Both state Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, and her Republican opponent, Benton Township Trustee Ashley Jensen of Winthrop Harbor, want to help reduce residents’ property tax burden but their ideas for how to do so differ.
Edly-Allen said a major issue for her is reforming the way tax increment financing (TIF) is used to benefit real estate developers at the expense of other local needs. The increased value of property should benefit the entire community, she said.
“We need to balance economic development with the needs of our public schools and keeping our community whole, while talking about the needs of all with our tax burden,” she said.
Jensen said though property taxes primarily go to fund public schools, they are a burden on homeowners each time they are raised. Getting the state more involved in school funding can keep real estate taxes lower, she said.
“You must have certain requirements,” Jensen said. “We have to look at what we allocate in the budget for education. Then less can come from property taxes.”
Voters in northeastern and central Lake County comprising the 31st State Senate District will choose between Jensen and Edly-Allen when they cast their ballots on or before Tuesday’s general election.
A real estate agent along with her job as a Benton Township trustee, Jensen, 29, was recruited in March by state GOP officials to run. Uncertain at first, she said she decided she could make a difference and decided to run.
“I felt the community could use a leader who has a heart for the community,” Jensen said. “I feel I can represent the people in the community and be their voice.”
First elected to the state Senate in 2022, Edly-Allen, 63, is seeking her second term after serving a term in the Illinois House of Representatives between 2018 and 2020. Also an educator, she is the assistant director of adult education at Mundelein High School.
During her time in the Senate, Edly-Allen said she is proud of the 21 laws she authored which were passed with bipartisan support, especially one which improves insurance coverage for breast cancer patients.
“It extends insurance coverage for breast cancer patients who were not covered before,” she said. “I (also) extended insurance coverage for people transported to the hospital by fire departments,” Edly-Allen added.
With an assault weapons ban already Illinois law, Edly-Allen said additional “common sense gun safety legislation” is necessary, such as requiring safe storage to protect the children of gun owners from tragic accidents.
“Guns are the leading cause of death for children,” she said. “Firearms need to be locked, especially if there are children in the same household.”
Coupling public safety and gun violence, Jensen said she continually hears people express concern over increased crime, both in the area and farther away in Chicago where gun violence is more prevalent. She believes the state’s Firearm Owner Identification Card (FOID) system is a good protection against gun violence.
“With the FOID system, we have laws that will help protect against gun violence,” she said. “There is a right way to go about it, and I don’t think this is the right way,” she added, referring to legislation specifically banning certain weapons.
Though she does not oppose all abortions, Jensen said exceptions should be few. She considers herself staunchly against terminating a pregnancy under nearly all circumstances.
“I am pro-life, and that includes the life of an unborn child. My mother was 14 when my brother was born, and she was 17 when I was born. It was a hard life,” Jensen said. “If a doctor thinks it is medically necessary, that should be an exception.”
Taking a different view, Edly-Allen said she considers making medical decisions part of a woman’s reproductive freedom. She is proud of Illinois’ position as an island where women can come for care without worrying about legal ramifications.
“I am pro-choice,” she said. “The right to choose the decisions you make about your own health is personal. No one should tell a woman what to do about her reproductive health.”
The district includes all or part of Antioch, Beach Park, Grayslake, Gurnee, Hainesville, Lake Villa, Libertyville, Lindenhurst, Old Mill Creek, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, Third Lake, Volo, Wadsworth, Wauconda, Waukegan and Zion.
Early voting continues through Saturday at 18 locations in Lake County, and through Monday at the Avon Township office in Round Lake Park, the Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich, the Highwood Library, North Chicago City Hall, the Jane Addams Center in Waukegan’s Bowen Park, the Lake County courthouse lobby and the Mundelein High School West district office.
