Skillicorn challenges McHenry County Board member Carolyn Schofield to series of debates

State Rep. Allen Skillicorn, R-East Dundee, issued a challenge Friday, asking his primary opponent to participate in a series of debates hosted by the local Republican Party across the 66th House District.

Both Skillicorn and McHenry County Board member Carolyn Schofield ran for the 66th House seat in 2016, and they again will be running for the post in the 2020 primary.

Although Schofield carried McHenry County in the March 2016 primary, Skillicorn received 4,816 votes, compared with Schofield’s 4,211 votes.

Schofield on Saturday said she’s not opposing a public conversation, but since the window for filing nominating petitions hasn’t even opened yet, and it is unclear whether there will be any other candidates in the race, it seems too early to be thinking about scheduling public forums.

“I’m very open to having public discussions with [Skillicorn] on issues,” Schofield said. “I always have been, but I’m not going to commit to anything specifically at this point because it’s premature to do so.”

Skillicorn said in a news release that one of the biggest area on which he and Schofield differ is taxes.

“My opponent seems to have the view that taxpayers are nothing more than ATM machines for government officials,” Skillicorn said in the release. “I think we need to have these debates so she can explain to Republican voters her rationale for supporting tax increases.”

Schofield said she finds it ironic that Skillicorn would bring up claims of supporting tax increases – without specific examples or evidence – after she voted Tuesday to pass a county budget that permanently cut the county’s tax levy by 10%.

Schofield added that she assumes Skillicorn may be referring to her time on the Crystal Lake City Council from 2009 to 2012, when tax levies were increased to capture new growth, which affected the average homeowner by less than $30 over the four-year period.

“It may just be [Skillicorn’s] perspective versus mine as far as being fiscally responsible,” Schofield said.

Skillicorn said he chose the Republican Party as the host because of Schofield’s involvement with the League of Women Voters, which typically holds candidate forums and other public events during election seasons.

Although Schofield conducts publicity and Facebook coordination for the League of Women Voters of McHenry County, she said she is staying out of the forums that the group is organizing ahead of the primary.