Corey Brackmann: 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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: MarengoWebsite: http://www.CitizensForBrackmann.comOffice sought: McHenry County board District 6Age: 35Family: Married with three childrenOccupation: Construction Real EstateEducation: Illinois Real Estate LicenseCivic involvement: Northern IL Gus Macker Tournament Chairman, 2011 - Current McHenry County Housing Commissioner, 2010 - Current Marengo Mainstreet Board of Directors, 2009 - Current Leadership Greater McHenry County, Class of 2010 Former President, Friends for Marengo Rescue Former Volunteer Marengo-Union Jr. Tackle Football Coach Former Volunteer Marengo-Union Little League Coach Volunteer Marengo Park District Basketball T-Ball CoachElected offices held: Marengo City Council, 2009 - Current Marengo Rescue Squad District Board, 2004 - 2009Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Bring some Sanity to Property Taxes: Government needs to live within its means.Only when each government entity stops asking for the maximum amount of tax revenue they can ask for will property taxes actually go down.Key Issue 2 Protecting Preserving Our Water Supply: Create thriving, sustainable communities by balancing development and natural resource conservation.Key Issue 3 Aggressively Promote Business Growth and Pursue Transportation Infrastructure Projects: Offering Transportation Options will make McHenry County more attractive to Businesses and help position our Local Businesses to thrive in this challenging and dynamic economy.Questions Answers McHenry County has managed the recession without a budgetary crisis like those in other counties. How do you ensure the county continues on that path and that reserves aren't depleted? Are there specific budget areas that need more attention?I would agree that McHenry County does not have a budgetary crisis.The problem with the County is the residents are over-taxed.The County has about $47.5 million of cash reserve which is about $13.5 million more than they should have under their own rules.If a taxing body has built up that kind of surplus then they are over-taxing the residents. Each Department should be able to reduce additional costs and should be required to as each family in the County has had to reduce their costs.I think the entire budget should be open for possible savings and attention.Does the McHenry County Board have a good transportation improvement plan? Please be specific and suggest whether you think anything is missing or should be scrapped.The McHenry County Division of Transportation needs to be much more accessible and willing to work with property owners, the business community and the local levels of government.The County needs to continue to improve our bridges and other infrastructure projects and has done a good job of addressing some of these items.Infrastructure is the key to promoting job growth and one of my main priorities.It was good to see McHenry County's involvement in the Route 47 / I-90 Interchange Project and we need to continue opening up opportunities along our I-90 corridor, expand our out-dated and overburdened two lane system we have in place today, and look for more public transportation opportunites, especially Metra Service to Huntley and Marengo.Does the county need to address its ethics policies' Why or why not? If so, how?McHenry County has developed an Ethics Commission and requires additional disclosures above what the state requires.However, I believe the greater question is how we make our elected officials more accountable to the residents.The simplest way for McHenry County to do this, I think, is for the County Board Chairperson to be elected at large by the entire county.The popularity contest of choosing a Chair by the Board Members would be removed and people would get committee assignments based on expertise, performance and interest instead of favoritism and rewards.In addition to the Chair being elected by the entire County, the Districts should have been re-districted to single represented districts during the re-districting process.These simple changes would make Board Members more accountable, approachable and provide better service to their constituents because the voters would have much more power.Try voting for a tax levy increase and get re-elected when everyone only gets one vote for County Board.If anything in government is ever going to change, the public will need to get more involved and require more accountability from their elected officials.Assess McHenry County's efforts thus far in terms of groundwater preservation and protection. What needs to be done now and in the future?Protecting preserving our water supply is one of my top priorities.The County has begun protecting our groundwater supply when they passed the McHenry County Water Resources Action Plan (WRAP).It is designed to protect and preserve the groundwater supply through conservation and efficiency.By promoting smart growth planning policies we can protect vulnerable groundwater resources from contamination and protect surface water resources in Northern Illinois rivers, lakes and streams.Assess how the county health department approached the whooping cough outbreak. What should have been done differently?Communication is the key during an outbreak like we experienced with Whooping Cough this year.The Health Department needs to communicate the issues and risks to the residents and schools as quickly as possible.Communication can always be improved and worked on.Utilizing our local pharmacies by holding immunization clinics is a good idea but I also think we should be able to utilize our local EMS services to help with communication as well.The more that all of our Government Entities work and communicate together the better it is for all of the residents.