McHenry Times

The battle for the 66th District House seat ended, with Allen Skillicorn emerging victorious over Democratic opponent Nancy Zettler Tuesday night.

With all 71 precincts reporting, Skillicorn received 27,048 votes, or 57.8 percent, while Zettler received 19,763 votes, or 42.2 percent. The two candidates were vying for the seat held by state Rep. Michael Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) since 2005.

“Such a decisive victory indicates that voters in Illinois need relief from high property taxes and archaic regulatory policies that limit growth and jobs," Skillicorn said in a written statement. "It’s clear we must pass Gov. (Bruce) Rauner’s property tax freeze and his cost-cutting measures without delay to turn around the state’s sluggish economy.”

Skillicorn ran on a platform focused on "conservative reform." He favored a property tax freeze and reforms that would reverse the continuing exodus of businesses and workers from the state. He also spotlighted the underfunding of schools and education during his campaign.

“I am 100 percent committed to protecting our school funding from the Chicago Democrats who are trying to bail out Chicago schools with suburban money,” Skillicorn recently told the McHenry Times. “Our school funding formula is broken. From 2004-14, Democrats cut school funding four times.”

While education funding was reduced, from 2011-14, a temporary income tax increase was imposed on Illinois residents. The increase added approximately $32 billion in revenue to the state's coffers, yet the unpaid-bills backlog was reduced by only approximately $1.5 billion, leaving the state in the red when the temporary tax expired.

The continuing lack of a balanced budget spurred Skillicorn, an East Dundee trustee and Kane County Republican Party vice chairman, to run for the state House seat. As a trustee, he had a hand in lowering property taxes for the residents of East Dundee.

“The question that begs to be answered (is) who do you trust to right Illinois’ financial ship,” Skillicorn said. “A tax-and-spend liberal who stands with (House Speaker) Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) or someone who has successfully lowered taxes the past five years? The choice is clear in District 66.”

During his campaign, Skillicorn said he would sponsor and support "no budget, no pay" legislation. Under the proposed legislation put forward by Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger, the General Assembly would not receive paychecks after the budget deadline is passed until a balanced budget is presented, passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor.

“If a constitutionally required balanced budget is not passed, the state’s constitutional officers and the 177 members of the General Assembly should not be paid their salary,” Skillicorn said. “In the private sector, we are expected to perform our jobs. If we do not, we should not be compensated. It’s time for politicians to start working for their constituents, not for themselves.”

With his election, Skillicorn will have the opportunity to work with his colleagues to implement reforms in the legislature. In his statement, he said he would work with his opponent to make changes that would represent the needs of all the constituents of District 66.

“I thank Nancy Zettler for the spirited campaign and bringing up many issues that are near and dear to my heart," Skillicorn said in his statement. "I look forward to working together with Nancy to rein in abuses in tax-increment financing, regain the trust of her supporters, and correct many of the inequities of Illinois’ status-quo power structure. I was elected to represent all of the people in the 66th District, and I plan on doing just that by moving the ball forward to help working-class families, seniors and the great people of Algonquin, Carpentersville, Crystal Lake, East Dundee, Elgin, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Lakewood, Sleepy Hollow and West Dundee.”