Sangamon Sun

Ted Dabrowski, a candidate for governor in Illinois, has said that the state's property taxes are among the highest in the nation. He pledged to implement structural reforms aimed at reducing these taxes. This announcement was made during a meeting with business and community leaders in Springfield at Saputo's.

"Punishingly-high property taxes are making Illinois unaffordable and driving residents out," said Dabrowski, Gubernatorial candidate. "Five of Illinois' metro areas are in the nation's top 10 for highest property tax rates. And here's the kicker: Springfield metro area residents pay the 6th-highest property tax rates in the country."

According to Chicago Business, Springfield's metropolitan area ranks sixth nationally for effective property tax rates. Homeowners there pay approximately 1.82% of their property's market value on average, based on ATTOM's annual analysis. Rockford leads the nation in this regard, followed by Chicago, Peoria, and Champaign-Urbana, making Illinois home to half of the top ten metros with high property tax rates—a concentration not commonly seen in a single state. This ranking underscores the financial pressure faced by households in Sangamon County.

Dabrowski has over 30 years of experience in international finance and domestic public policy. He previously served as Head of Corporate Banking at Citibank in Poland, where he advised government leaders on market liberalization and managed significant Treasury operations in both Poland and Mexico. Upon returning to Illinois, he took on leadership roles at the Illinois Policy Institute and later Wirepoints, a nonprofit policy organization. His work has been recognized by national outlets such as The Wall Street Journal. Dabrowski holds advanced degrees from the University of Chicago and the Wharton School.