McHenry County Board District 4
I am running for re-election to the County Board to ensure that our government relies less on your money and only provides the necessary services as legislated. I am an active member of my community and bring fresh perspectives to the table. I have great relationships with community leaders in my district and understand the unique needs and concerns in the community.
I have always been in favor of electing the County’s Chairmanship at large but do not support the Executive form of government that will be on the ballot. I am disappointed that only three of the current board members (including myself) supported an alternative choice that would allow voters to elect their chairman without the extreme makeover in county government that looms before us.
I do not support financial supporting any lobbying efforts.
I absolutely support freezing the levy again next year. With unquestioned spending in many areas of county business, we can reduce our dependency on tax dollars even more. I have always asked the tough questions, even those that are politically ’hot’, to dig deeper into unnecessary spending. I will continue to keep the pressure up to ensure your tax dollars are being spent responsibly.
The County is in the process of undergoing a review of our ordinances. The petitioner for the vineyard presented a welcome challenge for me to look at the county’s approach to land use. This issue was not about the business necessarily but whether or not the current land use designated in this case would support the activity being desired. I would continue support ordinances a good balance between land use and property owner’s rights.
Transportation. Our current transportation system is outdated and needs to be upgraded and in many places, needs a facelift. I am working diligently to maintain safe roadways and invest our available dollars in the most responsible and efficient manner to ensure we can get to work, school, and anywhere else within McHenry County. Roads that can be traveled on by cars and bikes will bring jobs to McHenry County.
I feel the people need a representative who is not obligated to special interest groups. On the County Board I work with all parties and focus on common sense ideas using the practical experience gained by my 36+ years as a small business owner and my skills earned as a industrial sales representative to solve practical problems that will help strengthen the economy in McHenry County.
For many years I have been referred to as the watchdog for the taxpayer’s dollars and my conservative voting record demonstrates that fact.
I am a 30 year Home Owner of Wonder Lake who has served as a director of our homeowner’s association and served as Treasurer of the Fire District, where I identified and recovered thousands of dollars for the district while working with the Board to hold the levy without increase for 4 years. I then served on the Regional Planning Commission where I gained an in-depth understanding of complex zoning issues.
I was credited for saving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the construction of the new Highway Department Building. All in all I look forward to working with the citizens to make McHenry County a better place to live.
I have offered no resistance to a County-Wide elected Board Chairman; in fact, I supported term limits and advocated reducing the pay of both the chairman and the vice-chairman. I think that by making the $85,000+ part time job of county chairman a full time position more responsive to the public and eliminating the $160,000+ administrator would be a benefit to the taxpayers of McHenry County.
What I am concerned about is the possible further concentration of power that could result from the County Executive position.
I believe I can work well as long as we sustain an environment where public service is the goal.
No. This is an affront to the public. Without the action of the news media, oftentimes this would never come to light. It is certainly against the public interest in McHenry County when you consider that the County’s property tax revenue in 2002 was $34,303,278 and it jumped to $70,755,868 in 2011. The taxpayers have a right to be outraged.
My votes through the years will prove that I do not support any lobbying with taxpayer monies.
We have lobbyists elected and paid by the citizens of McHenry County – they are our Congressmen, Senators and State Representatives.
And this is just one of many reasons that I have not supported the Budget and Levy during my term of office.
Yes; in the past ten years they have increased the budget 100 percent. In a period of time when people are losing their jobs, their homes and their businesses and see an uncertain future, the County Board should put a hold on spending.
However, the majority of the County Board - after the primary - voted to raise the salaries and benefits of all the employees which is a major part of our budget. The Conservation District Budget Board voted to do likewise. This has not been a step in the right direction.
I hope they can get on the right path in the future.
I suggest that the voters read the minutes of the County Board meetings and not rely on election flyers. Please ask the candidates what steps they will take after they are elected to contain the Budget for their full term. Come to my website www.hammerand.com and review the votes on the budget and levy for the last 5 years as tabulated from the minutes on the link: County Board Comparative Voting Record on Your Taxes.
For more information click on the link: Budget Planning Meetings for FY2013
To reasonable requests for Liquor Licenses the County Liquor Commission has always been business friendly. The couple from Woodstock who wished to change the use of their residential agricultural property in Hebron to a Winery Business did not wish to apply for a conditional use for a Business/Bar until a Special Liquor Classification for Wineries was provided. Businesses always required B-2 or conditional use BEFORE a Liquor license is issued.
I’m not sure the new UDO Ordinance is helping the Business Climate in McHenry County. When private parties buy property or decide to go into business they need to know the rules.
The first Draft of the newly rewritten Unified Development Ordinance now defines a WINERY ’as a facility for the production of wine, in connection with an active vineyard. A WINERY may also include ancillary facilities for brewing of beer and facilities for the production of alcoholic spirits for human consumption. A WINERY may include ancillary uses, such as tasting rooms, retail sale of wines, beers and spirits brewed on-site, and restaurants.’
Allowing spot zoning and conditional uses does not protect agriculture, provide attractive residential neighborhoods or expandable business properties, nor does it provide a level playing field.
Outside of issues pertaining to the War, the biggest challenge facing voters in our County is the non-disclosure of Conflict of Interests. People are elected and appointed to positions where they have a conflict of interest and voters need to be aware of it.
Serving my constituents is an honor and a privilege. I made sure that personal interests never interfered with my decisions.
Not only do INDIVIDUALS seek personal gain for themselves or family. Sometimes it is ORGANIZED INTERESTS paying professional lobbyists and others to maintain focus on their goals which they pursue patiently, stealthily and relentlessly. This is against the interests of the public.
I have made an attempt to address this problem by introducing the Whistleblower Act and by providing support for the new, more probing Economic Interest Statements, which of late has come under tremendous political pressure.
I also believe that county employees in decision-making capacities should not have employment or leadership positions in outside agencies or associations, as this leads to conflict of interest. Appointees who prove to have conflict of interest should be immediately removed from the position.
Elected officials should be dealt with appropriately at the ballot box.
I’m running as a candidate for the McHenry County Board to bring my years of community & administrative experience into the decision making process of the Board as it effects all of the County and especially District 4.
I will bring to this office my past community service throughout the County in Behavioral Health Administration working with many organizations,municipalities and Chambers of Commerce. I have also had 12 years in a Municipal leadership role. My membership on the County’s Ethics and Community Developement Block Grant Commissions has further fostered my understanding of County Government and its role.
When elected I will work and advocate for the inclusion and participation of my constituents and communities.
I do not support the upcoming referendum to change the County form of government to an executive form. I believe the executive form of government would add unnecesssary layers of administration and costs. It also has the possibility of compromising the effectiveness and decisions of our County Board.
I do support the Chairman of the Board to be popularly elected to the office. All voters need to select their Chairman.
I would also add that I do support term limits, not only for the Chairman but for all County Board members.
While I am not that familiar with the details of such legislation, I would not have the county use taxpayers money to lobby against state legislation that would have protected property taxpayers from tax increases in years when property values declined. Why the County would not support such legislation is beyond me. Many property owners need relief from the tax burdens being placed on them as property values ’head south’.
I would agree to support a freeze to raising the tax levy for next year. As I said in the Primary, while the economy may be improving, I believe that individuals and families need to have a freeze on the increase tax levy for next year, allowing them ’to get back on their feet’. We, as County Board members, need to model leadership in getting through some very difficult times.
I believe many, if not all Board members, are business friendly. It is how we interpret our ordinances not to always focus on the possible negatives. Certainly as we want to retain and attract new businesses, we need to review all of our ordinances to make sure that they are both County and Business friendly. I will review our ordinances to that end.
To promote economic health and create jobs in our county we need to focus on one of the major challenges in our county and our district, and that is transportation and it’s infrastucture. We need to work more closely with Metra for additional commuter rail service and with Pace for improved local bus service. Additional discussions need to take place with freight rail services as well, if we are to attract expansion of industrial businesses.
I intend to work closely with the County Department of Transportation on the completion of the Hill Road Bridge in Richmond and with IDOT on the Richmond Bypass to relieve gridlock on Rt. 12 through Spring Grove and Richmond.
My goal as a County Board member will be to provide the best service to the public at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers. With this in mind, McHenry County should always be looking for new ways to eliminate waste and duplication and improve the delivery of important services. In addition, I am a sensible and open-minded individual. My education, involvement in community affairs, my talent for listening, and sense of fair play for the people of McHenry County are reasons why I am the best candidate.
Holding our government accountable is best accomplished with elected representatives who receive their authority directly from the public. IE: The County Board. The voters want the chance to decide who they want for board chairman. The referendum suggests McHenry County change to a “county executive” form of government. I believe we have informed voters who will do their best to educate themselves on the differences between the Board Chairman and County Executive; they are two very different roles. Educating the voters is an important part of this referendum. My website www.suedraffkorn.org has more information.
A ‘NECESSARY EVIL’ OR WISE INVESTMENT?
In McHenry County the public’s tax money is being spent to hire lobbyists. If nothing else, there needs to be accountability to the public on how their tax dollars are being spent by McHenry County. If an organization receives sources of taxpayer funding, then it should be required to report funding, and it should be required to report who gets the money, how much they get and for what purpose it’s spent on lobbying. In years past McHenry County has received millions of federal transportation dollars. Many of our road and bridge projects would take longer to finish if it were not for the lobbyists who helped acquire these funds. In these tough economic times McHenry County needs to reassess how we do business. Currently I don’t like the fact that the county government is using tax money to lobby against any decrease in taxes.
I will be supporting a freeze to the county’s levy next year. As a rule I have not advocated using the reserve funds to balance the budget. However, I do believe that we could use these funds until the economy turns around. If we don’t need the money, we shouldn’t levy for it. I’d rather see it in my constituants’ pockets.
It appears that the County Board and county ordinances are not as business-friendly as I would want them to be. McHenry County is currently working on a Unified Development Ordinance. The UDO is a chance to look over the various ordinances to review them to see if any changes should be made. Public input is encouraged and welcome before the final draft. I was very disappointed that the latest winery issue was so long and drawn out. Wineries throughout Illinois have thrived; knowing that, what a wonderful chance to show off our beautiful county and the great agritourism business we have.
From what I hear when speaking with constituants, I believe that working to freeze the county tax levy is very important. Every year when the tax bill arrives in the mail, taxes appear to be going up. In the past few years the people in McHenry County have had to live with lower household income and rising prices. We need to put the brakes on government spending.
I am running for McHenry County Board because I believe I can be a voice for the people of my district. I have been very active in my community in many ways, from working with Veterans with the Voice of Veterans project, serving on the board for CASA,to joining the Johnsburg Athletics Boosters. I believe that to build a vibrant community, you need to take part.
After working with small businesses throughout the county for five years with the Small Business Development Center, I feel I bring an understanding of how economic development through collaboration and an understanding of our regions resources can happen. I would bring to the board an understanding business development and financials.
I support the referendum. I have heard overwhelmingly from the citizens of district 4 that they want a stronger voice in their county government. I have heard from numerous members of the county board that the community doesn’t understand the referendum and I find that to not only be inaccurate, based on my conversations, but a bit arrogant. This referendum will change the way we do government. The sitting board had the option to but a referendum that would only shift the power to elect the County board chair from the 24 members to the community at large, and they voted against it. My research has found numerous examples of counties that have a county executive and they are efficient, and effective. There are county executive in 45 states, including Indiana, Wisconsin And Missouri. Our current administrator does a phenomenal job and we are fortunate to have him. I hope he chooses to run for the position if the referendum passes.
I do not support using tax dollars for lobbyist. McHenry County is fortunate to have representation that works cooperatively and is accessible to the members of the county board. We elect these representatives to act on behalf of our community. Taxes paid to the county are intended to pay for services provided to the citizens of the county and engaging a lobbyist is difficult to defend.
The county is facing declining revenues as the result of declining home values, the same as home owners facing declining household income due to job loss or increase costs of living. These are difficult times and decisions need to be made about how to use our limited resources.
I do support a freeze. As I walk district four talking with people, I see abandoned homes and homes in foreclosure. As a county, increasing the tax burden will reduce money from the local economy. We need to look to other means to mange our budget, such as limiting overtime, reducing operating expenses through increase use of web-based record keeping and delaying non-essential capital investments such as noncritical software updates.
The county board is a policy and procedures board and overall I do not see their policies as anti business. Many of the common complaint s from small businesses, such as their tax burdens are not in the control of the county board. The delay of the winery was, in my opinion an example of overstepping. The winery was a new industry for the county and required consideration of the long term implications. But there are numerous examples of how to successful integrate a winery into your community in many of our surrounding areas. Mr. Hammerand’s objects were heavy handed and short sited.
I would like to see a stronger partnership with the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation and local municipal Economic Development Professionals. I would like to see a regional approach to business attraction. And I would like to see some increase cooperation between the business community, the county board, the economic development professionals and the education community. Increased communication can only help our community leverage our resources.
District 4 is one of the mature areas of the county. Many of the cities are facing declining downtowns and limited choice for where to shop. More importantly, there is a loss of community identity.
I would like to begin to engage my community on how to invest in their downtowns. The discussion needs to include how to support, invest and revitalize our downtowns so that we add to our tax base but also provide a place where our community can live. A place we can bring our family, meet our neighbors and become engaged. There is evidence that supports an engaged community is more economically stable and attractive to potential businesses. The County Board with their investment to the MCEDC can be the starting point person for hosting those discussions. Using the McHenry county revolving loan fund can also be used as a tool for reinvestment.
Geneva in Kane county is an excellent example of how to revitalize a downtown. It requires cooperation between governments, the business community, and the citizens.
