As President and Administrator of my own business, I know how important Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability are. I am not a polished politician or one of the insiders. I will serve as President with Honor and integrity.
First I will order a Forensic Audit. The current Administration is operating a Shadow Government with no internal controls. Second all documents will be available to the residents according to the Freedom of Information Act without investigations from the Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor. Third my Administration will operate inside the paramaters set by the Illinois Statues.
I support freezing the Village of Johnsburg’s levy until housing prices rebound. Residents of Johnsburg are facing financial difficulties every day with the economic condition of this nation. Johnsburg levied the highest amount allowed without holding a public hearing. The residents in the Special Service Areas also received a special tax levied against them for a double whammy. The decision by the Administration to balance their fiscal mismanagement on the backs of the Tax Payers is unacceptable. The Village Administration has an obligation to maintain strict policies and procedures with the spending of ANY penny on the behalf of the tax payers.
I totally disagree with the decision the Village Board made to go against the residents that fought against the Special Service Area. The battle between the residents and the administration came down to a court proceeding in McHenry County. When all was said and done, the court ruled in favor of the residents. The decision to allow the appointed legal advisor for Johnsburg to file in the Appellate Court proved that the current administration does not represent the citizens of Johnsburg but represents the Special Interests of an ongoing cash flow of taxes to further their fiscal mismanagement with no regard to the will of the people.
One definition of accomplishment is “something that has been done with knowledge.” Applying this definition, I believe that the fiscal mismanagement and willful refusal to comply with the Illinois Constitution, the Illinois Laws, the Freedom of Information Act, the Citizen Participation Act and their own Policies and Procedures by operating a “Shadow Government” has been a proven “accomplishment” of this administration. As a resident of Johnsburg for over 35 years, I believe that this Administration has been operating outside the boundaries of the Illinois Constitution, the Illinois Laws and has forgotten the words of their “Oath of Office.” Public Service does not mean Public Abuse.
I believe that the residents in Johnsburg should vote for me because I am an “Outsider” to politics. It is my commitment to be the “Citizens Voice.” My husband and I love this community. As a busines owner I will commit to ending the Fiscal Mismanagement of Taxpayer Assets and prioritize Accountabiliy of those Assets by following every Illinois Statute with strict policies and procedures ensuring that the Constitutions of Illinois and the U.S. will be upheld for every citizen. The transparency issue that has placated this Administration must cease and can be reinstituted by electing someone who has a commitment to honoring the Citizen Participation Act and the Freedom of Information Act. \\\\\\\"Good Government\\\\\\\" does not include taxation without representation,“insider” politics, fiscal mismanagement, retaliation, and “Shadow Government” operations. I believe the residents deserve Transparency, Accountablity, Honesty and Good Government. I will bring those qualities to our village. My Administration will operate on behalf of the residents. I will be the citizen’s voice.
In order to lead our community towards a bright and prosperous future, we need experienced, knowledgeable and dedicated leadership. Over the past four years I have led the Village, as its President, through a challenging economy. Today, we are a strong, connected community with a promising future. At my direction, the Village has furthered its fiscal policies and established the framework to provide for our long term needs. We’ve implemented new strategies like social media, to engage our citizens, keeping them informed and making certain the Village is easily accessible to address their questions and concerns. Prior to being elected President, I served as Village Trustee for 12 years. I have also held leadership positions in many community organizations and continue to be actively involved today. I have proven myself an open minded leader willing to listen and work hard on behalf of all of our citizens and the entire community of Johnsburg.
If reelected, I will continue to serve our community in a manner that insures open and honest government that works in the best interest of our citizens. One of my top priorities is finding resources to support our strategic initiatives and meet our current and future budgetary requirements. Capital projects like building and maintaining roads, sewer, and water infrastructure are costly endeavors. Federal and State funding for these projects is limited. We need to establish revenues that support our current and long term sustainability without overburdening our residents and business owners. Another priority is to continue fostering strong working relationships with other governmental entities and community organizations in an effort to explore opportunities to work together to reduce costs and achieve positive outcomes.
I support reducing tax impacts to our citizens and am open to the concept of freezing taxing district levies so long as it does not prohibit communities from capturing tax dollars resulting from new growth. If levy rates are simply frozen and consideration is not given to new development, the community will be robbed of valuable tax dollars derived from new growth which will have a negative impact on existing property owners. All taxing districts need to look closely at how they can best help their constituents. Sound financial management and conservative spending has always been the Village’s practice. An across the board approach or freezing only one revenue item may not be the best solution. Yearly budget reviews and designating revenue streams to support specific spend categories are crucial to responsible fiscal planning.
Recently the Village Board was asked to consider taking action to place a referendum question on the upcoming ballot asking voters whether or not the Village Clerk’s position should be elected. The Board spent much time discussing and debating the subject. While I support the final board decision, I do not support some of the points raised in consideration of the matter. The Village attorney produced specific statute and case law to explain why the Village Board did not have the legal authority to place the question on the ballot. The statute clearly states that the only means to place the question on the ballot is through a voter initiated referendum. I support our elector’s rights to circulate such a petition and place the question on the ballot. I do not however support the notion that the Village’s elected officials can go above the law and take action for which they have no legal authority. I cannot support an action that would have illegally placed the question on the ballot, but I would support the decision of the voters if a petition is circulated and a future election results in creating an elected clerk’s position.
The Village Board accomplished much this past year. Using State and Federal grant money we were able to extend a key piece of infrastructure that will help bring affordable sewer treatment to more than 400 homes and businesses. Partnering with our local businesses as advertising sponsors, the Village is able to once again distribute the quarterly newsletter through the mail to every household and business, an important step in our efforts to further communications. While these are both important accomplishments, I would say the most exciting achievement this past year was the acquisition of property at the corner of Church Street and St. Johns Avenue. This parcel was the last key piece needed to pursue the future realignment of Church Street, an important component to our downtown planning. Upon acquiring this property, we were able to reclassify the roadway so that it is now eligible for grant funding. This is a project that has been 20 years in the making and one that will greatly benefit our community.
Voters can feel confident in re-electing me as their village president based on my qualifications, experience and long time dedication to our community as a volunteer leader and elected official. Serving on the board for 16 years, the past four as Village President, I am knowledgable in Village business, its operations, and what is required to lead our community in the days and years ahead. As a lifelong resident of Johnsburg I have the historical perspective of how far we’ve come from our early days of incorporation with Sunnyside, and an appreciation for how far we have yet to go. During my years of service I worked hard to advance our strategic initiatives and have forged relationships with people both within and outside the Village to achieve results. Our challenges for the next four years are not that different than they were four years ago. As we continue to work together to protect our environment, manage our growth, support our businesses, enhance our school district and improve our infrastructure and transportation services, we need a leader with a proven track record. I believe I am that person.
