How Mayor McLaughlin is manipulating the property tax collections to shore up his re-election

How Mayor McLaughlin is manipulating the property tax collections to shore up his re-election

Click HERE for a history of Orland Park's elections (1998 to present)

Want to know how the Orland Park Tax Rebate program is being manipulated to manage the results of the local elections?

First of all, remember, that when you impose a property tax and then rebate it, it is a tax reduction. When you repeal all or part of the tax rebate, it is a TAX INCREASE. Don't let the politicians define for you what a tax increase is or isn't. It IS defined by the bottomline of how much money is taken by the village from your pocket and KEPT.

But back to our main story this morning on how Mayor Dan McLaughlin used and abused taxes to help shore up his re-elections over the years and how the tax rebate plan was used to keep the sheep voters (you) sleepy and happy grazing on our "Tall Grass."

In 2002, the Village of Orland Park increased the sales tax .75 in order to generate more revenues for their spending. (Most people have forgotten that.)To off-set the increase, and counter the anger from the community, Mayor McLaughlin and the Village Board proposed rebating the village property tax that was collected. They could have reduced the property tax itself, but like all politicians they want you to remember that he that taketh can also giveth. That year, they returned 50 percent of the property tax rebate and the Orland Park sheep, I mean voters, went back to grazing mindlessly and uncaringly about their community. It was a great political gimmick and it worked. Go to the Village's very informative web site and you'll see press releases one everything, all the "happy talk: McLaughlin is used to pouring into the spoons of the local newspapers. But there ISN'T a press release on cutting the tax rebate program, which is a BACKDOOR Property tax increase. McLaughlin won a contested re-election in 2001 by a comfortable margin. But comfortable isn't good enough for politicians like McLaughlin who say one thing from one side of their mouths and somethign else from the other. That's why the Tax Rebate plan was so ingenious. Take the property tax burden that he and his village board put on the people of Orland Park, and then withdraw it and pretend like you are doign the taxpayers a favor. That's the concept of the "Tax Rebate" Plan. It really benefits the elected officials more than it does the home owners. (The rebate equals about 5 percent of the total taxes on a typical Orland Park property, but it means huge benefits for McLaughlin.)

At first, it was only a half-rebate of the village tax. But in 2002, McLaughlin went to a full rebate after imposing the Sales Tax Increase of .75 percent. Remember, McLaughlin's argument then was the burden fell on people who lived outside of Orland Park who were coming into this retail giant of a shopping strip, so, he argued, while you would pay, too, outsiders would pay and help build the village.

AND McLAUGHLIN WOULD REBATE YOUR PROPERTY TAXES in order to make you accept the sales tax increase.

Cheap politics. But the sheep in Orland Park simply went about their business uncaring, grazing and baaaahing!

They went to the full rebate to shore up his re-election chances. And sure enough, in 2005 McLaughlin and his clerk David P. Maher, (the father of the Orland Fire Protection District head who clobbered seniors recently by ordering that they pay for ambulance service out of pocket -- what a putz!), were UNOPPOSED for election. McLaughlin received almost every vote that was cast in the contested race four years early, 9,200 or so votes.

And the rebate stayed the same.

Now, McLaughlin wants to abolish the rebate. Who cares about the taxpayers who have proven to be sheep-voters who are easily abused and exploited. But McLaughlin DOESN'T DARE eliminate the ENTIRE TAX REBATE because he is up for re-election on April 7, 2009 and he won't know until January if he is going to face a challenger and McLaughlin doesn't take chances., the huge salaried union plumber spokesman that he is.

Believe me when I tell you that they WILL repeal the entire Rebate after this next election. They don't need it any more to make you forget about the .75 increase in the Orland Park sales tax because you have already forgotten. McLaughlin's pals in Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's regime sure took care of that this year.

So, McLaughlin WILL repeal the tax rebate, but after the election.

In the meantime, they will reduce it 33 percent as a start. They need the money. Their strategy to choke this community with retail businesses to boast sales taxes is not working 1) because sales taxes are so high many people are fleeing to Will County to make larger purchases and 2) the economy has tanked.

You can go to my Radio Show Web Site http://www.radiochicagoland.com/ and get information on how EASY it is to run for public office. Are you going to let McLaughlin run unopposed again?

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!