Often when elected officials talk about affordability they are concentrating on issues such as housing and health care. Affordability is a much broader issue that encompasses government efficiency and hidden taxes.

"It is not enough for us to ensure that people have affordable options for health care, housing and education," said Alderman Shiller during the 1987 Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization endorsement debate.

"Progressive politics and Independent politics should be about prioritizing budget issues and eliminating corruption and waste so that city governments reduce the hidden taxes and fees that are far more regressive than the known taxes such as property taxes and sales taxes. For instance this city has a hidden parking tax in the form of insufficient parking and an onerous parking ticket system that is much harder on the regular working person than on people who can afford private parking lots. There are numerous other hidden taxes such as the city sticker, utility taxes and surcharges, and others that all work to make the city more unaffordable for low and moderate income families. All of these issues have to be the focus of making our communities more affordable."