Diane Evertsen: 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: HarvardWebsite: http://www.DianeEvertsen.comOffice sought: McHenry County board District 6Age: 67Family: Married to Evert, three grown childrenOccupation: Retired RealtorEducation: Some college, no degree, with completion of various continuing education courses, including finance and ethics.Civic involvement: AYSO Soccer Coach Director, Great Midwest Pro Rodeo (benefits breast cancer research) President, Minutemen Midwest Secretary, Illinois Center Right CoalitionElected offices held: Three time (non-consecutive) Republican Committeeman 11 year member and 1 term President, Harvard School Board McHenry County Board Member, 1 termHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Working to improve credibility of and trust by citizens in their County Board.Key Issue 2 Good financial stewardship of taxpayer dollars.Key Issue 3 Promoting smaller government for the benefit of our taxpayers.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?McHenry County's financial staff have been diligent in following the requirements of the Board to maintain reserves and monitor spending.We must continue to monitor expenditures and make tough decisions to limit any new programs or enlarge/enhance existing programs.We must also realize that "Federal Funds", "State Grants", and "local matching funds" are all taxpayer dollars and there is no free lunch.The County cannot stay solvent and be all things to all people.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.McHenry County has a Highway Improvement Program (HIP) which constituents in District 6 have requested focus more closely on maintaining our existing roadways rather than push for "more and bigger".I also believe it is in the best interest of the taxpayers to promote private enterprise as the purveyors of mass transit.Instead of large empty buses traversing our roads, I'd prefer to promote privately owned taxis and let the private sector entrepreneurs grow businesses that will pay taxes rather than continuing to subject our citizens to continuously growing confiscatory taxes.Does the county need to address its ethics policies' Why or why not? If so, how?Being in the business of serving the taxpayers requires the County administration to address ethics issues on a regular, on-going basis.In the past year the additional disclosure requirements by McHenry County have been a very large step in the right direction.Putting Board member attendance on-line may also be helpful so citizens can easily determine if they are getting adequate representation.Unfortunately, Illinois has a reputation for ethical bankruptcy which reflects poorly on all of us.If for no other reason than that, I would like to see a policy of continuing education on ethics for Board members.Many of us recognize that just because something is allowed legally, does not make it morally or ethically correct.Assess McHenry County's efforts thus far in terms of groundwater preservation and protection. What needs to be done now and in the future?McHenry County realizes that with new growth comes new problems relative to maintaining an adequate water supply for our citizens.We've focused rather strongly on the need to protect high-level water recharge areas, and keep commercial and residential development contiguous to municipalities where infrastructure is already in place.We must continue in the direction of controlled growth and work with and encourage municipalities to do the same, as well as to educate our citizens to realize that groundwater (well water) is our only option.The current building and economic slowdown may work to our advantage in that it will afford us additional time to address water resource issues already evident in some of the more densely populated areas of the County.Assess how the county health department approached the whooping cough outbreak. What should have been done differently?The Health Department responded to the outbreak appropriately be advising the public of the problem and promoting the use of inoculations.Ultimately, immunizations are a parental responsibility.