Ann Maine: 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: LincolnshireWebsite: http://www.annmaine.comOffice sought: Lake County board District 21Age: 52Family: Married to pediatrician, Gordon Wood. We have 4 sons ages 16-23.Occupation: College teacher, Biology Department, Lake Forest CollegeEducation: BA in biology, Williams College,1981 PhD, Biochemistry, University of Rochester, 1990Civic involvement: Volunteer St. Patrick Church, Lake Forest (1992-present) Waukegan Holy Family Food Pantry Volunteer (1997-2010) Lincolnshire Garden Club (1994-present) Founder and volunteer of gardening program with boys at the Depke Juvenile Detention Center. (2004-present) Northeast Illinois Boy Scout Council--Chairman, Scouting for Food (2009-present)Elected offices held: Trustee, Village of Lincolnshire 1997-2002 County Board Member, Lake County 2002-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal Responsibility -- While the County and Forest Preserve account for only 10% of the property tax bill, it is still important that we continue to look for ways to save money.Voters in my district want their government to be fiscally responsible, and specifically, for those of us in public service to remember that government money belongs to the taxpayers.Government MUST live within our means, just like every household must do.We simply cannot spend money we do not have and expect to increase taxes to cover the difference.That means we must prioritize expenditures and put County funds toward areas where they can do the most good for the greatest number of people. And we must continually look for ways to eliminate wasteful spending and to ensure that each tax dollar is being used in the most efficient and effective way possible. I will continue to be a champion for reducing expenses and ensuring that our tax dollars are spent efficiently and effectively.Key Issue 2 Job Creation / Business Retention:Unfortunately, one of the fallouts of the poor economy in Illinois has been the loss of jobs as businesses leave the state to take advantage of lower corporate taxes in neighboring states.Since Lake County borders Wisconsin, which has been aggressively pro-business, we have been hit harder than some of the other counties with job losses as companies understand that they can get many of the same advantages of Lake County (educated work force, proximity to Chicago and airports) with much lower taxes by simply moving over the border to Pleasant Prairie. Businesses are a crucial component of a broad tax base, and District 21 has a number of important businesses including Baxter, Takeda, HSBC, Walgreens and CDWto name a few, as well as numerous small businesses.While County government has a more limited role in these issues, we still assist in important ways. First, we work with the public-private partnership of Lake County Partners to promote and actively seek new businesses in Lake County, while also providing assistance for current businesses of all sizes. Secondly, in the past decade we have invested over $200 million in the infrastructure of Lake County through our water, sewer and road programs.This includes not only important road improvement projects, but also programs such as PASSAGE, which gives real time traffic information to commuters.Sitting in traffic costs individuals as well as businesses time and money. Lake County has a number of task forces (of which I co-chair one) that are examining steps to safeguard a safe, clean, sustainable water supply.This important resource is vital for the health and well being of the county.A number of studies project that the Chicago region will have a severe water shortage in 20 years.By tackling the problem now, we can ensure residents and businesses that Lake County is a place to call home. Finally and importantly we provide a fiscally responsible County government with a AAA bond rating.All these factors help create an environment to retainbusinesses and to attract new companies that will bring new jobs to our County.Key Issue 3 Quality of Life in Lake County --Lake County residents continue to be concerned about their overall quality of life.Many moved here because of the excellent schools, beautiful forests and open land, and to escape the congestion of Chicago.They want a balance between traffic improvements and open space preservation.They want to be able to enjoy the assets of Lake County and not sit in traffic.For ten years I have worked hard to achieve that balance asboth as a member of the Transportation Committee as well as chair of the Land Acquisition and Preservation Committee.A recent example of a creative solution to traffic congestion is the new roundabout at Riverwoods and Everett Road. I will continue to work to increase the number of bike/pedestrian options as part of road projects or as part of trail connections in the Forest Preserve.This is a request I continually hear from residents.These paths and connections offer important alternatives to driving a car as well as the ability to spend time enjoying the open space.Questions Answers The county remains in the black, but property taxes across the region are high. Should programs be cut to save taxpayers money? If so, which ones and why?I believe that government, like everyone else, needs to live within our means.And yes --- our property taxes are high.I encourage every taxpayer to look closely at what makes up your tax bill.You will see that only 10% of your total tax bill goes to County government -- i.e., 7% for County and 3% for Forest Preserves in an average tax bill.Because of the way public schools are funded in Illinois, the biggest driver of our property taxes are our schools.School districts typically account for at least 65% of the average tax bill.That said, we at the County and the Forest Preserve are always evaluating the effectiveness, necessity and cost of our programs as welook for ways to save taxpayer money and keep expenses low, while maintaining public safety and funding mandatory programs.Specifically, we have cut the number of County employees by 10%, saving $50 million in employee salaries since 2009.We evaluate the need for programs and departments continually.With the downturn in the economy, the Planning, Building and Zoning Department staff was reduced by 1/3.We reorganized that and other departments with more appropriate levels of staffing to better use resources.For example, at one time the Health Department offered widespread flu shot clinics; this program was reorganized as grocery stores and drug stores started offering the vaccines. We are examining additional user fees for certain services that are used by only a small group of people.Further, we ensure that programs funded by grants are discontinued when the grant ends, and are not continued at taxpayer expense.Within the Forest Preserve, we have outsourced jobs and restructured other programs to reduce the number of employees necessary to maintain the district.We eliminated some low-enrollment camps and educational programs. Our responsiveness to changing economic conditions is one reason that both the County and Forest Preserve have maintained a AAA bond rating, unlike the State of Illinois.I will continue to evaluate the success and importance of programs and look for additional ways to save money.What should be done with the Fort Sheridan golf course? If no building or management proposals come back from vendors, do you propose abandoning golf? If so, are you concerned about a lawsuit? If you propose building a course, how should it be funded?As I mentioned before, government must live within its means and to do so we must prioritize expenditures.This applies to the Fort Sheridan golf course, which was not to be subsidized with any taxpayer money. No proposals = No project.No proposals were received by the January 6 deadline, indicating to us that no private entity believes the project is economically feasible.It will be my recommendation to the Forest Preserve Board that we make a formal request to the Army asking for removal of the deed restriction requiring a golf course on the property.While governments are always at the risk of being sued, I believe we have shown due diligence in our approach and have thoroughly and extensively explored many options.It is not economically viable for the Forest Preserve.Background - Over the past decade, the Forest Preserve has examined a number of possibilities to maintain a golf course at Fort Sheridan (as required by a deed restriction from the US Army).These included building a 9-hole course as well as an 18-hole course.In 2009, the Forest Preserve District established an advisory committee to recommend a plan for the Ft. Sheridan site.After meeting for more than a year, the majority of the Committee members recommended a 9-hole golf course interspersed with trails and open space. Last June, the Forest District Board of Commissioners solicited proposals to privately fund, construct and operate a 9-hole golf course at Fort Sheridan Preserve.The request was distributed to over 900 recipients, comprised of golf course builders, facility developers, contractors, golf course management companies and golf course owners. No proposals were received.The Winchester House nursing home recently was turned over to a private company for operation. Should other county or forest district departments be privatized to save taxpayers money? Please explain.The decision to privatize Winchester House was the correct one, based on the need for it to operate within its tax levy. Some additional privatization, yes --I support additional privatization if it is cost effective and does not imperil safety or our ability to respond to rapidly changing situations.We have already privatized some housekeeping operations at County buildings.The Forest Preserve district frequently uses outside contractors instead of increasing staff.Some examples include a number of grounds mowing contracts, contracting with the County for dispatch services, large-scale tree trimming and maintenance and HVAC preventive maintenance contracts for Greenbelt, ThunderHawk, Independence Grove, and the Ryerson Welcome Center.I will continue to look for additional opportunities to use private services as needed rather than hiring staff in the County and at the Forest Preserve.There are, however, some areas that we may not legally privatize (e.g., jail), or want to privatize (such as emergency services). Finally, in some cases there are restrictions with union agreements that make it difficult to use private services.Is there a specific type of service or amenity that is lacking in your district? If so, how do you propose to provide and fund that?More pedestrian/bike paths.The residents of District 21 are fortunate in their access to good transportation as well as Forest Preserve open space. The close proximity to the Forest Preserves and the trail system is one reason many residents moved to the communities in District 21. One request I continue to hear after 10 years is for additional pedestrian/bike connections along major corridors.Typically these projects are funded through collaboration with different agencies including the municipality, the Forest Preserve, Lake County Dept. of Transportation (LCDOT), and some federal funding. Usually, these paths are constructed in shorter segments as funding becomes available, so they take a number of years to complete.Great progress has been made in this area including sections along Deerfield Road, along Everett Road, and short spurs off River Road in Libertyville. In addition, road widening and reconstruction often offers a cost effective construction schedule.The Forest Preserve District has negotiated 2 such projects associated with the Milwaukee Road widening north of Rt. 137.There will be a path along the north side of Rt. 137 from Milwaukee to the Des Plaines River Trail, as well as sidewalk on Milwaukee from Rt. 137 north to Rt. 120.Additional priorities include completing a bike path connection along Deerfield Rd, (LCDOT is working with the Village of Riverwoods on this), along Everett Rd (the Forest Preserve has this on a list of future projects), and better connections along the rest of Rt. 137in the Libertyville area (this has been added to the County list of priority pedestrian/bicycle and in the last year we have applied for federal funding).Should the county continue to pursue open space policies' Why or why not?Keep our promises to voters'more land without increasing taxes.Absolutely!The Forest Preserve only buys land with bond money that has been approved by the voters.In the 2008 November election, 66% of the public voted in favor of the Forest Preserve Bond referendum for $185 million.At that time, we promised we would not raise people's taxes.We have kept that promise.This year, the Forest Preserve District was one of the few taxing bodies in the County to lower its tax levy (the amount of money we take in from property taxes).By preserving open land, we help to keep Lake County taxes low.Developed land is more expensive to maintain, due to the need for public buildings (e.g., schools), public safety, and services (such as water and sewer).As chair of the Land Acquisition and Preservation Committee and now as President of the Forest Preserve, I have been a strong advocate for open space and for our environment and I will continue to do so as long as it is fiscally responsible and supported by the residents.