Sign up for our newsletter here to stay informed of my campaign for Schaumburg Mayor and all of the Schaumburg Freedom Coalition’s activities fighting wasteful spending and high taxes in Schaumburg.

Sunday’s Daily Herald cover story broke the news about the political fallout from years of wasteful spending and tax increases from the Village of Schaumburg, and yes I can confirm that I am running for Mayor of Schaumburg for the election in April 2011.

As 2010 begins, a new property tax and a lingering poor economy are both testing Schaumburg’s traditional identity.

The first fallout from the property tax has appeared: For the first time in 16 years, a challenger says he’ll take on Village President Al Larson in the April 2011 municipal election. Brian Costin, a 30-year-old libertarian activist, says the village has a track record of wasteful spending.

A formal campaign website will be coming soon, but if you want to know more about what the Schaumburg Freedom Coalition has done to support good governance in Schaumburg feel free to browse this site to find out more about where we stand on the issues.

Below is a part of my campaign platform in which I will be running on for election as Mayor in 2011.

Why Brian Costin is running for Mayor of Schaumburg?

1) To Put a Stop to Mayor Larson’s Relentless Tax Hikes
• Under Mayor Al Larson’s direction the Village of Schaumburg has raised 18 major taxes in the last 22 years.
• Schaumburg has hiked the Hotel, Amusement, Telecommunications, Real Estate Transfer Taxes, the Cable Service Provider Fee, Created 2 new TIF districts, and most recently enacted Schaumburg’s first Municipal Property Tax that will increase property taxes by at least 8%.
• In 2009, the Schaumburg raised 369 smaller fees & taxes including business licenses, building permits, water usage, and much more
• Schaumburg has the highest Bar & Restaurant Tax in the United States at 12%.
• Our General Retail Sales Tax rate is second only to Chicago at 10%
• My first order of business will be to reverse the recent property tax hike through referendum then work on cutting other sales taxes.

2) To Stop the Reckless Growth in Government Spending
• Since Mayor Al Larson was elected in 1987, Village expenditures have exploded from $24.9 million to over $200 million for the 2008/09 fiscal year.
• Schaumburg’s expenditures have grown 260% faster than population growth plus inflation almost quadrupling the size of government.
• From 2002-2003 FY to 2008-2009 the number of employees making over $75K increased from 143 employees to 333 employees, a 132% increase.
• The number of employees making over $100K increased from 20 employees to 78 employees, a 290% increase.

3) Get Schaumburg out of the Business of Running Failing Businesses
• Under Mayor Larson’s control the Village of Schaumburg has decided to be a Convention Center & Hotel owner, a minor-league baseball franchise owner, and an airport owner-operator.
• In 2010 the Convention Center & Hotel is expected to lose $27 million for the taxpayers ($5.9 million in tax revenues, $6.6 million property tax exemption, $4.6 million loss before depreciation, and a $9.9 million depreciation loss), which is more than the new $24 million property tax hike and the $17 million budget hole.
• The Airport has lost on average of $1.5 million per year over the last 5 years (not including property tax exemption).
• The Village recently spent $800 thousand repainting the Alexian Field Baseball Stadium, but it only values its 50% share in the property at $500K -$1 million. It loses on average $500K per year on the stadium.
• The Village should not be operating businesses best left to the private sector.
• It should sell all 3 properties and cut taxes correspondingly.

4) Ethics Reform for Schaumburg
• Mayor Larson has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from Village contractors and Village Employees.
• Donors include the architect, construction company, and the manager of the Schaumburg Convention Center.
• Donors also include the Village’s contracted accounting firm, law firm, landscaping, towing, construction, website developer, and many more.
• I will not accept donations from any company or individual doing business with, or employed by, the Village of Schaumburg & will seek to make a law preventing all such donations in the future.
• I have conducted Freedom of Information Act Requests and put millions of dollars in Village of Schaumburg expenditures up on the Schaumburg Freedom Coalition website at www.schaumburgfreedom.com/transparency that the Village has refused to put up on their own website. I have also put up the salaries of all Village employees that the Village refuses to put up on their own website.
• I am committed to full online transparency within 7 days of all Village expenditures being incurred and financial documents being created and will encourage and pass any law to guaranteeing more transparency and public accountability for the people of Schaumburg.
• I am committing to voluntary term limits of 8 years (2 terms).

Related posts:

1. Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson to Hike Property Taxes Mayor Larson is addicted to Tax & Spend Big Government....
2. Rebuttal to Village of Schaumburg’s Pro-Property Tax Flyer (Part 2) Village employees handed out a flyer that was in direct...
3. Schaumburg Sales Tax Rollback Effort Presents 1,250+ Signatures to Village Board Over 1,250 signatures to roll back Schaumburg’s home rule sales...
4. Let the People Vote on Schaumburg Property Tax The citizens of Schaumburg should have the power to approve...