Hackmatack & Early Voting

On Tuesday, my wife and I accomplished two tasks with one visit to the County Government Building - early voting and obtaining information on the proposed National Wildlife Refuge, Hackmatack.

Early voting is a wonderful thing - you choose when you want to vote. No long lines and the timing is on your schedule. Voters in some states don't have this option. You can see a sample ballot from your precinct before entering the voting booth by going on the County Clerk's page on the County Website http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/countyclerk/Pages/index.aspx . You can research your candidates before voting. The voting booth is not the place for surprises!

After voting early we went to the proposed National Wildlife presentation - it was more like a display. There were a few US Fish & Wildlife Service personnel present for questions, but no actual presentation or video. Just maps and literature. The maps were very confusing and may have led people in the wrong direction. All the maps showed an outline of the STUDY area which included about a third of McHenry County - the northeast third. The goal of the proposed Hackmatack Wildlife Refuge is to connect already existing parcels of conservation areas set aside by local, county and state agencies. Simple enough, but that information is buried in the literature. A poster with that thought and a few bullet points would have gone a long way to ease people's fears about the government taking their house and property. The process to acquire the connecting corridors could take 5-10 years or more.

Having a visual outline of how this was done in other communities would have helped as well.

McHenry County Sportsplex

I have said previously that I am against the MCSportsplex from an economic. I also oppose it from an environmental perspective. The other day I went out to Pleasant Valley Road site with Jill M. None of my opponents have viewed the site. The site has rolling hills and needs leveling. Heavy rains can cause creeks to appear briefly out of nowhere.

This project and this site make no sense.

The current economic downturn is a consumption problem - we have consumed at an unsustainable rate and it has caught up with us. The only way to fix this is to produce something. The two industries that built this country will help get us out of this economic difficulty. We need to focus on Agriculture and Manufacturing. Our county is well situated for both - great transportation access (road and rail) and excellent farmland. When development happens - and it will - it should be within municipal boundaries where much of the needed infrastructure already exists. Building new infrastructure is very expensive and will financially burden future residents - especially in low-density areas like McHenry County. Both the Equity One Baseball Stadium and the MCSportsplex will require much new infrastructure.

Lead By Example - Cut Costs

With the decrease in revenue for all levels of Government in Illinois, the County Board will need to cut costs in the future. There is no way around this unless borrowing enters the equation. Borrowing does have its place in public finance for large PUBLIC projects such as infrastructure or facilities. People are earning less and subsequently spending less. Government needs to reflect this reality.

In addition to reducing the number of Board Members, I advocate reducing the current $36,000 compensation (approx. $18,000 in salary and $18,000 in benefits) to a total of $25,000. That $25,000 could be split between salary and benefits as the Board Member sees fit. There would be no special expense reimbursement above that unless the Board votes on the issue. All this and any other financial information should be easily accessed on the County website. Very few employees in the private sector receive expense money for mileage or meals or anything else - that's what their salary is for.

2010 Census and Redistricting

The 2010 census will affect political boundaries at all levels of government. Creating "safe" districts for officials of one party or group - jerrymandering - certainly goes on at the state and federal level. I don't, however, see it on the County level. On the county level, Township boundaries mostly influence County Board districts. Township boundaries were formed by placing a grid over the map of the county. Towns often grow into more than one Township - that is how Woodstock, for example can be part of Dorr, Seneca, Hartland and Greenwood Townships. The eastern half of Grafton Township which makes up the half of my County Board District (#5) includes parts of the towns of Huntley, Lake-In-The-Hills, Algonquin, Lakewood, and Crystal Lake. The last piece of District 5, in addition to all of Dorr Township, is a Greenwood Township Precinct #4 - part of Woodstock.

In 2011 as a result of the 2010 census all this could change. County Board District 5 could consist of different Townships and Towns. I am in favor of single member - not the current 4 - districts with fewer total Board Members. Lake County has twice the population of McHenry County and their Board has one fewer member - 23 - and they seem to do okay. Cook County has about 15 times the population and only 17 Board Members - they're called Commissioners there. I would like to see the McHenry County Board be reduced to a more manageable size of 11 or 13 - an odd number to avoid tie votes.

Although Township boundaries aren't subject to jerrymandering, they do split communities. I would like to see single member districts consist of entire towns rather than portions. So all of Woodstock should be able to fit into a single member district. Future County Board Districts should be drawn with regard for Municipal boundaries which actually signify a community not Township Boundaries. Township boundaries are totally arbitrary with regard to current municipal boundaries - but they are set in stone and unchangeable.