Dupage Policy Journal

The House Republican Organization (HRO) has accused Democratic House candidate Terra Costa Howard of flaunting the law by not accurately reporting her finances.

“Terra Costa Howard has been very clear about how she wants to tax and spend more of your hard-earned money,” HRO Executive Director Travis Sterling said in a statement. “She raised property taxes eight straight years on the school board and is now pushing for a graduated income tax hike. But when it comes to the facts about where she gets her money, it’s too much trouble for Howard to follow the law.”

Taxhiketerra.com, an HRO website, recently published documents showing that Howard filed three incorrect financial statements with the DuPage County Clerk and the Illinois Secretary of State.

Travis Sterling

The documents show Howard failed to include her paid position with the College of DuPage in 2016 and 2017 from financial disclosures given to the County Clerk and Secretary of State. She also allegedly declined to report income from her law practice in 2015.

Howard recently received citations from the Illinois State Board of Elections for eight failures to disclose contributions of more than $1,000 and from declining to disclose campaign contributions received from Personal PAC, which is part of Illinois' abortion industry, the website states.

Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Travis Sterling said Howard’s actions bring into question her relationship with the public.

“As a lawyer, Howard should have been able to answer eight simple questions about where her money comes from,” Sterling said. “Terra Costa Howard either doesn’t care about transparency and the public’s right to know, or she needs to go back to law school.”