After being told by Illinois Opportunity Project that Khouri was their pick for the seat, school board member Jeanette Ward said would back Khouri rather than launch a Republican primary in the 49th district.
Khouri's announcement says she's unhappy with the Illinois General Assembly's refusal to cut spending or property taxes and, instead, increase state income taxes 32%.
“Springfield’s appetite for our money is insatiable. Our families pay the highest property taxes in the nation, and the Chicago Democrats’ and Surrender Republicans’ answer was to burden us with a 32% income tax hike without any reforms,” said Khouri. “People are rightly frustrated and angry because they work hard and are punished for doing so.”
The 49th District includes parts of Geneva, St. Charles, Batavia and South Elgin in Kane County; West Chicago, Naperville (northwest) and Aurora (northeast) in DuPage County, and Bartlett in far northwest Cook County.
The state income tax hike will cost Kane County taxpayers an additional $223 million and DuPage County taxpayers an additional $557 million per year– money sent to politicians in Springfield who have proven they cannot manage it prudently, Khouri's campaign said in the statement.
“It’s time to represent the people’s interests. I’m going to Springfield to take on the politicians in power who have bankrupted our state and failed our families,” Khouri said. “It’s time we hold our elected officials accountable for their actions.”
Khouri. who serves on the DuPage County Board, opposes tax increases and believes governments should live within their means.
“I am focused on protecting quality of life for families and small businesses in our community. That means property tax relief, governmental reforms, and accountability in Springfield because cronyism, corruption, and unaccountability are hurting our families and killing our state.”
Raised in Glen Ellyn (DuPage County), Tonia Khouri and her husband Joe started a home services company, Green T, with one man and one truck; they now serve over 27,000 customers in the Chicagoland area. Tonia and Joe have been married 25 years and have 3 children: Stephanie, Tony, and Paul.