Metro East Sun

Dwight Kay is concerned about the state's return on its $420 million, taxpayer-funded investment in the world of television and film production.

“It hasn’t been a wise investment for maybe the last eight years it’s been given,” Kay told the Metro East Sun. “I question how much of the money has actually been given to any one company that has produced a real, big-time film here. The real issue is how much taxpayer money have we provided for this every year and how much tax revenue has been generated from it. I doubt if any legislator can even produce a comparison chart for that.”

The Illinois Film Production Tax Credit Act was designed to attract production companies to the state and encourage them to hire Illinois residents and purchase goods and services from local businesses. Approximately 1,817 companies have received tax breaks over the past 10 years but officials cannot say exactly how the companies earned the money because their records have not been audited, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville)

“It seems we have no priorities, other than serving the needs of special interest,” said Kay, challenging incumbent Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) in Illinois’112th District. “We need to cut all the frivolous spending. Taxpayers are fed up with just paying what’s considered to be ordinary taxes. Why we would be taking money from common taxpayers to convert them to people already in one of the wealthiest industries there is completely escapes me.”

Federal prosecutors recently indicted longtime Teamsters boss John T. Coli for allegedly extorting $325,000 from Cinespace Chicago Film Studios co-founder Alex Pissios. Coli is accused of threatening to stage work stoppages at the West Side studio where such productions as “Chicago Fire” and “Empire” are filmed, the Deadline Hollywood website states.

Coli is also rumored to have introduced Pissios to several of the Democratic lawmakers who were instrumental in approving $31 million in grants and tax breaks used to get Cinespace off the ground.

With little oversight and accountability of the program, Kay isn’t surprised by the corruption, he said.

“You can’t make this stuff up,” Kay said. “And with this, it’s even crazier that it’s happening at the same time the state needs more money for education, has over $8 billion in unpaid bills and one of the largest unfunded pension plans in the country.”

Illinois’ 112th District includes Bethalto, Caseyville, Fairmont City, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Pontoon Beach, Roxana, Shiloh and Swansea.