Home rule means different things in different states. In Illinois, it means that there is no limit on the debt the municipality can take on; allows for new property fines, fees, and regulations to be imposed; and provides for property tax increases – all without voter approval. So, when the city of East Moline in the northwest of the state put a home-rule referendum on the ballot last spring, Quad City REALTORS® strenuously objected.
They tapped into the power of REALTOR® Party resources, turning to the state association for assistance. Gideon Blustein, Illinois REALTORS®’ Senior Director of Advocacy Programs, began by looking at local voter demographics and trends as revealed by recent in-depth polling conducted with the REALTOR® Party. “What we saw was that East Moline skews a bit more blue-collar than the surrounding area, with a growing immigrant population,” he reports. “Historically, these are groups that tend to trust local government and would be inclined to accept the unrestrained local powers under home rule, so we realized this was a municipality where it would take a more thoughtful effort to oppose it.”
Convening a mini-focus group of local REALTORS® familiar with East Moline revealed insights that informed a winning Issues Mobilization campaign strategy. “We asked them to describe the city’s best attributes, and it became clear that while it might be considered a bit of an underdog among neighboring towns, East Moline had actually been making lots of progress in recent years in things like public property investment, attracting commercial businesses, and nightlife,” explains Blustein. “Based on these points of civic pride, we developed a campaign whose principal message was ‘Don’t Stop the Progress,’ emphasizing that home rule would bring East Moline’s positive trajectory to a grinding halt. We also drew attention to the fact that home rule status would raise the cost of living and discourage new businesses from choosing to locate there.”
The two-month campaign involved a landing page, digital and tv advertising, and a series of direct mailers featuring messages such as: “East Moline has seen amazing progress in recent years. From housing investments to retail and grocery shopping to restaurants and entertainment – East Moline is heading in the right direction. That’s why it’s important to vote no on home rule: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” In an unlooked-for windfall, the city itself created a website promoting home rule, from which the REALTORS® were able to pull statements to use in their campaign against the concept. “We used their direct quotes in our messaging, to show that the city intended to use the power of home rule to expand its taxing and regulatory authority,” notes Blustein. “It was sheer luck that we were able to capitalize on the opposition’s campaign.”
To close the campaign strong, these efforts were supplemented by targeted get-out-the-vote calls and text messages in the days before the election. Just as the REALTOR® polling and focus groups had predicted, the strategic messaging prevailed and the ballot measure was defeated by a whopping 68%.
To learn more about how Illinois REALTORS® is working with local associations to fend-off home rule status that would likely lead to property tax increases, contact Gideon Blustein, Senior Director of Advocacy Programs, at gblustein@illinoisrealtors.org or 847.899.1873.
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