To tackle three challenges:
Challenge #1: With property values going down while property taxes continue to go up, we are being taxed out of our homes.
Opportunity #1: Freeze property tax levies for the County, Forest Preserve, and (indirectly through appointments) Fox Valley Park District. We can discuss all we want “how” the Board will spend the money, we just can’t have more.
Challenge #2: There is way too “cozy” of a correlation between too much money given to county decision-makers and too many political favors, .i.e. “cronyism.”
Opportunity #2: Strengthen the county ethics ordinance, unilaterally reduce the amount that it costs to run a county board chairman’s race, and elect grassroots reformers rather than Establishment insiders who protect their status quo.
Challenge #3: Restore “trust” at every level of government.
Opportunity #3: Provide honest, competent administration through innovation and austerity.
Same as Question 1.
By treating them respectfully, which includes listening, providing accurate information, encouraging personal growth, and recognizing progress.
I respect my opponent as a fellow human being, a member of a family, and a public servant. Besides the differences between our priorities, especially my focus on freezing the county property tax levy, I oppose spending an extra quarter of a million dollars on a county administrator. I firmly oppose this plan of paying to place another level of bureaucracy between the county board and accountability to the taxpayers. Gosh, I’m running to do that job, not to be a “figurehead” politician merely running meetings and abdicating my responsibility to an unelected, expensive employee.
The old expression, “If you want something done properly . . . ‘ends’ . . . do it yourself,” not “. . . pay for some more bureaucracy.” I suggest that, if this question were to be put on the ballot for an advisory referendum, the voters would recommend, “Save the money, hire more deeply qualified and experienced chairmen.”
Same as Question 1.
Set a clear and attainable goal, i.e. “freeze the property tax levy during times of decreasing property values” . . . not the assessments, not the rates, but the entire amount of taxes paid by taxpayers to fund government. Retool budgeting process in order to limit size of county government and relieve burden on taxpayers.
Reverse order in which we budget: Rather than calculating how much we want to spend, then raising levy to pay for it, recognize how much taxpayers are already sacrificing at the current level, “cap” total government spending at that level, then live within our means without asking taxpayers to bail us out with more . . . like families and businesses do.
Because I am most closely aligned to the needs of Kane County citizens/taxpayers, enthusiastically desire to serve, and bring the rigorous academic and professional training and experience to do the job.
For two decades, I have built a reputation for personally answering every phone call, email, or traditional letter from more than 200,000 constituents. I listen and respond.
When we apply for financial resources from state and federal governments, it’s valuable for you to have someone who knows the state and federal decision-makers and the correct processes.
I understand budgets at an annual $50,000 family level all the way through the $50,000,000,000 state level. My reform priorities of “freeze the property tax levy, treat all people with respect, and honest competent administration through innovation” will save you money and restore confidence.
I have come to believe I can still make a contribution to good government that will serve all the people of Kane County.
Retain a County Administrator. As all of our neighboring counties have learned, a professional administrator is vital to ensuring that a county is functioning efficiently. Reaching this goal will help to ensure that information from all county departments is funneled through to all board members through a single office, which will ensure greater efficiency, eliminate duplication of efforts, and allow for greater transparency.
Move to a Committee of the Whole structure. This will eliminate the Chairman’s current ability to award Committee Chair “plum” assignments. Adopting this format should also eliminate projects moving forward in such a way that not all County Board Members are aware of their details before they come up for a vote, which should in turn assist in relieving some of the tension that has in the past resulted in lawsuits which have proved to be very costly to Kane County taxpayers.
Cut from the top! Any time elected officials start talking about cuts, taxpayers should absolutely demand they talk about cutting their own salaries and benefits before they go after services vital to the health and well-being of taxpayers. I’m committed to that, and will push to cut the County Board Chairman’s pay by 25%, as well as asking County Board Members to give up the full-time benefits they, and only they among the County’s part-time workers, enjoy.
I’d start by meeting with each board member individually to hear his or her take on the issues that concern their constituents. But frankly I think the only meaningful way to build consensus for the long term on the Kane County Board is to restructure the way it functions.
The present committee structure encourages the creation of factions and sustains them long after they’ve become counter-productive to moving the taxpayer’s business forward. Most notably, even if we were to grant the most innocent of intentions to all involved, the current committee structure, by its very nature, encourages factions in support of, and opposed to, the county board chair.
When a County Board Chair has the power to dispense plum committee chair assignments, he or she has the power to build a powerful coalition of committee chairs who don’t just get rewarded with higher salaries, but also draw the attention and support of more campaign contributors, and who in turn have added incentive to vote with the Chair. This in turn creates a powerful “anti” faction, which gets so in the habit of opposing everything proposed by the Chair that they do so even when it doesn’t make sense in terms of forwarding their constituents desires and interests.
Going to a committee-of-the-whole structure is vital to creating a level field for all county board members and the voters they represent.
There are essentially two ways to govern: divide and conquer or build consensus. When you are one among many in a large legislative body, and a body moreover that is divided sharply along partisan lines, perhaps the only way to stand out is to divide and conquer. But at the local level my experience tells me the way to accomplish the sort of concrete projects that will most help the residents of our county is to build consensus and work cooperatively – not to enact an experiment in ideological theory.
One thing is for sure: I will not pledge to freeze or lower taxes! To begin with, Kane County’s actual share of a property tax bill is less than 5%, less even than our local community colleges receive. For that amount, the County is tasked with maintaining the justice system and health department, among other things, and cutting those items could result in cuts to really basic common sense things – like deputies and jail guards and restaurant inspections – that protect all of our residents.
As most taxpayers are aware the lion’s share of their tax bill goes to their local school district, followed by the municipality, etc, etc, with the County actually pretty low on the list. So I won’t insult the intelligence of voters by pledging a tax freeze or tax cut that would make next to no impact on the taxes they pay, especially not when enacting one could be harmful to the safety and welfare of our residents.
What I will pledge is to make every effort to eliminate waste and duplication of efforts, to work with County Board Members and department heads to come to consensus and negotiate reasonable solutions rather than to constantly be defending costly lawsuits, and to work with local municipalities to bolster local economic development efforts that will help Kane County lead the way in returning prosperity and growth to the region.
I have the experience of leadership, having served two terms in an elected executive position, and for several years in appointed leadership positions, and having been particularly successful in forging consensus in those positions. Knowing how to lead from consensus is critical for all leaders, but it is especially so for Kane County at this contentious juncture. We need a leader who can work from leadership experience and consensus-building strength from day one.
