Brent Paxton: 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: ZionWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lake County board District 4Age: 48Family: Married: Wife (Kathy), Sons (Sam-12, Zach-10), Daughter (Zoe-8)Occupation: Chiropractic PhysicianEducation: B.S. (Human Biology)- 1985 D.C. (Doctor or Chiropractic)- 1987Civic involvement: Board of Directors, Zion CREW (Community Resources for Education and Wellness), Jubilee Days committee, Chairman, ZCAP (Zion Community Action Panel)Elected offices held: County Board, 2000-Present Forest Preserve Board, 2000-PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Financial ResponsibiltyKey Issue 2 Economic DevelopmentKey Issue 3 Transportation/Road improvementsQuestions 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?Programs have been cut over the past several years which is why the County is in the black. The County is in the black as a result of consolidating job positions where feasible, improving efficiences within our buildings (decreasing our utility costs), programs and services that were considered non-essential to County business were scrutinized and cut or modified to reduce costs. We have always strived to "live within our means" at the County, and this philosophy has resulted in the County reducing our budget over the past several years, which in turn saves taxpayers 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?I believe the Forest Preserve should live up to it's commitments, we need to be true to our word. The Forest Preserve received the land at Fort Sheridan with the stipulation that it remain a golf course, this is the agreement that the Forest Preserve signed. There have already been several feasible plans that could work. And with funding, as with all of our golf courses it would come from greens fees/user fees and never from property tax dollars. There is already some money set aside for this purpose.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.If privatization could work in other areas, I would certainly be open to looking at them.But the numbers would have to work and maintaining our efficiences and quality service would all have to be acheived.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?Most County services are fairly accessible. I would like Sheridan Road to be hooked up to the Lake County PASSAGE system (synchornized and coordinated stop lights). The County has been successful at receiving Federal Grants, so I would continue to lobby for those.And I believe the Northern part of the County needs a trail connection between the Des Plaines River trail and the Robert McClory bike path. Referendum money was approved by the taxpayers in 2008, which could be used.Should the county continue to pursue open space policies' Why or why not?The voters spoke in 2008 saying they wanted more open space. I believe that open spaces are definetly a component of smart growth, which the County and municipalities should be working together to implement. And smart growth is essential to improving the quality of life in Lake County.