State Representatives Martin McLaughlin, Jennifer Sanalitro, and Jason Bunting spoke at a press conference on May 20 to outline their opposition to Governor Pritzker’s BUILD Plan and a proposed $60 million reduction in funding for local governments.
The legislators said the plan could negatively impact local control and community character across Illinois. They raised concerns about changes to the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) and state-level mandates that could override local zoning authority.
Representative Martin McLaughlin said, “Talk is cheap but it’s far too expensive for taxpayers thanks to Springfield Spend-o-crats.” He added, “LGDF is not a republican, democrat, or independent issue. It is simply good policy and gives us a chance to lower our property taxes for everyone in my district and we can do it in two weeks if the other side of the aisle will finally put our money where their mouth is.” McLaughlin concluded by saying, “Illinoisans don’t want us to play political games, they want us to work together to solve the state’s problems.”
Representative Jennifer Sanalitro expressed her concern about removing zoning authority from townships, municipalities, and counties. She said: “This isn’t just a fight over local control and zoning authority… This is a fight for the individual character of each community across Illinois. Residents and leaders from communities like Elk Grove Village, Addison, and Roselle have used their local zoning codes to preserve their unique character and maintain property values, but the Governor’s BUILD Plan would take all that away.” Sanalitro also mentioned worries about potential changes near O’Hare International Airport: “In O’Hare-area communities, developers could start tearing down long-coveted single-family homes to build multifamily housing. Clogging streets with parking problems and introducing more transient rental living into stable suburban neighborhoods.”
Representative Jason R. Bunting echoed these concerns: “Decisions should be made – as much as possible – by our neighbors. Not by some far-off bureaucracy trying to impose one-size-fits-all statewide solutions on every community in the state.” He also addressed issues related to large green energy projects: “I have heard from local leaders who have concerns about large green energy projects being built in their communities. Even though they have been elected to represent their neighbors, they have been shut out of the discussion of these projects.”
McLaughlin was elected as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 52nd House District in 2021 after David McSweeney according to Ballotpedia.
Video footage from the press conference has been made available online.
