(Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Silkwood ran for Madison County auditor in 2020)
East Alton Village financials indicate that taxes were raised as the general fund was depleted and pension funds worsened under Illinois House candidate Joe Silkwood’s leadership.
Silkwood, who served as mayor of East Alton from 2015-2020, is running on the Democratic ticket for Illinois House District 111 against Republican incumbent Amy Elik, a certified public accountant and forensic auditor, who is seeking a second term in the General Assembly.
“The citizens of East Alton continually paid more taxes and received nothing in return," Elik said. "The fiscal health of the Village dwindled and left taxpayers with an even heavier property tax burden."
Silkwood has not responded to requests for comment.
From 1999-2015, Silkwood served as East Alton treasurer. He retired as treasurer and ran unopposed for village trustee. The same night he was sworn in as trustee, former mayor Fred Bright retired. Silkwood was elevated from trustee and immediately appointed mayor by a unanimous vote of the sitting trustees. Under village ordinance, appointment to mayor could only go to a village trustee. He was later elected to the position in 2017.
Elik said transparency at all levels of government is essential.
“I believe in transparency, whether it is in budgeting or appointments,” Elik said. “In a state where corruption is rampant and Democratic politicians are in the news with breathtaking frequency for investigations, indictments, and arrests, we cannot afford backroom deals.”
Silkwood retired as mayor of East Alton when he ran for Madison County auditor in 2020. He lost by an 11-point margin to Republican David Michael.
In April 2021, Silkwood told The Telegraph that he would be retiring from local government.
Then in February 2022, he announced his bid to run for state representative.
Executive Director of the House Republican Majority Jayme Siemer is critical of Silkwood’s fiscal leadership.
“It’s hard to imagine a record worse than Joe Silkwood’s,” Siemer said. “As mayor of East Alton, Silkwood raised taxes, drained the general fund by more than $3 million, and put first responder pensions in jeopardy. The residents of the 111th District cannot trust Joe Silkwood. We need CPA Amy Elik in Springfield who will fight to lower taxes, end public corruption, and support law enforcement.”
During Silkwood’s tenure as mayor, village financial records indicate that the “unassigned fund balance of the General Fund” was depleted by more than $3.6 million. At the end of fiscal year 2015, the balance was $4,083,261, which represents 94 percent of the total expenditures. By the end of fiscal year 2019, the balance of the General Fund was $474,416, which represents 10.7 percent of total expenditures.
Financial records also indicate that while the General Fund was decreasing, taxes were increasing. Specifically, the tax rate was increased by approximately 34 percent from 2014 to 2018.
Elik said the focus for Assembly members should be on lowering the tax burden on families.
“I am working to lower taxes, and specifically property taxes, to ensure families can stay together and seniors can afford to keep their homes in retirement,” Elik said. “We don’t need to elect another free-spending Democrat to the General Assembly. Taxpayers in the metro east deserve a representative who will treat their money responsibly, and as a CPA, I’m uniquely qualified to make sure we root out waste and corruption so we can lower taxes for everyone.”
East Alton’s police and fire pension funds also suffered under Silkwood, who vowed to make safety a priority when he announced his House candidacy. Documents indicate that the police pension fund was 36.3 percent funded in 2015, dropping to 24.2 percent in 2019. Similarly, the fire pension fund was 30.7 percent funded in 2015, dropping to 22.7 percent in 2019.
Elik criticized the depletion of the pension funds for first responders.
“Pension funds are not piggy banks,” Elik said, “and promises to our first responders must be kept. We must protect the retirement of our heroes with responsible budgeting.”
Silkwood’s campaign committee, Friends of Joe Silkwood, reported $84,500 in campaign contributions in its quarterly report for the period running from July 1 through Sept. 30.
A majority of his campaign contributions came from the Democratic Party of Illinois. He also received contributions in excess of $1,000 from other Democratic campaign committees, including committees supporting Rep. Jay Hoffman and the former 111th District Rep. Monica Bristow.
Bristow lost the election by a 10-point margin to Elik in 2020.
Silkwood also received contributions from unions and plaintiff’s firms, including The Gori Law Firm, Pratt & Tobin and attorney David Galanti of Galanti Law Office.