COMMENTARY: Carlinville mayor wants to take your vote away while pushing for home rule status

Carlinville mayor Deanna Demuzio placed a special item on the agenda for the sole purpose of stripping voter rights away in determination to grant a municipality of less than 25,000 residents home rule status in Carlinville City Council’s session Monday.

Demuzio believes that the voters within the City of Carlinville should be allowed to have a say on the matter, honestly believing that the voters are too ignorant to understand home rule and just wants the Illinois Constitution revised in a heartbeat.

During discussion on the matter, Demuzio herself was either completely ignorant on what the resolution is designed to do OR thought the aldermen were too ignorant to figure it out for themselves.

John Kraft from the Edgar County Watchdogs corrected Demuzio on the misinformation that is was indeed a statewide referendum and becomes automatic for communities with 5,000 or more residents.

This amendment to the state constitution, known as Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 9 (SJRCA9) would take away your right to vote on the matter via local referendum, which makes zero sense. Under the current Constitution, municipalities can put forth a referendum to become home rule and should SJRCA9 pass with a 3/5 majority, while you may have the chance to vote on the matter in November, your vote is essentially taken away by those municipalities and the Illinois Municipal League to vote on it at their own discretion by making home rule status automatic for all municipalities with more than 5,000 residents.

This effects Pana, Shelbyville, Taylorville, Hillsboro, Litchfield and Vandalia for starters. It would only end in disaster if each of these communities because a home rule municipality.

Home Rule is nothing more than a money grab — and more theft from your wallets

Home Rule is nothing more than a money grab at a massive and uncontrollable level to inflict high sales taxes that cripple businesses. Nothing can or will be spared and the already high property taxes in Macoupin County and surrounding counties will only continue to spiral higher. Sales tax hikes can happen on a whim without a referendum.

It’s essentially state-supported armed robbery from your wallets at a level much worse than a non-Home Rule municipal government.

It is a truly disgusting thing. Look at East Dundee and look at how much of an unmitigated disaster it is, with continued reckless spending and a deficit that equates in a five-figure share per resident of the village’s massive debt.