State House Hopefuls Draw Lines on Taxes, Pensions, and Public Subsidies

At a Black media roundtable and in written questionnaires, four Democratic candidates vying to succeed 8th District state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford in the Illinois House staked out distinct positions on a range of issues, including the Bears stadium debate, pension reform, and taxation. 

The contrasts were on display in written questionnaires submitted to the Chicago Sun-Times and The Culture, as well as during a Feb. 23 Black media roundtable hosted at Chicago News Weekly in Humboldt Park, where the candidates also addressed criticisms about their campaigns. 

The candidates — Latonya Mitts, Shantel Franklin, Jill Bush, and the Rev. John Harrell — shared their positions on a range of issues, including pensions, taxes, and stadium funding. 

Latonya Mitts, 49, an insurance professional and former chief of staff to State Rep. Omar Williams, said billionaires should shoulder the cost of their own facilities.

“Billionaires should be building their own stadiums, not burdening working families with higher property tax bills,” Mitts said in her Sun-Times questionnaire response. Still, she added that she would be open to legislation improving infrastructure around the proposed Soldier Field site.

Shantel Franklin, 32, a legislative liaison in the Illinois Attorney General’s office who is currently on leave, took a firmer stance against tax incentives. She said she does not support freezing property tax assessments for large private developments like a stadium, calling it fiscally irresponsible.

“A blanket tax freeze shifts costs onto homeowners and small businesses, threatens funding for schools and local services, and sets a troubling precedent,” Franklin said, adding that any incentives should be limited, transparent, and tied to enforceable public benefits.

Jill Bush, 62, director of community engagement for the 29th Ward, was unequivocal. 

“I do not and will not support any tax provision in support of the Chicago Bears on the backs of Illinois taxpayers,” she said. 

Harrell, 54, founder of Black Men United, pastor of Proviso Baptist Church in Maywood, and pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Chicago, emphasized keeping the team in the city but signaled limits.

“I want to do everything possible to keep the Bears in the city of Chicago, within reason,” Harrell said, adding that he opposes relocating the team to Arlington Heights or Indiana.

On pensions, all four candidates said earned benefits must be protected, but they offered different solutions for addressing the state’s long-standing fiscal strain.

“A pension is a promise, and Illinois needs to keep its promises,” Mitts said, arguing that the state should seek progressive revenue streams, including potentially expanding the sales tax to certain services and revisiting a graduated income tax.

Franklin also rejected benefit cuts, instead calling for “disciplined budgeting” and a more sustainable payment structure. She said the state must fully fund its obligations annually and pursue reforms that reduce long-term liabilities without shifting costs to future generations.

Bush proposed more structural changes. She suggested shifting new hires to 401(k)-style plans, adjusting cost-of-living increases over time, increasing state and local contributions, and consolidating pension investments. 

“The main thing is to live within our means,” Harrell said, opposing cuts to benefits but warning against overspending that worsens the pension problem.

Mitts said she would support a millionaire’s tax on the wealthiest Illinois residents and is open to expanding progressive revenue sources.

Franklin said she does not support raising income or sales taxes as a first resort. Before considering increases, she said, the state should pursue responsible budgeting and close corporate loopholes. She told The Culture she strongly supports a property tax “circuit breaker” that ties tax liability to income to prevent homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. 

Bush said she would prioritize more efficient use of existing tax revenues rather than broad increases, but she expressed support for a 3% surtax on income over $1 million, as proposed by former Gov. Pat Quinn, to finance property tax relief. She also backs existing relief programs, including the state’s income tax credit for property taxes and the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption. 

Harrell said he would consider an income tax increase on high earners but opposes expanding the sales tax, which he described as regressive and harmful to low- and middle-income families.

Addressing critiques

The Feb. 23 roundtable also allowed candidates to respond to criticisms.

Mitts, the daughter of longtime 37th Ward Ald. Emma Mitts, embraced her political lineage. 

“Yes, it’s legacy,” she said. “If you’ve done great, you want your children to follow your leadership.” 

She described her decision to run as her own and said her mother was initially surprised. 

Franklin defended more than $70,000 in campaign contributions from the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), saying she is proud of her endorsements from four teachers unions and supports fully funding the state’s evidence-based school formula by 2027, a measure strongly backed by the CTU. 

Harrell addressed anonymous mailers referencing a prison sentence for financial crimes roughly two decades ago, as previously reported. He said he has been transparent about his past and pointed to his work feeding the hungry and building affordable housing through Black Men United. He called the attacks defamatory and said he is considering legal action.