Sal Abbate: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: North AuroraWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Kane County Board District 2Age: 49Family: Married, two chilrenOccupation: Regional Sales ManagerEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions Answers Do you support a more stringent ethics ordinance for Kane County governing the conduct of elected officials and county employees? Why or why not? If so, what should the ordinance contain?I do, but there has to be a way to police it. Rules mean nothing if they are not enforced, and they should be consistently enforceable with all elected officials in a proactive way.The county's portion of gambling proceeds has been decreasing every year for several years. What is your plan to prioritize use of that money? What might be done to wean the agencies and programs that receive this money off of it?I think the county should take a more diverse and balanced approach with the gambling proceeds. The county should help the affected agencies and programs where ever they can.Do you believe the Kane County court system needs a computer system upgrade that might cost as much as $12.6 million? If so, do you support using RTA sales tax money to fund the cost, or do you have a different plan? If not, what is your alternative plan?My understanding is that the current system is outdated and no longer supported and if this is the case then replacing it may be the only alterative. But, $12.6 million sounds way over the top! Being in the technology field this is something that I would make a priority. There are still a lot of questions I have about this and I think it is premature for me to make a decision on something that will have a large impact without knowing more details.Do you believe county board members and the chairman should receive health insurance and pension benefits' If you are running for one of those positions, do you plan on accepting those benefits' Why or why not?I believe that the chairman should receive benefits because it is a full time position. In regards to the board members I believe that they should have access to the same benefits as all other part time employees have. I also believe that if you elect to take benefits that there should be some sort of personal contribution. If elected it is my plan not to accept benefits.How do you resolve the ongoing debate over the county board setting budgets for departments run by other elected officials whom the county board has no control over? How should the county board enforce the budgets it sets'I think the best way to resolve this is that leadership has to set the tone. There needs to be mutual trust and respect among all the elected officials, let's not lose focus of the end goal which is to serve the best interest of the citizens of Kane County.