depend on,” she told Metro East Sun. “You need to make the best decision in a time-sensitive way. For over 28 years, I’ve been looking at building teams for the greater good, putting service before self.”