URF???s 8 in 08: Brendan Appel, GOP Senate candidate for 9th
GLENVIEW – Glenview real estate attorney Brendan Appel says the people of the 9th State Senate District are telling him they’re disgusted with how the Democrats are abusing their political control at the state capitol, and are happy to have option of electing a Republican senator for the first time in 38 years.
The first time Republican candidate says his own frustration with the incumbent’s record led to his decision to run.
“Jeff Schoenberg is the chairman of Appropriations, and he’s helped us get into this financial mess by allowing the governor to raid the road funds and the tollway funds." Appel, a lifelong resident of Glenview, said, “As a matter of fact, he’s chaired a committee that’s allowed 600 special funds to be raided, including one for veterans and battered women.”
Although Schoenberg’s been a member of the Senate just since 2003, he was a member of the House for twelve years prior. He’s a key part of the Democratic Senate leadership under Senate President Emil Jones.
Brendan Appel’s challenge marks one of Schoenberg’s first serious opponents since he’s been a lawmaker. The Senate 9th is considered a liberal, Democratic haven where Republicans are few.
“When I talk to people at events, parades and at their doors, they’re all telling me how unhappy they are with property taxes and sales taxes going higher and higher,” Appel said. “Some tell me they haven’t talked to a Republican in years.”
Appel says that’s changing in the near north suburbs. The GOP is rebounding under the leadership of passionate, active Republicans like Evanston Township’s Linda LaFianza and New Trier Township’s Tolbert Chisholm. Volunteers are stepping forward, and they’re committed to rebuilding the GOP ranks in the area.
“We’re finding conservative Republicans in places like Evanston who say they’re excited that we’re giving them a chance to support a Republican, “ Appel said. “The response has been tremendous.”
Three issues in particular are driving this new energy in this Cook County-based district: Property taxes, gas prices and the county’s recent sales tax increase, making it the highest taxing county in the nation.
Appel believes a cap should be placed on property taxes that would limit increases to the cost of living rate – normally up to 2 or 3 percent annually. During last year’s re-assessment of properties within his area, homeowner’s property values increased by an average of 30 percent. Being a real estate attorney, Appel saw firsthand how higher assessments and the resulting increase in property taxes affected families.
“The housing crisis is complicated by rising property taxes,” Appel said. “One woman I spoke with had to sell her house because the taxes had increased to $24,000 a year. She said she could afford the mortgage on the house, she just couldn’t afford the taxes.”
Home buyers face a tighter mortgage market as well as exorbitant taxes. “Buyers are hard to find,” Appel said. “The Democrats in control offer no solutions. They need those taxes to pay for more programs.”
Add higher real estate taxes to $4.00 a gallon gas prices, and you have another complaint about Democrats. Illinois is one of only six states that taxes on the total amount due, versus a per gallon rate. So the higher gas prices go, the more motor fuel taxes Illinois rakes in to its road funds.
“Democrats shouldn’t get away with putting these taxes on people who need to buy gas the most,” Appel said. “It hits those who can’t afford to live close to their jobs. They’re the ones who pay the most in gas taxes. Those who drive the most get hit worse. Who do you think would pay the most if the governor gets his speeding cameras installed? It will be the hard working people who are forced to drive the farthest.”
While the workers who drive from bedroom communities to work bear the burden of gas taxes, what many find even more frustrating is how the money they pay in is spent on programs other than roads and bridges. As a result, the General Assembly is forced to find a way to fund a capital program. That usually involves long term debt and passing that on to future taxpayers.
“My opponent has chaired the Appropriations Committee and done nothing to stop this,” Appel said. “We should have plenty to pay for state employee pensions and fund a capital program.”
Schoenberg owes his district an explanation, Appel said. “This is nothing but a failure of leadership that’s put us on a suicidal path of deficit spending.”
All this is normal campaign rhetoric, of course. But does Appel think he’s really got a chance at defeating Schoenberg in 2008?
“We’re pretty excited that there are close to 500 ‘Appel for Senate’ yard signs on display in the district right now,” he said. “People tell me ‘good for you’ for challenging Schoenberg. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we think there’s enough dissatisfaction In Springfield that anything could happen in November.”
What Appel is hearing in his Cook County district is what other Republican candidates are hearing statewide, and in an election year when the ticket is dominated by a prominent Chicago Democrat, there may be elections down the ballot that actually bring more voters out than analysts expect, United Republican Fund’s Executive Director Dennis LaComb said.
“Races like Brendan Appel’s are ones we’re excited about because we know surprises can happen in a year when voters are unhappy with the status quo,” LaComb said. “This could be a year like the one LaSalle’s Gary Dahl had in 2004 when he ousted another key Senate Democrat.”
As one who serve in the Illinois Senate for 15 years, URF President Steve Rauschenberger agrees that voters are restless and local elections could jar pundits’ 2008 expectations.
“Brendan Appel is a knowledgeable candidate and a solid social and fiscal conservative,” Rauschenberger said. “There’s no question Jeff Schoenberg will be tough to knock off, but it will take quality candidates like Brendan to win in districts like the 9th and for Republicans to regain the majority in the Senate. If we don’t back good candidates like Brendan, we’ll never balance the Democrats in Springfield.”
Appel is one of the eight Republican candidates the United Republican Fund has chosen to support in the 2008 election. The URF backs candidates that uphold conservative political views such as limited government, individual liberties, free markets and traditional values. Family values are especially important to Appel. He and his wife Doris have two little girls.
“If I am elected, I’d like to work on this property tax problem,” Appel said. “I’m also interested in helping [State Senator] Matt Murphy pursue the option for secession from corrupt Cook County. It’s time the city wasn’t a leech on the hard working people in the suburbs.”
“I’m jazzed and excited about what surprises this election could hold,” he said.”We shouldn’t fear the Obama effect. It shouldn’t trouble our psyche.”
If only Appel could get that message to Republicans statewide…and they would believe it.
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For more information on Brendan Appel, see his website at www.brendanappel.com.
For more about the upcoming 8 in 08 campaign, see www.unitedrepublican.com.