Crowded field in McHenry Dist. 6 GOP race
Of the six districts in the McHenry County Board, District 6 by far has the most crowded field in the Republican primary: There are a total of 10 people running, including three incumbents and seven challengers.
Running for the Democrats are Ryan Heuser, Scott Summers and Jayant Kadakia. All three will go onto the general election in November to challenge the top four finishers in the Republican primary. Each county board district has four seats.
Here is a look at the Republican candidates.
Ÿ Board member Diane Evertsen, 67, of Harvard, is a retired real estate agent who has served since 2010. Her primary objective is to work toward improving the reputation and trustworthiness of county government among residents. She wants to promote smaller government, and limit any decisions that increase the size or cost of current programs.
Ÿ Shawn Green, 37, of Union, works as a police sergeant and is a former board president for Huntley Unit District 158. He advocates fiscal responsibility and wants to make sure the county always spends within its means. He also wants to ensure transparency on the part of the county board and limit the role of government in people’s everyday lives.
Ÿ David LaGue, 59, of Marengo, works as a farmer; he has served as board president for the McHenry County Conservation District and as director of the McHenry County Soil and Water Conservation District. He advocates safeguarding the county’s groundwater resources by preserving its agricultural base and undisturbed upland areas. He believes important issues include upgrading roads, especially in the southeastern portion of county, and controlling the rate of increase of the county’s property tax levy.
Ÿ Board member Mary McCann, 66, of Woodstock, owns a berry farm and has served on the board since 2007. She believes in continuing the conservative fiscal management of the county’s budget and in updating the county’s stormwater ordinance to achieve consistency throughout the county. She also wants to enlist communities in protecting the county’s groundwater reserves.
Ÿ Board member Ersel Schuster, 72, of Woodstock, owns a printing and graphics business. She has served three nonconsecutive terms on the board. She wants to identify the services necessary to run a lean and efficient government and wants the board as a whole to be more fiscally conservative. She also believes in protecting the county’s groundwater resources and food-producing farmland.
Ÿ Rachel Smith, 36, of Wonder Lake, works in independent sales and has served as precinct committeeman. She wants to make the county board more transparent and accessible to residents via social networking and increased online presence. She also believes in intergovernmental cooperation among municipalities and improving transportation for residents of the county’s rural areas.
Ÿ Michele Aavang, 51, of Woodstock, works as a farmer and is vice president of the McHenry County Farm Bureau. She also served as trustee in Greenwood. She wants the county to be fiscally responsible, including not using reserves for routine expenses. She also believes in pushing for governmental transparency and wants to protect the county’s agricultural and natural resources.
Ÿ Michael Stanard, 66, of Woodstock, works in marketing, advertising and design. He has served as president for The Friends of The Opera House fundraising group in Woodstock. He believes county government’s size has expanded beyond what is necessary, and proposes making a 5-percent budget cut across all departments. He also believes businesses are overtaxed and overly regulated.
Ÿ Corey Brackmann, 35, of Marengo, works in construction and real estate. He serves on the Marengo City Council and is a past board member for the Marengo Rescue Squad District Board. He believes the county board needs to stop its practice of asking for the maximum property tax levy allowed by law. He also wants to preserve the county’s groundwater suppliers but also aggressively promote new business projects and infrastructure improvements.
Ÿ J. Vincent Ranzino did not respond to requests for interviews.
District 6 includes all of Riley, Marengo, Dunham, Chemung, Alden, Hartland, Seneca, Coral and Hebron townships, plus parts of Grafton and Greenwood townships.