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Critical campaign mailings causing stir in Schaumburg

Updated to clarify the context of quote.

A campaign mailer and letter critical of the lone challenger in the Schaumburg village trustee race are causing controversy and confusion in the final week before Tuesday's election.

The mailer is the more mysterious of the two - purportedly paid for by the political action committee Alliance of Illinois Taxpayers NFP. It suggests that Schaumburg trustee candidate Jim Moynihan's budget plan would cut more than $7 million from the village's police and fire departments and cause harmful layoffs in both.

Moynihan, who's seeking one of the seats of incumbent trustees Tom Dailly, George Dunham and Mark Madej, denies he'd ever consider such cuts.

"I think they're an essential public service," Moynihan said. "They need to be kept strong and vibrant. That's the last place - the very last place - I'd make any cuts."

Dunham said he has no knowledge of Alliance of Illinois Taxpayers NFP or whoever else might be responsible for the mailer.

While he and his fellow incumbents have been critical of Moynihan's plan to hasten the lowering of the village's property tax levy, Dunham said he's never heard Moynihan suggest specific spending cuts.

Alliance of Illinois Taxpayers NFP is registered with the Illinois State Board of Elections and has an address on the 84th floor of the Willis Tower in Chicago.

The committee's listed chairman and treasurer is James Weiss, who could not be reached for comment. There are several people by that name in the Chicago area, including one with a Schaumburg address associated with a disconnected phone number.

Moynihan criticized the near anonymous nature of the mailing.

"If you believe what you're saying, there's no reason to hide behind anything else," he said.

While Dunham believes Moynihan's budget plan is naive and could lead to large spending cuts, the challenger said he's advocating the village be more mindful of risks with what he considers nonessential projects like the baseball stadium, the convention center and the proposed performing arts center.

"Basically it gets down to careful planning," Moynihan said. "I'm not against these projects."

The other piece of campaign literature causing a stir is a letter to registered Democrats seeking support for the three incumbents.

The letter, signed by Dunham, Dailly and Madej, reminds voters that Moynihan tried to unseat Democratic state Rep. Michelle Mussman last year, and could be gearing up for another run.

Moynihan rejected that claim Wednesday.

"They're trying to scare Democrats away from me because of (what opponents call) my 'Republican agenda,'" Moynihan said. "If I'm elected (trustee), I will stay for four years. And if I think there's something more to accomplish, I'd stay for another four."

Dunham said there nothing improper about he and his fellow incumbents reaching out to Democrats.

"I'm not pretending to be anything but a Republican, but I have Democrat friends," said Dunham, an executive board member of the Schaumburg Township Republican Organization. "There's no subterfuge involved. Do our Democrat friends not deserve to hear from us?"

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