Amanda Biela, a contender for the Illinois 15th District representative seat held by John D’Amico (D-Chicago), is still seeing a lot of consternation on property taxes while talking to voters.
“Just this week I was talking with a recently retired school teacher living in the Wildwood neighborhood on the far northwest side of Chicago,” Biela told Chicago City Wire. “She and her husband had lived in their home for over 40 years, but she was worried that they might have to move because of their ever-increasing property taxes.”
Biela stressed the importance of showing constituents that there is someone out there fighting to help them deal with the financial pressures. She has criticized D'Amico as being out of touch with the average voter.
Amanda Biela
“She's not the only one who has expressed this sentiment,” Biela said of the retired teacher. “I've heard it numerous times as I’ve canvassed the district.”
Biela is a former Chicago high school teacher who holds a master's degree in social science from the University of Chicago. She's also been active in various non-profits, including Chicago youth programs. For the last nine years, she has been living in the neighborhood of Edgebrook with her husband, Michael, who works as a Chicago high school principal, and three children.
“It is simply not right that Illinois families are being priced out of their communities because of property taxes,” Biela said. “Many are paying for their homes twice: once with their mortgage and once with property taxes.”
Biela said she has a strategy for limiting the tax increases that hit local residents so hard.
“I advocate for putting a hard, 1 percent cap on increases, as a percentage of home value, on property taxes,” Biela said. “This would restore home values immediately and allow families to stay in their homes and at the same time force local and state governments to actually balance their budgets and be fiscally responsible."
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