ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst Republican Dennis Reboletti’s supporters are getting hit by the political version of friendly fire.
Two of the backers are Elmhurst Alderwoman Noel Talluto and former Alderman Mark Mulliner.
Reboletti, Addison Township’s supervisor, is facing Democrat Marti Deuter, an Elmhurst alderwoman, for District 45 state representative in the Nov. 5 election.
Recently, the state Republican Party sent mailers to residents criticizing Deuter for voting for a tax hike consultant and utility rate increases, among other issues.
Here’s the problem for Talluto and Mulliner: They voted for the same things for which Deuter is getting criticized.
In July, Talluto donated $250 to Reboletti’s campaign, while Mulliner, a longtime Republican, frequently posts pro-Reboletti items to his Facebook page.
The campaigns for Reboletti and Deuter did not return messages for comment. Their race is one of the few legislative battlegrounds, with the two parties pouring in money.
In his recent Patch questionnaire, Reboletti said Deuter “price gouges Elmhurst residents with 30% water rate hikes.”
In February, the City Council, including Deuter and Talluto, voted unanimously for a 28 percent increase in water rates. The proposal was recommended by the council’s finance committee, which Talluto heads.
At the time, city officials cited several reasons for the hike – inflation, federal mandates such as phosphorous removal from water, and a new policy calling for spending $5 million a year on water and sewer main replacements.
After 24 years, Mulliner lost his bid for re-election in April 2023.
In a mailer, the GOP took Deuter to task for garbage and recycling rate hikes in 2016. The council voted 13-1 for the increases, with Deuter, Talluto and Mulliner in the majority. The only dissenter was Michael Bram.
The Republicans criticized Deuter for supporting water and sewer rate hikes in 2014. In this case, the finance committee recommended the increases, with both Deuter and Talluto signing their names to the document.
All 14 aldermen, including Mulliner, ended up approving the hikes.
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In another mailer, the Republicans said Deuter put the city into debt by $16 million for the “pet projects she fancied, leaving Elmhurst taxpayers on the hook for her extravagant spending.” The flyer did not identify the projects.
City officials, including Talluto, have noted millions in debt for stormwater projects throughout town. This was in response to major flooding over a decade ago. Such projects have generally received the entire council’s support.
It’s likely that Deuter’s “pet projects” would be the same as Talluto’s and Mulliner’s.
The GOP’s anti-Deuter mailers also refer to her votes for property tax levy hikes over the years. But it doesn’t identify which ones. In any case, the council typically votes unanimously on the levies.
The Republicans also criticized Deuter’s 2022 vote for the city to pay a consultant up to $95,000 to look into ways to raise taxes. Mulliner and Talluto voted the same way.
District 45 includes parts of Elmhurst, Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Western Springs and Westmont, among other towns.
Reboletti and Deuter are vying for the seat held by Jenn Ladisch Douglass of Elmhurst, who decided against running again. In 2022, Ladisch Douglass edged out Republican incumbent Deanne Mazzochi of Elmhurst.
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