McHenry Times

Former Republican state Rep. Jeanne Ives views McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Frank’s public attack on Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) over a tax law that Frank essentially put in place as just another example of Springfield’s dysfunction.

“He didn’t have to lash out at Wilcox the way he has,” Ives told McHenry Times in reference of Franks, who served as the state representative in the 63rd District for almost two decades. “He’s trying to amass more power on the new board he leads and sees Wilcox as a political rival.”

According to Ives, two-years ago when she and Franks where both still members of the legislature, Franks personally called her to seek support for amending a bill he wrote that paved the way for an Air Force veteran like Wilcox not to have to pay taxes on his $455,000 McHenry home as a disabled soldier. The Homestead Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities Act allows veterans to receive property-tax deductions based on their level of disability. Veterans deemed to suffer from disabilities of more than 70 percent are exempt from all property taxes.

Sen. Craig Wilcox

The Northwest Herald reports that Franks recently went as far as writing former McHenry County board member Wilcox a letter asking that he now take the lead in changing the law. Meanwhile, Ives said what bothers her most is the way Franks has gone about trying to do things.

“He’s trying to make it sound like Wilcox did something wrong and is somehow getting some sort of break he shouldn’t be,” she said. “Franks gave it to him and Democrats have refused to fix it, now he’s trying to shame Wilcox into taking a certain position.”

While Wilcox has expressed an openness into looking into changing some of the wording in the law, Ives said she wouldn’t be surprised to see nothing ever come of all the back and forth.

“No one in Springfield wants to be viewed as voting against a disabled veteran,” she said. “I would bet not one lawmaker in Springfield wants to have take that vote.”