On Election Eve, Impact of Special Interest Groups Remains Unknown

On the eve of an off-year election, when ballots typically feature municipal races and local propositions, the presence of national special interest groups in Lemont has many voters asking, “Why?”

In recent weeks, emails have been circulated with a link to the website www.lemont113A.com, which features a banner that reads, “Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A: It’s not a revenue problem…it’s a spending problem!”

The site is hosted by the Illinois chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a national non-profit that dedicates itself to “educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing those citizens as advocates in the public policy process," according to its Web site.

The organization was founded in 2004 by billionaires David and Charles Koch, both of whom are longtime libertarians.

“We have chapters in 30 states and more than a million activists, including about 50,000 in Illinois,” said Joe Calomino, state director of Americans for Prosperity Illinois.  “We help educate and empower citizens to hold elected officials accountable for how they spend tax dollars.”

For the third time in as many elections, District 113A is asking Lemont voters to consider a tax increase referendum to generate revenue for its now-depleted working cash fund. On Tuesday, voters will decide the fate of a $20 million working cash bond proposal, as well as the four open seats on the District 113A Board of Education.

According to Calomino, his group was contacted several months ago by residents in the Lemont community who expressed concerns about the district's financial situation. There are nearly 200 members of Americans for Prosperity who reside within District 113A's boundaries, he said.

"We came into Lemont primarily by the request of our members," Calomino said. "There were individuals who informed us of a number of issues in the district that needed to be looked at. For example, we looked at their Web site and they didn't have their checkbook posted."

At the Feb. 14 meeting of the District 113A School Board, Calomino was joined by Lemont residents Mike Madden and James Jandora — both of whom identified themselves as members of Americans for Prosperity — as they called on the administration to open the checkbook for public viewing.

District officials have since claimed that the information is .

More recently, however, Calomino's group has been primarily concerned with the $20 million bond question. The slide show posted on their Web site provides information regarding District 113A finances and referendum scenarios that Calomino claims to be factual. (Data was compiled by Liberty Markets, a group that provides analytical services to groups dedicated to "liberty-expanding social change.")

The conclusion of the slide show is that the solution is "better expense management," in District 113A, not "more borrowed money."

The presentation was shown for the first time publicly at a District 113A candidate forum hosted by the Lemont Tea Party on March 10. The group has also been sharing information through "robo-calls," which have been reported by a number of Lemont residents.

"Our goal at this point is to educate the public," he said. "We were asked to participate more in-depth . . . and to make a presentation on the facts. We did that."

However, some residents aren't so sure.

Mark Hinkle, president of the pro-referendum group Citizens for 113A questioned the motivations of Americans for Prosperity, as well as the Lemont Tea Party, for sharing the presentation.

“Some of their information is fact-based, but some is not,” he said. “I think they’re painting a very small picture of the district’s finances.”

Volunteers with Citizens for 113A, a registered political group, argues that the district is underfunded due to low property tax rates, and that the schools have operated efficiently under the circumstances.

According to their Web site, they believe a successful referendum "will immediately restore financial stability to the district, bring teachers back into our classrooms and restore some of the cut academic programs in the upcoming school year."

Although Calomino maintained that his purpose was to educate Lemont residents, not sway their votes, Americans for Prosperity are against tax increases, in principle.

According to their mission statement, the organization supports "cutting taxes and government spending in order to halt the encroachment of government in the economic lives of citizens by fighting proposed tax increases and pointing out evidence of waste, fraud and abuse."

"We've heard from many of our members, and there appears to be a problem here," Calomino said. "It's the responsibility of the public to take action and make change . . . Having the public become engaged in activism, that's really our mission.

Tea Party ties

Despite working closely with the Tea Party on a number of issues, representatives for Americans for Prosperity have long denied direct links to the group.

Similarly, Calomino denied any direct links to the Lemont Tea Party, though he participated in their candidate forum and recently co-hosted a showing of The Cartel, a documentary about public education in New Jersey.

"We have about 200 members in this area, and those members are representative of many groups," he said.

According to its Web site, the Lemont Tea Party is "an independent grassroots group of citizens whose sole purpose is to unite those individuals who believe the government has overextended its reach and has been fiscally irresponsible through overspending, bailouts and excessive taxation."

Several Lemont Tea Party members were present at the film screening, along with District 113A candidates Laura Reigle, Duane Bradley and Janet Hughes, a current board member. Reigle and Bradley denied any formal membership with Americans for Prosperity, saying they were merely interested in viewing the film.

"As a candidate, I try to reach out to many constituents of all different beliefs and backgrounds," Reigle said.

Hughes, however, confirmed she is an active member of Americans for Prosperity. She also said she has reached out to individuals from the organization in the past.

"There are a lot of problems here, and I needed help," she said. "(Americans for Prosperity) is a wonderful organization."

In an article published Dec. 28 in the Southtown Star, Hughes was listed among "local Tea Party members expected to file." She is now a write-in candidate after for allegedly failing to properly bind her nominating petition.

In a phone interview last month, Hughes would not confirm her membership to the Tea Party, but said she was endorsed by Homer Township Clerk Steve Balich, an activist in the Tea Party movement.

She denied any allegations of receiving campaign funds from any interest group.

Last week an email from Lemont Tea Party activists to its supporters titled "Candidates to Consider" showed the results of straw poll. The results showed 84.2 percent voting against the referendum. The top five candidates, of the nine considered, were: Al Malley, Michael Aurelio, Reigle, Bradley and Hughes.

Lemont Tea Party member Stephanie Kovacik confirmed the results, but denied any formal endorsements. Calomino also denied endorsing any particular candidate, adding that Americans for Prosperity has not donated money to any campaign.

"It's not always about taking a stance on an issue," he said.

Groups focus on April 5

Despite the claim that Americans for Prosperity has ties to Lemont through its approximately 200 volunteers, Hinkle again questioned the group's political motivations.

“All of us in the group have a personal vested interest in Lemont,” Hinkle said. “Americans for Prosperity has not vested interest in Lemont and their message is motivated by their group’s agenda, which has nothing to do with the long-term future of the community of Lemont.”

Lisa Wright, president of the District 113A Board of Education, said she, too, was curious what the group is hoping to accomplish in Lemont.

"As a board, we've done what people have asked of us, but it's never enough," she said. "I just don't know what their agenda is."

The agenda, Calomino said, is clear.

"As a third-party organization, we have worked with members in the community to make them feel empowered and less threatened," he said. "We wanted to formulate professional discussion and we've been able to accomplish that so far."

Bruno Behrend, director of the Center for School Reform at the Heartland Institute, spoke at the screening of The Cartel. Having taken an active interest in District 113A, despite working from Chicago, he argued against the notion that outsiders should stay out of local issues.

"Every school district is part of the bigger education system and the bigger tax base," he said. "I don't believe anyone can say we don't have a right to get involved."