Ill House candidate opposes GLB RR

 

Lindsay Parkhurst, the Republican candidate for the District 79 State House seat,  recently expressed support for the Kankakee County Board's opposition to the Great Lakes Basin Transportation (GLBT) railroad project.

Lindsay Parkhurst | Contributed photo

The county board's concerns include the impact of a last-minute addition of a 15,000-acre rail port, which was added to the project during the environmental review process without advance warning. Kankakee County did not have time to analyze the impact of an additional 15,000-acre site being added to the rail project. There are 271 homes and two cemeteries within the boundaries of the proposed rail port, which would be affected if the project is approved.

In addition to the rail port, the board expressed concerns regarding the effect of the proposed railroad route on existing infrastructure, traffic patterns, farmland and waterways. The board proposed that the railroad expand and improve the existing infrastructure instead of building a new rail line.

"I'm pleased that the Kankakee County Board unanimously approved a letter opposing the Great Lakes Basin Rail Project," Parkhurst said. "This project is a boondoggle in the making -- similar to the Illiana Expressway or South Suburban Airport -- and ought to be opposed. I proudly stand with the folks at BLOCK GLB Railroad and many other local entities in opposing this project. Any possibility of using eminent domain for private gain is a gross abuse of state power. This project threatens the lives and livelihoods of farmers, homeowners and rural communities in our area and is not the way forward for our state."

Above is from:  http://kankakeetimes.com/stories/510963936-parkhurst-joins-kankakee-county-board-s-opposition-to-rail-project

Cathy Ward via Facebook: PSB tax referendum will be discussed again in August

"BOONE COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY SALES TAX INCREASE PROPOSAL - Excellent review but no decision at last night's board meeting, but the board will discuss this proposal to double the tax again at the finance meeting on Aug. 4. A few guests spoke and predicted an increase will never pass because our taxpayers had been promised in 1999 that this tax would end in 2018 but now it will go forever. That's because a couple years ago, under the leadership of Chair Bob Walberg, the board voted 8-4 to keep this tax going forever, even without voter approval. Board members who voted to keep it going forever said the county needs the money to meet ever increasing expenses. I proposed, and will again, that we put a different referendum on the ballot and ask taxpayers if they want this tax stopped as promised in 2018. That's the real question. Do our taxpayers want us to make cuts, increase revenue with businesses like the wind farms, or increase taxes? I'm fine with putting a referendum on the ballot to ask our taxpayers if they want to double the tax, too. Please, please let our voters decide, not just 8 of our 55,000 residents. That's what I call taxation without representation," said Boone County Board member Cathy Ward.