Kane Board District 13 candidates disagree on health department layoffs

Count Steve Bruesewitz among the many challengers for Kane County Board seats at least partially inspired to run by the downsizing of the health department. Some 6,000 people are in the process of having their county-provided social services, including access to Medicaid, transferred to private health care providers. Bruesewitz believes the board member he's challenging in District 13, Phil Lewis, and the rest of the county board did a poor job of saving money for a rainy day, sparking difficult choices like laying off 62 health department workers during a recession.

But Lewis said he and the majority of the county board had their hands forced by a backlog of state payments draining the county and health department's savings.

“The state warned us they would not pay us for at least six months, said Lewis, of St. Charles. “That committed our savings, essentially, permanently. We didn't have any revenue stream to replace those funds. If we had revenues that were increasing and we felt like we could pay for our expenses, then we could restock the fund. But that's not the case. The state told us they were going to take more and more of that fund.

Bruesewitz said the shifting of social services out of the county health department will return residents to the poor health status levels seen in the area before the county took over the programs.

“I'm sure that, for a time, while everybody is watching, everyone that needs to get served will get served, said Bruesewitz, who lives in St. Charles. “It just seems likely that some people will fall through the cracks. ... Economically, the state was going to pay that money.

Lewis said the county will closely monitor the transition to make sure no one falls through the cracks. He said he's confident the private providers can do just as good a job as the county and maybe better because they have more resources.

“The private providers assured us they were capable of picking up 6,000 families, Lewis said. “Their funding mechanisms are dramatically different from the county's mechanisms. They have a significant philanthropic element to their organizations. They also receive funds directly from the federal government.

Lewis said he stands on his record of helping usher in electronic voting, the Stearns Road Bridge and a new jail for the county. He said he's also proud of how, as a member of the Kane County Forest Preserve District, he helped spend the $85 million bond issue to acquire new preserves. Lewis said a major focus in his next term will be making sure the county turns the site of the old jail into a public venue similar to Ravinia in Highland Park or Morton Arboretum in Lisle.