Is Being a Lobbyist In Springfield a Bad Thing?

Chris Jenner, secretary for the Cary School Dist. 26 Board of Education, is the sole vote against giving local tax dollars to a lobbying group in Springfield that he says will be used to persuade state lawmakers to boost state taxes.

Chris Jenner wasn’t at the Cary Dist. 26 Board of Education meeting Monday night, but his presence was felt. Jenner’s voice could be heard by way of a telephone-intercom hookup. An outspoken fiscal conservative, Jenner was against paying annual dues of $820 to the Illinois Association of School Boards, which he said is a lobbying group in Springfield working to raise state taxes. He likened the IASB influence to “a stranglehold” on state lawmakers. “(The $820 in dues) doesn’t sound like a lot, but as a representative of the taxpayers of Cary we have to ask ourselves should we be giving the IASB money,” Jenner told his fellow board members. "We're using taxpayer money to raise taxes." Board member Floyd Myers told Jenner that calling the …

•  5 Comments
• Photos (1)