West Cook News

Chris Harris, an independent Democrat running for the 7th District State Representative (Maywood, Forest Park, Bellwood, River Forest) nomination, condemned incumbent Chris Welch for his negative advertising that “has no foundation in fact.”

Welch, a longtime ally of the Chicago Democrat Machine, is being backed by leading interests looking to preserve the state’s status quo. He’s raised more than $250,000 from those interests, according to an announcement Harris posted on his web site, harrisforstaterep.com.

“He has no record to run on so he is resorting to lies and scare tactics,” Harris wrote. “It is shameful and cannot be tolerated. (This happens) in any race where an independent Democrat is challenging a lockstep Madigan Machine politician.”

Welch and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) have been consistent supporters of state borrowing to make ends meet.

The state has $194 billion in debt; Welch has backed a Chicago-centric plan to borrow an additional $4 billion this year, spending more money on Chicago’s public schools and putting more pressure on West Cook County property taxes, which are the highest in Illinois.

Harris is running on a platform of lower property taxes and high- er spending for suburban public schools.

The Chicago Public Schools spent $15,120 per student last year, more than all but eight of 35 West Cook districts, according to an analysis by West Cook News. That’s thanks to large subsidies supported by Welch and Madigan from taxpayers in West Cook and elsewhere, who picked up 51 percent of Chicago’s school tab, or more than $7,500 per student.

CPS leaders have publicly asked state taxpayers to give it another $5,000 per student, which would make the district the highest spending in the state.

Oak Park-River Forest District 200 got only eight percent of its funding from the state last year; River Forest District 90 got nine percent.

Hillside District 93 ($12,292 per student) received 12 percent, and Westchester District 92-5 ($10,561) got 15 percent from non-local tax- payers. Both spent considerably less than the highly-subsidized Chicago.