Westville resident Ramsey on Pritzker housing proposal: ‘Local leaders and residents know their neighborhoods best’

Erika Ramsey, chairwoman of the Vermilion County Republicans and a resident of Westville, said Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s push to override local zoning laws and impose subsidized housing mandates on communities across Illinois ignores the diversity of the state and the people who know their towns best.

“I am concerned about the state overriding local zoning decisions,” Ramsey told the Chambana Sun. “Every community is different, and while affordable housing is important, zoning decisions should reflect each town’s unique circumstances. Local officials live and work in our areas and have a better understanding of our schools, tax base, and long-term goals. Decisions that directly affect neighborhoods work best when they involve the people and local leaders who actually live there.”

Pritzker’s proposal would require every suburb to permit unlimited taxpayer-subsidized Section 8 and low-income apartment buildings on virtually any residential lot, pushing aside years of established local zoning protections.

 The plan would also funnel an additional $100 million in taxpayer funding to the Illinois Housing Development Authority to expand subsidized apartment construction, require communities to accept state-backed housing placements for residents with serious mental illness, and hand over zoning authority to a centralized, state-driven agenda. Supporters frame it as long-overdue modernization. 

Critics call it a “Chicago-style” assault on suburban self-governance that aggressively forces Section 8 housing into communities that have not asked for it.

Ramsey said she does not support mandated subsidized housing being imposed on her neighborhood and argued that a single statewide policy cannot account for Illinois’ widely varied communities.

“I do not support mandated subsidized housing in my neighborhood,” she said. “Large-scale housing changes can affect towns in many ways. Illinois is a large state with many diverse areas, and one policy cannot work for every place. These decisions should take into account the needs of each town and involve the local leaders and residents who know their communities best.”

Illinois property owners already carry the heaviest property tax burden in the nation, and opponents contend the proposal is less about housing and more about a top-down ideological agenda funded by taxpayers and forced onto communities without their input.

The Heritage Foundation has repeatedly cautioned that expanding federally subsidized housing into suburban areas risks driving up taxpayer costs and transplanting urban housing challenges into residential neighborhoods.

Ramsey said the plan could shake buyer confidence and destabilize local housing markets.

“This could affect property values and neighborhood character,” she said. “Housing markets depend a lot on buyer confidence and stability. Policies that introduce large or mandated changes without local planning can make some buyers hesitant and affect demand in the area.”

The proposal has drawn additional scrutiny, given broader concerns about federal housing program oversight. Recent HUD audits exposed billions of dollars in rental assistance sent to deceased, ineligible, or non-citizen Section 8 recipients. 

Under current federal rules, mixed-status households that include illegal immigrants are also permitted to qualify for subsidized housing assistance, according to the New York Post.

Ramsey was direct in saying zoning power belongs with the people closest to the communities it affects.

“Zoning should remain in the hands of local communities,” she said. “Local leaders and residents know their neighborhoods best, and decisions about growth and housing work best when made by the people who actually live there.”

The debate has also spotlighted developers moving in step with the proposal. The Village of Glen Ellyn sold land to Full Circle Communities, the developer behind a controversial subsidized housing project on Roosevelt Road, which has championed programming built around “health equity,” “racial equity” and “trauma-informed services,” with particular emphasis on LGBT youth and young adults of color. 

The project has drawn direct backing from U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., a self-described democratic socialist and Squad member who has pushed aggressively for expanding Section 8 and public housing into suburban communities. Ramirez represents Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses several suburban areas.

Ramsey said she believes the governor should find a better path forward than forcing mandates on small communities and called for solutions that reflect the realities of each part of the state.

“Affordable housing is important, but what works in one part of our state may not work in another,” she said. “Illinois is a big and diverse state, with rural areas facing different challenges than big cities like Chicago. I would like to think our governor could come up with a better way to make housing affordable than forcing mandates on our small communities. Decisions like this should involve the people who live in each area and understand the unique needs of their town.”

Critics warn that Illinois could follow the path of New York City, where housing activist Cea Weaver — appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani to lead the city’s Office to Protect Tenants — labeled private property a “weapon of white supremacy” and advocated seizing buildings to prioritize tenants. 

Since then, New York City has proposed steep property tax hikes, rent freezes, and measures giving select nonprofits first rights to purchase private residential buildings, putting small property owners at risk of foreclosure or bankruptcy.

Critics warn that if Illinois moves ahead with Pritzker’s plan, state-mandated subsidized housing and centralized zoning control could hollow out local authority, squeeze property values and chip away at the stability that defines suburban and small-town communities across the state.

Ramsey was first elected as chairwoman of the Vermilion County Republicans in 2022. She focuses on boosting Republican voter turnout, growing party membership, and communicating the party’s positions on issues that matter to Vermilion County voters.