Comparing prep time for Kane County Board
Debbie Miller, a Republican candidate for Kane County Board District 22, says she’s only missed one board meeting since she announced her candidacy last summer.
Her opponent, Douglas Scheflow, admits he hasn’t attended any county board meetings — in part, because of his work schedule.
That leaves Miller, 57, questioning whether her opponent truly has time for the job.
Miller, of Elgin, runs a website focusing on natural health and wellness, and she is starting another company to develop female leaders. Even so, she said still has the flexibility to attend every meeting.
“It’s important, because I want to know what the issues are, what they’re working on — some of those things will probably continue once I get there, so I want to know where they’re at and what they’re doing,” Miller said. “That would serve the people better, and that’s important to me.”
Scheflow, 54, also of Elgin, is an attorney. He said that between his job and campaigning, he hasn’t had time to attend any board meetings.
If elected, however, he’d schedule his work around meetings and ask other attorneys to handle some of cases, he said.
While he admits his attendance at meetings won’t be perfect, it would still be “very good.”
Scheflow has served on boards for various nonprofits, including Anderson Animal Shelter and the Elgin Day Care Center, and has a working knowledge of government operations.
It’s also his belief that you can’t have county board experience until you get onto the county board.
“This is a race for a nomination; this is not a race for the board seat. So I’ll have time, should I make it through the primary, to get up to speed on the pending issues,” Scheflow said.
Both Scheflow and Miller live in Elgin and promise to uphold traditional Republican values.
For Scheflow, that means individual liberty, freedom from government regulation and preserving individual rights and liberties as outlined in the Bill of Rights.
“Any business that comes at any level of government, you’ve got to look at things from a point of view or perspective and make decisions,” Scheflow said. “Is this government going to take money away from a family to go to some government program? It’s just a traditional Republican philosophy of government — that’s what I would work to preserve.”
Miller’s view of traditional Republican values centers on upholding the Constitution.
“To me, the Constitution is as conservative as you can get,” Miller said. “Serving the people is important and just doing the best job for what the people want,” Miller said.
The winner in the March 20 primary will face Bob Getz, an uncontested Democrat, in the general election. The 22nd district includes parts of western Elgin and Elgin Township.