Campaign Co-chairs:
Mayor Mike Belsky
Highland Park
Karen May
State Rep., 58th District
Susan Garrett
State Senator, 29th District
Endorsed by:
Michael Brenner
Highland Park City Councilman
Steve Mandel
Highland Park City Councilman
Larry Silberman
Highland Park City Councilman
Scott Levenfeld
Highland Park City Councilman
Terri Olian
Highland Park
City Councilwoman
Ron Zweig
Highland Park City Treasurer
Dan Pierce
Former Mayor, Highland Park
Former State Representative
Member and Former President, North Shore Sanitary District Board
Dan Hynes
State Comptroller
Alexi Giannoulias
State Treasurer
Lauren Beth Gash
Former State Representative
Anne Bassi
Lake County Board Member
Michelle Feldman
Lake County Board Member
Carol Speilman
Former Lake County Board Member
Margie Sandlow
Member, NSSD 113 School Board
Joel Hurwitz
Member, NSSD 113 School Board
Harvey Cohen
Member, NSSD 113 School Board
Nancy Rosenbaum
President, Board of Park Commissioners
Lorry Werhane
Vice-President, Board of Park Commissioners
Cal Bernstein
Member, Board of Park Commissioners
Elaine Waxman
Member, Board of Park Commissioners
Stacy Weiss
Member, Board of Park Commissioners
Rick Smith
Former President, Board of Park Commissioners
Richard Korengold
Chair, Business and Economic Development Commission
Steve Hamel
Past-Chair, Business and Economic Development Commission
Marla Forbes
Member, Business and Economic Development Commission
Al Klairmont
Prsident, Property Owners Association
More supporters >>
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In the News | Community Support
Green Campaign/Environmental Issues
Fiscal Responsibility
You Can Count On
City governments all across Illinois face enormous challenges during these uncertain economic times. This feeling was summarized in a recent page 1 headline in the Chicago Tribune: "Suburbs face a storm of service cuts; Municipalities foresee less tax revenue as economy worsens."
I am proud to say Highland Park was not mentioned by the Tribune as an example of one the cities already faced with these difficult fiscal decisions. Relatively speaking, the city is in good financial condition. Based on my record on the council, I think there are several reasons I deserve re-election, but I want to talk first about the need for stability in financial leadership during these challenging conditions.
We entered this year with a 38% fund balance. When compared to other cities, such as the City of Chicago with less than a 1% fund balance, we are well prepared to operate in these challenging economic times. This is due in part to our AAA Bond Rating and our continued fiscal responsibility.
It is with great pride that I look back on our accomplishments, including reducing the city's portion of your property tax bill to 6.60%, the lowest level in recent history and approximately 35% less than the city's share a decade ago. While the overall property tax bill has gone up in recent years, the city's portion of your tax bill has gone down.
As Chairman of both the Finance Committee and the Highland Park CBD Private/Public Economic Alliance, I have been a catalyst for change that has resulted in sound economic growth and municipal fiscal responsibility. We have dramatically increased our funding for streets, sewers, bridges, drinking water and other core infrastructure components while decreasing our city's dependency on your property taxes.
While I am pleased with our city's accomplishments to date, there are challenging issues facing our community, and our nation, that require my continued effort and energy as a public servant. Local property values are under pressure and competition relating to our business district has never been more intense. These issues require thoughtful and positive leadership at all levels of government.
In addition to economic issues, I am actively engaged in numerous quality of life initiatives relating to protecting our environment, providing services for our growing senior community and ensuring that our community's youth are as safe and protected as possible. I want to continue to help build a foundation for our future.
I have a passion to serve the residents of Highland Park because my goal is to give back to the community that provided me with so much throughout my long residency. Constituent service, thoughtful legislative action and prudent fiscal policy are all critical to positive and productive public service.
Because of the challenges and opportunities that must be addressed in our community, it is vital that I continue to apply my energies toward the betterment of Highland Park.Please feel free to contact me at anytime to discuss local issues, your vision for our future or concerns you may have about our community. I can be reached at home at 847.926.8919 or via email at HPKirsch@Comcast.net.
In the News
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