A candidate from Beach Park is squaring off against a four-term state representative in one of Lake County's most closely watched legislative races this fall. Republican Tina Marie Durrahnt is challenging Democratic incumbent Joyce Mason of Gurnee for the 61st State House District seat, with early voting already underway and Election Day set for November 3.
A District Stretching Across Northern Lake County
The 61st District covers all or part of Gurnee, Wadsworth, Old Mill Creek, Third Lake, Lindenhurst, Lake Villa, Beach Park, Grayslake, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor and Zion, according to the Chicago Tribune. Mason, a Democrat, currently represents the district in Springfield and is seeking her fifth term after previously winning a fourth-term bid in 2024 against Republican James Creighton Mitchell Jr. of Lindenhurst, per an earlier Chicago Tribune report.
Voters across Lake County can cast ballots by mail, in person early, or on Election Day itself, with early voting already open at 18 locations throughout the county. Affordability has emerged as the defining theme of this year's Lake County elections, with Democratic and Republican leaders alike telling the paper's September coverage of Lake County election races that it is the single most important issue for voters heading into November.
Property Taxes and Affordability
Property taxes have featured in broader discussions of affordability across Lake County.
Mason has argued the state should take on a larger role in funding education, saying state funds for schools could reduce districts' reliance on real-estate taxes, according to her comments in the Tribune's 2024 coverage.
School Funding Formula Still Falls Short Statewide
The tension over property taxes is rooted in a statewide funding gap. Illinois adopted its Evidence-Based Funding formula in 2017 to improve both the adequacy and equity of school funding, and annual state funding for schools has since increased by more than $3 billion, reaching an estimated $10.8 billion in the fiscal year that began July 1. Even so, 537 districts — 63% of the statewide total — remain funded at less than 90% of their adequacy target, the outlet reports, and homeowners in the lowest-wealth districts pay property-tax rates double those in the wealthiest districts.
Locally, the stakes are concrete: Illinois public schools draw roughly 74% of their average funding from local property taxes and donations, according to Lake County Schools. That reliance is part of why a separate measure, the proposed Lake County School Facilities Sales Tax, will also appear on the November 3 ballot. The 1% tax would be dedicated exclusively to school facility needs, school resource officers and mental-health professionals, per the same district materials.
Mason's Legislative Record and Zion's Nuclear Settlement
Mason has also been involved in child-care legislation.
Mason has pointed to her role in the 2021 debate over the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and an amendment related to the closed nuclear power plant in Zion. The amendment provided $15 million annually to compensate the city of Zion for losses its residents incurred.
With turnout in the midyear election potentially reaching 60%, according to Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega's comments to the Tribune, the race is unfolding amid discussion of affordability, schools and property taxes.
