House 62 hopefuls split on top concerns

The candidates running for the state House District 62 seat in central Lake County have different views when it comes to their community's top concerns.

Republican incumbent Sandy Cole of Grayslake said people she's met are most concerned about the job climate and unemployment.

Democratic challenger Rich Voltair of Round Lake Beach said high property taxes and the need for property tax reform are the top issues for his potential constituents.

Cole spoke about jobs and other issues Tuesday in an endorsement interview at the Daily Herald's Libertyville office. Voltair met with the Daily Herald last week.

Cole, who is seeking election to a third term, said she gets a lot of phone calls about unemployment benefits, and her office refers many calls to the College of Lake County's job center and U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean's office because unemployment is a federal program.

She said she has met a lot of women who have become the primary breadwinner for their families because their husbands have been laid off.

"They talk to me a lot about making their house payments and a number of things," Cole said.

Those constituents also have expressed concerns about state budget cuts that have affected counseling programs and other valued services, Cole said.

She said she's teamed with other legislators to lobby Gov. Pat Quinn to preserve funding for such programs, sometimes successfully.

Voltair, a first-time candidate, said statewide property tax reform is needed to combat rising tax bills at a time when property values are decreasing.

"The simplest thing to do would be to have a single, statewide property tax," Voltair said. "I think that would be easy and easy to comprehend, but it's probably not going to happen."

An alternative, he said, would be a cap on property taxes based on income.

If a property tax bill exceeds a certain percentage of a resident's income, Voltair said, the state would "come in from its revenues and make up the difference to local governments."

"I think that's probably more feasible politically," he said.

With the state already billions of dollars in debt and not paying many of its bills to creditors, Voltair said revenue increases would be needed to make such a system work.

In this and other interviews, Voltair has endorsed expanded casino and video gambling as a potential source of new income for the state. He also favors creating a graduated income tax and a progressive estate tax or any system "where the wealthy pay more than the poor."

Voltair opposed cutting programs as a way for the state to reduce its $13 billion debt.

"There's not too much left," he said, although he suggested eliminating the state tourism office as a cash-saving measure.

Voltair doesn't think unemployment is as significant an issue as taxes or political corruption.

"It's not something I hear as often as I hear it in the media," he said. "It's not, generally speaking, the first thing out of people's mouths at the door."