Another McHenry Countian In State House

At a ceremony at the University of Illinois Springfield, State Rep. Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) took the oath of office to become State Rep. for the newly created 64th Legislative District.  Wheeler says she is humbled at the opportunity to serve the interests of her neighbors and friends in Springfield.

“The responsibility of serving as State Representative is not something I take lightly,” said Wheeler.  “I have been honored to serve the people of McHenry County as a County Board Member, now I take the challenge further to serve the interests of McHenry and Lake Counties in Springfield.”

Barbara has spent her entire adult life in public service, starting as volunteer for the United States Peace Corps.  She later served as a school teacher at Wauconda Middle School and was elected to the McHenry County Board in 2002.  As a Board Member, Barbara’s top priorities were conservation and fiscal responsibility.  She was awarded the Theta Award from the McHenry County Environmental Society for her conservation agenda.  Additionally, the County Board improved the bond rating to Aaa during her tenure.  Barbara stresses that in order to achieve these accomplishments in Illinois, the General Assembly needs to exert legislative courage.

 “There are major issues facing the State of Illinois,” said Wheeler.  “We have an underfunded pension system, an unwanted income tax increase, and billions of dollars in unpaid bills. Solutions to these problems are not easy.  We need to be brave.  We need to be courageous.  We need to stand up for what is right for the people of Illinois and deal with today’s problems now.  The people deserve this from their elected leaders.”

Wheeler says her top priorities in Springfield will be fixing the State’s finances while bringing jobs back to McHenry and Lake Counties.  She notes that dealing with the Illinois $96 billion in pension liability and allowing the 67% income tax increase to expire as solutions which the General Assembly needs the courage to solve.

“We have a unique problem in Illinois, where, despite extra revenue, pensions are still underfunded and bills are still unpaid,” said Wheeler.  “This is unacceptable.  The solutions are not easy, but there are ways for Illinois to fix its pensions, pay its bills, and allow the tax increase to expire.  We just need the courage to confront our current realities and get the job done.”