Jeanne Ives on Sen. Lewis' vote to pass transit funding: ‘It's one of the most egregious votes’

Jeanne Ives, former state representative and CEO of Breakthrough Ideas, said State Sen. Seth Lewis' (R‑Bartlett) vote to pass the Chicago transit funding bill was “one of the most egregious”—with the lone Republican joining Democrats "in the dark of night" on the last day of the legislative session to raise taxes and tolls statewide. 

“No Republican should have voted for a tax increase,” Ives told the DuPage Policy Journal. “And that's exactly what happened. $1 billion in increased tollway fees every single year. And a reallocation of highway dollars to bail out the failed transit system in Chicago. This flies in the face of common sense and goes against Republican values of lower taxes, less government.”  

The new law raises tolls by 45 cents, increases sales taxes in parts of Illinois, and redirects roughly $500 million previously designated for downstate road projects to support Chicago-area transit agencies. 

Under the revised funding formula, 85% of road-related revenue will go to Chicago, leaving 15% for the rest of the state. 

“It does not require any reform whatsoever in operations, salaries, benefits, or any other things that have driven up the cost to drive or use public transit in this state," Ives said. 

The transit law commits roughly $1.5 billion annually to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace and restructures transit governance by replacing the Regional Transportation Authority with the new Northern Illinois Transportation Authority. 

Supporters say the funding is necessary to prevent fare hikes and service cuts at the CTA, Metra and Pace, while critics argue it forces taxpayers statewide to subsidize a system many do not use.

Gov. JB Pritzker praised Lewis at the bill-signing ceremony, calling him “the sole Republican who voted to save our transit systems.” 

“Being recognized for my ability to work across the aisle to achieve results for the people of Illinois means a great deal to me. I strive for bipartisanship in everything I do!” Lewis said in a Facebook post noting the award. 

In contrast, critics say Lewis’ vote fits a broader and more troubling pattern contending it weakened Republican opposition to what they view as a Chicago-centric bailout funded by higher taxes and tolls statewide.

In a recent podcast, State Sen. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) and attorney Tom DeVore, who was the Republican nominee for attorney general in 2022, argued that Republican defections on major tax-and-spending bills are rarely ideological.

“They do that only for one reason, there's not two reasons, is because they get political contributions down the road in exchange for those votes,” Chesney said. "They never have the conversation together, that's illegal, but they raise a ton of money down the row because they screw the taxpayers at a certain moment of time, generally in the General Assembly."

“They have been promised something in return for that vote,” DeVore said. “They’ve been promised donations from transactional people. They have been promised some deal for their district. There’s always a deal that’s been done, or otherwise they do not vote for that stuff, and that is absolutely true.”

Chesney clarified that no explicit quid pro quo exists, but reinforced the underlying dynamic. 

“There is an understanding that if you vote for transit and you vote for a big tax increase, there is a big campaign donation down the road, right?” he said. “There's just an understanding. It's not a, ‘hey, if I vote for this, will you get this?’”

Lewis represents the 24th State Senate District which includes all or parts of Addison, Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Elk Grove, Itasca, Hanover Park, Medinah, Naperville, Roselle, Schaumburg, Warrenville, West Chicago, Winfield, Wood Dale and Wheaton.