Metro East Sun

Dwight Kay says that trying to figure out how to keep fooling voters may be just one of J.B. Pritzker's problems.

“If what I hear is true, he may be up against some real legal issues that could be criminal in nature,” Kay told the Metro East Sun. “We could be talking about tax evasion and maybe even more, all of them being felony charges.”

The Democratic candidate for governor's problems are related to his recently announced plan to pay back $330,000 in property tax breaks and tax refunds to the Cook County Treasurer’s Office, after an Inspector General concluded there was a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Rep. Katie Stuart is the Democratic incumbent seeking another term in office.

Throughout his campaign, Gov. Bruce Rauner has accused his rival of being a “tax cheat” who once removed toilets from a home he owns to avoid paying a fair tax rate on the property.

“It kind of makes me wonder how a man worth billions of dollars could have a mentality where he’s trying to scam property taxes for a few hundred thousand,” said Kay, running against Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) in the 112th District. “If this is true, it suggests he just has a criminal mindset when it comes to the way he thinks about money.”

Given Illinois history, where four of the state’s last seven governors have landed in prison, Kay said voters can hardly afford to overlook Pritzker’s actions.

“Why would we want to take a chance of having more of that?” he said. “He needs to come forward and address all of this. It makes you wonder what kind of devious mind we're working with here.”

Critics also point out Pritzker only moved to repay the money after Cook Count State's Attorney Kim Foxx said her office planned to look into the scheme, and staffers for Rauner began referring to his reimbursement as “an admission of guilt.”

In his report, Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard spoke of “false representations” and possible state perjury law and federal mail fraud violations. 

“It suggests a mindset that’s not quite right, because for him we’re talking about chump change,” Kay added. “Hopefully, this gives voters a better insight into who he truly is.”

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