ENDORSEMENT: Tonia Jane Khouri for Illinois House in the 49th District

Republican Tonia Jane Khouri makes a good point about a proposed graduated state income tax, which she opposes but almost all Democrats favor. It would require at least several years to enact, she says, given the need to rewrite the Illinois Constitution first, and the state can’t wait that long.

Given the speed with which Illinois’ debts and pension obligations continue to grow, Khouri told us, the Legislature has to “move the state forward” right now.

We support a graduated income tax, but Khouri is right that it would be no panacea. And we respect her advocacy for immediate and creative ways to reduce overall spending. She would, for example, work to make it easier for hundreds of public pension funds to reduce costs by being jointly administered.

Khouri is a member of the DuPage County Board, which has done a commendable job of cutting costs. She also operates a landscaping and home remodeling business.

We endorse Khouri over Democrat Karina Villa, a school social worker and member of the West Chicago Elementary District 33 school board. We hope Villa will run for state office again, but right now she’s a little green.

Illinois House 49th District is located in the west suburbs and includes South Elgin, St Charles and Batavia | Tanveer Ali/Sun-Times

Illinois House 49th District is located in the west suburbs and includes South Elgin, St Charles and Batavia | Tanveer Ali/Sun-Times

Send letters to: letters@suntimes.com


SUN-TIMES 2018 ILLINOIS VOTING GUIDE


an_exclusive_partnership_to_fact_check_politicians.jpg

Ahead of the historic 2018 elections, the Sun-Times is teaming up weekly with the Better Government Association, in print and online, to fact-check the truthfulness of the candidates. You can find all of the PolitiFact Illinois stories we’ve reported together here.

RELATED

• ENDORSEMENT: Tonia Jane Khouri for Illinois House in the 49th District

• Illinois House 49th District Democratic nominee: Karina Villa

Endorsements for 16 Illinois House races in the Chicago area, Districts 15 through 50

• Endorsements for 17 Illinois House races in the Chicago area, Districts 51 through 98

Illinois Senate endorsements for the Chicago area

The Latest
Christian I. Soto, 22, was charged with murder, attempted murder and home invasion, officials announced Thursday. Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said earlier investigators haven’t determined a motive for the attacks.
Can a message generated by an algorithm ever match hearing from a human?
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.
Despite the addition of some new characters (human and otherwise) the film comes across as a relatively uninspired and fairly forgettable chapter in the Monsterverse saga.
Unite Here Local 1, representing the workers at the Signature Room and its lounge, said in a lawsuit in October the employer failed to give 60 days notice of a closing or mass layoff, violating state law.