Lynn Hilger, forced from a November ballot position, vows to be ready for the April 1999 election of the first taxpayer advocate in Illinois.
Hilger, one of two candidates for the position, decided against a court appeal of the Oak Forest Election Board decision to not conduct an election in November.
Although Hilger’s supporters encouraged her to move forward with a lawsuit, and her attorney, Patrick Quinn, believed Hilger’s challenge would win on appeal, she decided spending money and time in court was moving from her initial goal of getting tax assessments in Oak Forest reduced.
“I can’t fight with these people at city hall,” Hilger argued. “I want this (position) to be something new and important and I’m not going to wallow in the mud over it.”
The taxpayer advocate position was approved by a 2-1 margin in an April referendum. The advocate would work with citizens to appeal tax rates as well as work for tax relief and for reform legislation.
Although the election was initially scheduled for November, challenges to petitions filed by Hilger and a second candidate, Mary Varkalis, brought the issue to the forefront, and the Oak Forest Election Board ruled the city didn’t have enough time to act.
Varkalis has said she would not challenge the election board’s decision.
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Hilger is conducting informational meetings on how to appeal tax rates. She has scheduled a 7 p.m. Wednesday meeting for business owners, followed by another at 7 p.m. Oct. 15 for homeowners. Both sessions will be at Oak Forest High School.