Politics & Government
Reports: Geneva TaxFACTS Leader McQuillan Will Run for Mayor
The Kane County Chronicle reports that Bob McQuillan, best known in Geneva for his anti-tax-increase advocacy, will run against incumbent Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns in April.
The Kane County Chronicle reported Thursday night that Geneva TaxFACTS co-founder Bob McQuillan will make a run for mayor of Geneva in the April election.
McQuillan will face off against Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, who announced in August that he would seek a fourth term. There could be additional candidates for office, because the filing deadline is Dec. 24.
McQuillan told the Chronicle he would use his marketing experience to help Geneva raise sales-tax revenue and his TaxFACTS watchdog experience to keep property taxes low. He also emphasized the need for government transparancy. Burns' only comment in the article was that he looked forward to learning more about McQuillan's platform.
Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
McQuillan has had a controversial history, and by his own admittance has at times been less than diplomatic in his criticisms. In addition to his outspoken positions on school tax issues and spending, he was among the first to call out the Geneva School Board for the "Enrollmentgate" controversy, in which the School District was found to have released unsubstantiated enrollment estimates prior to a 2007 referendum.
In March, he stood up at a City Council meeting and lambasted Burns for his use of a city cell phone for campaign business during Burns' primary run against eventual winner Chris Lauzen for the Kane County Board chairman seat. McQuillan called Burns' actions "an abuse of city services."
Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
According to McQuillan's profile on Geneva Patch, he is a Philadelphia native who holds a bachelor's and master's degree from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
He began his professional career as a sales representative for the Oscar Mayer Company and has held various sales and sales management positions with General Foods and the Quaker Oats Company and is presently a regional vice president for The Dialogue Company, which is headquartered in Pennington, NJ.
He is co-founder of the Geneva TaxFACTS organization and was a featured speaker at a Kane County Tea Party rally in 2009. In 2010, he ran against Kay Hatcher and Keith R. Wheeler for the Republican nomination for the 50th District state senate seat.
