One of the newest members of the Illinois House from central Illinois is not happy with the tax increase that passed in the waning hours of the 96th General Assembly.
“I think the tax increase is negative,” said Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, R-Morrisonville, who was sworn in as a member of the 97th General Assembly on Wednesday. “Other states are saying, ‘Thank you very much Illinois,’ and that’s something we need to change. We need to create a better environment here, that’s the bottom line. We need to bring jobs back to Illinois.”
Rosenthal, a Lincoln Land Community College trustee and a graduate of what is now the University of Illinois Springfield, said education is tied to job growth, and that is something he plans to address in the 97th General Assembly.
“If we can provide the education and then provide the jobs for them to stay here in Illinois, I think that’s a big plus,” Rosenthal said.
With his wife Marcia, sons Dustin, Sean and Casey, and father Kenny watching from the audience at Sangamon Auditorium, Rosenthal and the 117 other representatives were given the oath of office Wednesday by retired Illinois appellate justice Alan Greiman.
“It was exciting for me,” said Rosenthal, 60, a retired brigadier general in the Illinois Air National Guard.
Rosenthal was featured in a January 13, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.
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