Michael Donahue: 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: GenevaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Kane County board District 11Age: 50Family: Wife, Carol Son, Robert, age 19, University of Illinois Daughter, Allison, age 18, St. Olaf CollegeOccupation: Owner, Midwest Wind Energy, LLC, Chicago, ILEducation: B.S. Community and Regional Planning, Iowa State University, 1984Civic involvement: Rotary Club of Geneva, 1992 -- 2002 - Paul Harris Fellow, 1997 - Outstanding Club Service Award, 1996-97 - Outstanding Club Service Award, 1995-96 - "Rotarian of the Year", 1994-95 Member, Geneva Golf Club, 1998 -- Present - Chairman, House Committee, 2004 - 2007 - Chairman, Men's Golf Committee, 2003-2004 - Membership Committee, 2004 - 2007 Member, Kane County Board, 2010-PresentElected offices held: Kane County Board, District 11, 2010-Present.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal discipline.Kane County's economy is in a period of stagnation.For nearly 25 years Kane County's population and tax base grew at double-digit rates, and so did the budgets to fund the public services needed to support all of that growth.But now the growth has abated and the value of our property tax base is declining.So, too, are household incomes and people's ability to pay their taxes.Kane County must absolutely hold the line on spending and taxes through careful management of its resources and tax levies.Key Issue 2 Redevelopment of the old jail site and Settler's Hill complex.It is time to give these sites back to the taxpayers.For 30 years, Kane County residents have endured the impacts of hosting a regional landfill (and continue to do so as evidenced by the recent methane migration issue).It is time to manifest the long-touted post-closure benefits and develop the area as a public recreation amenity with private economic development opportunities.I chair a task force that includes the Mayors of Batavia and Geneva, the Kane County Forest Preserve President, fellow county board members, and professional staff.We are charged with completing a master plan for the 700-acre site by May 2012.I am excited about the plan and look forward to presenting it for public review and comment in the months ahead.Key Issue 3 The Case Management System (CMS) for the Circuit Clerk, Judiciary and Public Safety departments. This will be a key issue, but not a popular one for taxpayers.The Circuit Clerk procured the existing CMS in the early 2000s.It was not properly maintained and has become dysfunctional.To this day, nobody within the Circuit Clerk's office has accepted responsibility for the demise of the system and the waste of millions in taxpayer money.Yet, the Circuit Clerk seems determined to control the procurement process for the new system.This is unacceptable.The new CMS will cost millions more and will serve nearly eighty percent of the County's operations.I will not support one dollar of county funding on a new CMS unless the county's own Internet Technologies Department plays a major role in the process to procure, install, operate, and maintain the system.Questions 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?Yes.I voted in favor of the ethics ordinance last December and I anticipate voting for it again when in comes back to the full county board.The ordinance contains restrictions on board members' political activity, bans gifts and honoraria, requires contractors to disclose campaign contributions, requires board members to report conflicts of interest, requires disclosure of public pension benefits, controls nepotism, provides for an Ethics Advisor, establishes procedures for complaints and investigations, establishes penalties for violations, and more; all of which are more restrictive than those currently required by state law.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 have never supported the use of gambling proceeds to fund government activities.Nevertheless, riverboat money has been used to fund various county-supported initiatives for years.Riverboat revenues have decreased from ~$10 million at its peak to $5.5 million this year.They are projected to decline modestly in the future, but most of the ?weaning? has already been done.I would prioritize the use of available funds for the drug prosecution unit, drug rehabilitation court, domestic violence unit, and the child advocacy center.I would also support the continuation of economic development grants to Kane County communities to stimulate revitalization.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?See key issue #3.Also, if the county's Internet Technologies Department plays a key role in its design and procurement, and if they are responsible for the long-term operation and maintenance of the system, I would support the use of RTA sales tax revenues to fund the cost.The case management system is not a 'want.'It is an absolute need if eighty percent of our county operations, located in the Circuit Clerk, Judiciary and Public Safety departments, are to function properly and efficiently.This is a serious issue that we cannot ignore.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?No.I declined the health insurance and pension benefits when I joined the board in 2010, and I am on record as supporting the elimination of these benefits for all board members.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'Communication.The future county board chairman needs to spend more time sitting down together with every elected official to discuss the parameters of the budget.Each year the chairman should provide the elected officials with the best available revenue projections so that all parties have an understanding of what will likely be on hand the following year.At the same time, the elected officials should communicate their needs early on so the county can anticipate those in the budget process.If all sides start out understanding the needs of the others you stand a much better chance of coming to an amicable agreement on the budget.