East Central Reporter

A Danville resident contended in a recent letter to the editor that Vermilion County Board Chairman Mike Marron's run for the state’s 104th House District seat is more of Marron's campaign of self-promotion.

The Edgar County Watchdogs (ECW) posted the letter, which appeared in the News Gazette.

“Attending Marron’s board meetings, I have seen wasteful expenditures of tax money, seen him and his family reap huge financial benefits through controversial expansion of windmills, seen the abuse of power in political hirings and firings, and have seen arbitrary and dictatorial changes in employee policy and how the public can communicate with the board,” Mike McClain wrote.

McClain argued that Marron’s tenure has seen the county increase property tax revenue by increasing the assessed value of homes in the county and the rate at which those homes are taxed. He wrote that he has seen friends’ tax rates raised by more than 10 percent under Marron’s leadership.

“His actions as board chairman are based on self-aggrandizement and promotion of his own power,” McClain wrote. “He has and would continue to work well with other politicians whose first concern is taking care of themselves rather than the people they represent, and who have made Illinois such a financial and political disaster. Is this really the kind of candidate we want as our district representative?”