Another shoe drops on Sen. Sam McCann
Monday, Feb 29, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bernie…
McCann’s family moved out of a home in Carlinville, in the old 48th Senate District, and into one in Plainview, in the new 50th, where he won a four-year term in 2012. But there was still a homestead exemption being claimed on the home in Carlinville. That tax break, which takes $6,000 off the assessed value of the home for property tax purposes, is supposed to be for the taxpayer’s “principal dwelling place.”
John Bresnan, supervisor of assessments in Macoupin, said that tax rate last year was 7.7 percent. That would have meant savings of about $460 for the year in property taxes.
“The exemption issue was taken care of the minute that it came to my attention,” McCann said. “My Carlinville property is an investment and has been vacant for a full four years.”
Speaking for McCann’s campaign, spokesman GLENN HODAS said McCann “will be certain to pay any amounts due” because of the change.
The McCanns are not listed as owners of the house where they live, and there is no homestead exemption claimed there.
His property is an investment, but it’s been vacant for four years?
This man is his very own target rich environment.
- Omega Man - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:25 am:
An honest mistake (as evidenced by Sam not claiming the homestead exemption on his current house). I can’t wait for the next venomous ad from the Raunerbots!
- RNUG - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:27 am:
It’s not like it’s a husband claiming to live in one house and a wife claiming to live in a second house in order to get exemptions on both.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:28 am:
If… if and when(?)… McCann gets beat, McCann only needs to look in the mirror as to why he lost.
Tums and Advil are in short supply, I bet, in the McCann Camp.
These’s still two weeks, things only escalate now, they don’t slow.
If the McCann Crew knew they needed Labor crossovers to win before, they now must have lots of “ignoring” to issues people usually judge candidates to their fitness too.
It’s not my “race”, living in Kendall, but honestly, it gets back, for me, the way McCann handled his SGOP Caucus business that makes me take pause every time with McCann.
Labor and Republicans would love to send Rauner a message, but, McCann is so… damaged… to me, meh, McCann’s choices inside and outside SGOP Caucus choices leave me… flat.
Labor needs McCann, wartS and all.
- A guy - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:28 am:
Same trap so many others have fallen into. How do you not fix this?
- anonymous - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:30 am:
Sorry but all of these attacks are flimsy. Its all a stretch. The establishment is desperate to get rid of this guy. This is another shoe to drop?? Lol
- Team Sleep - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:32 am:
Once is a simple human error. Two or three times and perhaps it is a concern or a coincidence. Multiple times and the problem is a pattern.
- Union Man - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:33 am:
When a state rep who voted “Present”, (despite the majority will of his constituents) then resigned (instead of completing his term) to accept an appointment from the Governor to inflate his pension, comes out in support of a candidate, we know what that candidate will be about: Another Yes Man.
No to Poe and Benton!
- somalia - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:35 am:
I don’t care if McCann is an escaped convict. I would still vote for him over a Raunerite
- Not Getting It - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:35 am:
A vacant house doesn’t necessarily seem a huge deal. There are many reasons why homes are vacant without any kind of criminality involved. There are many vacant homes in almost every community. As for the homestead exemption, Rauner did the exact same thing, if memory serves. He had at least two homes he claimed as primary residences, his Winnetka home and at least one apartment in Chicago. No one made a big deal out of it.
The story isn’t crooked politicians gaming the property tax system, it’s the property tax system that doesn’t catch this sort of thing, which should be easy to catch. Certainly, to come up with this so close to an election smells a bit. The amount involved–$460–is laughable. Sometimes, when the opposition throws popcorn to the media in an election season, the media should say no thanks. This qualifies. The mileage stuff is fair game. But a homestead exemption when zillions of other folks, including the governor, are in the exact same position and the money involved is paltry?
No.
- Anon - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:36 am:
===But there was still a homestead exemption being claimed on the home in Carlinville===
There are a lot of folks that do this in Illinois that think they’re being crafty. I really wish more counties or other taxing districts took this issue more seriously so it would stop folks, whether or not they’re elected, from taking this so lightly.
- Applecity - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:36 am:
It is either 1) tax fraud or 2) voter fraud
Think back to Jason plumber, Teri Bryant and tony mayville
You have to vote from your primary residence and you can only claim the home stead on your primary residence
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:41 am:
Those Raunerites… they might have short memories?
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130329/news/703299932/
- Union Man - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:46 am:
That’s HILARIOUS O.W. !!
- ToughGuy - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:46 am:
Some of the “delinquent tax” issues being brought up during this campaign have been around since he first ran and won against Demuzio years ago. A couple more twists have been added to the list this campaign. Didn’t seem to make a difference then. Will it now? People seem to vote based on whether they like someone or not. I live out of the district but my take is most people like McCann and look at the rest as typical political noise that happens during a campaign.
- Last Bull Moose - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:49 am:
I suggest a state law requiring automatic homestead exemption review whenever there is an address change on a driver’s license.
Alternatively, build a homestead exemption review into theIIllinois income tax forms.
- Ginhouse Tommy - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:56 am:
His opponents don’t need to use smear tactics pairing him up with MJM. Just tell the truth. This clown said that he had traveled 500,000 in his car visiting the people of his district since he has been in office and was seeking reimbursement. Really dude. What else is out there that we haven’t found out about,
- AC - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:56 am:
To the people who know what this race is truly about, which is to prevent the expansion of the Rauner party, it isn’t going to matter. Those of us involved with labor have stepped up, literally, Saturday was perfect canvassing weather, and I’m hoping for more weather like that between now and the primary. To what degree we can overcome attacks that have over a million dollars of billionaire PAC money behind them, time will tell. The only thing I do know is that I’d rather have McCann’s record than Dunkin’s.
- illini - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 9:56 am:
Willy - two excellent posts, but how did you come up with the Daily Herald link so quickly? I sometimes have to spend hours trying to retrieve old news.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:01 am:
- illini -
Thanks.
I remembered Kerry Lester (who I think is great) did a piece on it, used The Google, including Lester, it came up.
No real secret. Appreciate the props.
- wordslinger - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:03 am:
I don’t think the homestead exemption issue has really stung anyone when it’s been raised in the past. Ask the governor.
Mileage reimbursements seems to be the issue with legs these days. I imagine we’ll see a lot more of that before November.
- zatoichi - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:04 am:
I live in McCann’s district. The TV spots, and now mailers to my house, hyperventilate on any potentially negative info against him. McCann is providing lots of ad material. His opponent has basically been replaced with ‘just get rid of McCann ads’. Benton has disappeared except for some very occasional lawn signs in town. None of the $1.3M+ spent against McCann gives any any hint of why Benton is a better choice. That is a lot of heat over one vote. Benton does not have the money for this heavy ad run, but it is real clear who he owes if he wins. McCann’s ads focus on ‘I stood up to big money’. I see McCann regularly at local events. Never seen Benton at anything except on TV commercials.
- Team Sleep - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:14 am:
Z - so if McCann wins, then who does he owe?! The litany of unions who have endorsed him? Or will keep claiming that he’s his “own man”? Because my guess is that they will expect something from him if he pulls this off. That’s the problem with this race - it’s a proxy war. That’s not an indictment of either man, but it’s the truth. AFSCME, the Teamsters, IUOE, SEIU and LIUNA didn’t endorse McCann and aren’t sending him help because he’s a “swell guy” and “just because”.
- Rabid - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:25 am:
Another Irish boss kisses the blarney stone
- Ottawa Phil - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:25 am:
#Toast
- zatoichi - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:29 am:
Team, I agree. There is always some tie to who ‘donated’ money when elections are won regardless of any denials. And loyalty can also blow with the wind. As far as I know, no one group ever spent that kind of cash in our area before. That is more than almost all the other local elections combined.
- AC - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:31 am:
Last Bull Moose - you are definitely on to something, local governments must be missing out on huge amounts of money due to a lack of a structured review of eligibility for the owner occupied exemption.
- Team Sleep - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:34 am:
Z - you’re probably right. Then again, we’ve never had this contentious of a race. I think we would’ve seen this kinda of spending in 2006 if Chuck Redpath had won the Dem primary instead of Sam Cahnman.
- downstater - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:49 am:
By itself, this isn’t a big issue. But, when added to the $188,000 in back taxes owed to the IRS, creditors suing him left and right, defaulting on debt and the ridiculous mileage “reimbursements”, it clearly shows a pattern.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 11:00 am:
Oh - Ottawa Phil -
How did Rauner win having 3 exemptions?
You think on that…
- Anonymous - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 11:12 am:
Team Sleep- Spot on. Let’s stop pretending that Benton is the only person receiving significant support. If McCann wins the primary, the unions are going to expect nothing less than total opposition to Gov. Rauner for the next 2 years. I’m in this district and haven’t made up my mind yet.
- NobodysAccountable - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 1:08 pm:
Anonymous - “Let’s stop pretending that Benton is the only person receiving significant support.”
I don’t recall anyone eluding to this statement. Just a clarification that Benton is the only one receiving support to the tune of $1.5 million from a Chicago PAC. I don’t ever recall that occurring before in central Illinois.
Anonymous - “If McCann wins the primary, the unions are going to expect nothing less than total opposition to Gov Rauner for the next 2 years.”
Where is the correlation between your statement and the facts? He stated he voted the way his constituency asked him to vote. He stated he was contacted time and again to vote on behalf of SB1229. He voted one time which was independent of the Governor. Because of this he ended up with a primary challenger funded by a Chicago PAC and an assumption by you he is no longer able to vote independently.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 1:27 pm:
- NobodysAccountable -
The - @MisterJayEm -’s rule of ignoring anyone using ” - Anonymous - ” is a pretty good rule…
To the Post,
The goal for McCann is to educate voters that don’t like Rauner to pull a GOP ballot and vote for him.
The problems like these are a drag on that simple message. It’s up to Labor to drive membership to McCann and ignore this “alleged” noise as voters did when voting for Rauner to send a message to Quinn.
That’s the ask, this is the “block”
- Team Sleep - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 1:51 pm:
Accountable - no, but if you check out Senator McCann’s A-1 reports since the beginning of February then you see why 11:12 made that statement.
- Norseman - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 2:28 pm:
Check Benton’s too by the way. You’ll see a massive difference between the number of people supporting McCann with donations versus his opponent. Of course, the big money has been flowing from Proft and his Chi PAC.
- btowntruth - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 2:28 pm:
As a union member I can tell you that I don’t run around singing the praises of Sam McCann by a longshot.
BUT he has proven that he will not march lockstep in agreement with every single thing the Governor wants.
I don’t think I can say that about Benton.
- Anonymous - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:00 pm:
It’s up to labor to get McCann elected over Benton. The rest of this story is simply distractionary propaganda from team rauner.
- M - Monday, Feb 29, 16 @ 10:34 pm:
I think Rich does the public a great service by operating this site, informing the public about how the sausage is really made. And I appreciate that Rich has always been open with the fact that he leans just a little left.
But regarding the ongoing budget impasse, the one thing I feel that has been missing from this conversation, and something that I believe Rich surely gets, has been Rauner’s biggest miscalculation.
Rauner is a believer in the turnaround agenda, and as such saw many others as the true believers as well(even those he disagrees with). Rauner believes that the dems in Chicago really love things like human services and CSU, and as such, they couldn’t allow them to disappear. But the reality is this is Illinois politics. It doesn’t matter if you save CSU or if you’re the guy who fought the losing but noble battle until the very end. You get the same number of votes. The dems can’t allow CSU and all these wonderful human service programs to go under, UNLESS THEY HAVE A CLEAR BAD GUY WHO MADE IT HAPPEN. You see in reality it’s just fine to let the social service network crumble as long as someone else did it and you were the guy who stood against that. In actuality it makes the dem’s job easier, because now he/she has the clear bad guy. The guy that gives you a reason to vote for the dem. Just like how Rauner unified the trade and public unions, he has actually helped the dems. Voters need to elect them, because the devil is real and his name is Rauner.
For the dems, its just like when terrorists take hostages. We say we don’t negotiate with terrorists and everyone cheers because we don’t want to encourage hostage taking. But the family of the hostage doesn’t cheer, because they want their loved one back at any cost. The dems aren’t the family, they get to accept the political windfall that comes from standing up and fighting the good fight. And the rest of us are left with nothing but the mess left by two sides who have no reason to negotiate, because the carnage makes it easier to re-elect them. (because Rauner and the GOP get the other half of the windfall from standing up with no results) I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to go out March 15th and vote for one of two sides that will screw me one way or the other.