Campaign finance reform and the proposed graduated income tax elicited a spirited discussion Wednesday between incumbent Republican state Rep. Grant Wehrli and his Democratic challenger Janet Yang Rohr.
The pair squared off in a nonpartisan question-and-answer session held online via Zoom by the League of Women Voters. Both Naperville residents want to represent House District 41, which serves portions of Naperville and Warrenville.
Yang Rohr, a Naperville District 203 School Board member, called for increased transparency in campaign finance.
“We need to make sure our donors and organizations have to disclose where money comes from, particularly around super PACs (political action committees). And we can’t let corporations and multimillionaires and billionaires use their dollars to secretly influence our elections,” she said.
Wehrli said he found her position ironic given the large donations she’s received.
“My money comes from, for my campaign, a lot of grassroots donors. I have a lot of $5, $10, $20 donors,” Wehrli said. “I have some business people in town that have given me $1,000 but it’s the grassroots campaign.”
Reports filed with the state Board of Elections show Yang Rohr’s campaign has amassed $48,524 in donations in in July, $80,273 in August and $771,019 this month as of Sept. 22, receiving money from the Democratic Party and the war chests of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Democratic state representatives.
By comparison, Wehrli collected $53,000 in July, $88,393 in August and $60,585 this month as of Sept. 21. Campaign donations of more than $10,000 came from the Illinois Republican Party.
Wehrli, who was elected to the seat in 2014 and re-elected in 2016, is seen as vulnerable by opponents.
In 2018, Wehrli won reelection by a 5% margin despite a judge’s ruling that his Democratic opponent could not represent District 41 if elected because she actually lived in District 49.
Tax amendment
Both candidates also differ on the proposed amendment to the state constitution over how income taxes are calculated.
Under Illinois’ current system, all personal income is taxed at the same rate of 4.95%. The question on the ballot calls for amending the state constitution to allow for a graduated-rate income tax whereby different levels of wages are taxed at different rates.
Wehrli said he is opposed to the measure. The way to improve Illinois’ financial situation, he said, is not to increase taxes for a portion of the state’s residents but to adopt a responsible budget that prioritizes spending and makes cuts wherever available.
“We cannot simply continue to raise taxes on people and have a decline in services,” he said.
Wehrli said employment in Illinois is lagging behind other parts of the country because of “onerous restrictive restrictions and rules for our small and medium and large businesses.”
“We absolutely need to make Illinois a business-friendly state. Putting a graduated income tax on our businesses will absolutely have them flee,” he said.
Yang Rohr said under the graduated tax, the vast majority of residents will see their tax bills go down.
“Whether our state retains our flat tax system or moves to a graduated system, my priority, if elected, will always be to ensure that the middle class is protected from tax increases,” she said. “I am absolutely committed to not raising taxes on middle-class families and to not raising taxes or levying taxes on retirement income.”
Yang Rohr said adopting a graduated tax policy makes sense given the losses the middle class have experienced over the last two decades.
“The rich have gotten richer. The top 10% of Illinois earners have seen 110% of the state’s wage growth, and the remaining 90% has actually seen a wage decline,” she said.
Other issues
On term limits, Wehrli said he’s an ardent supporter. Yang Rohr said voters should decide when a person is no longer serving the constituency.
Both candidates agreed a regional approach to handling the COVID-19 pandemic is better than dealing with it from a statewide perspective, although Wehrli questioned the metrics the governor uses.
Regarding gun violence, Yang Rohr said she supports safe gun storage laws and stronger mental health programs, especially for high school students. Wehrli said he has supported a 72-hour wait on long gun purchases and red flag laws that remove firearms from people with mental illness.
Both candidates said they support a fair process of drawing legislative maps and efforts to upgrade the state’s cybersecurity and information technology infrastructure to protect voting and Illinois residents’ personal information.
Yang Rohr supports increasing the minimum wage to $15. Wehrli said the state needs to remove regulations on businesses and allow wages to increase through a strong economy.
Wehrli said he did not support recreational marijuana legalization statewide because of the negative impact on youth. Yang Rohr said it was appropriate for Illinois to legalize it and give communities the final decision as to whether sales will be allowed.
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