Mary Margaret Maule: 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: JohnsburgWebsite: http://www.marymargaretmaule.comOffice sought: McHenry County board District 4Age: 48Family: Married, 26 years to Jack Maule. I have three children Aeysha (24), Terrance (22), Ian (21).Occupation: Business Consultant Adjunct Instructor of International Business and Marketing, MCCEducation: Master of Business Administration, College of William and Mary BA, History/International Relations, Old Dominion University Certified Global Business Professional, NASBITECivic involvement: Currently: Board President Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of McHenry Founder and Facilitator of Voices of Veterans Writers Group Curriculum Committee for Leadership Greater McHenry County (LGMC) Lake McHenry County Veteran and Family Service Advisory Committee Former: Finance Committee Village of Johnsburg Johnsburg Athletic Boosters Business Development Committee MCEDCElected offices held: Precinct CommitteemenHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Community Economic Development- 75% of the jobs in America are created by small business. As the director of the Small Business Development Center, I saw first hand how jobs could be created with collaboration and the engaged partnership of public and private resources. The county board needs to play an active role in attracting new companies as well as retaining the jobs already in the community.Key Issue 2 Sound planning and implementation of effective transportation plans and water conservation programs to ensure we protect our finite resources and meet the needs of a growing community.Key Issue 3 Responsible fiscal management that serves the community. Recently the county board voted against a $75,000 grant to fund abstinence based pregnancy prevention program in Harvard; a community with a teenage pregnancy rate 5 times the rest of the county. It would have provided the school system with an additional tool to serve their community. Two of the sitting District 4 board member voted against this grant. It would not have raised our taxes and the position would have been eliminated when the grant stopped. To me, this is short-term thinking that is fiscally irresponsible. The community impact of nearly 50 teenage pregnancies a year is for more significant to the taxpayers. A healthy community does not happen without committed resources and strategic long term planningQuestions Answers McHenry County has managed the recession without a budgetary crisis like those in other counties. How do you ensure the county continues on that path and that reserves aren?t depleted? Are there specific budget areas that need more attention?The citizens of McHenry County have had to make difficult decision as to how they spend their household income and their elected officials have the same responsibilities. Our county board needs to be reduced. We need to consolidate programs that have overlapping service and non-mandated services should be evaluated each year to determine if they deliver value in alignment with their cost. Good fiscal management requires the board evaluate the cost benefit of every expenditure, not just when voting on the budget. I would evaluate the overtime expenditures of each department to determine if there is a more effective way to service the community.Does the McHenry County Board have a good transportation improvement plan? Please be specific and suggest whether you think anything is missing or should be scrapped.I feel there is a solid plan to address the aging bridges of our county but McHenry County needs to invest in road development in the areas of anticipated growth. There has been very little investment into new roads in the past 50 years. A comprehensive plan for long term growth versus trying to patch our current system that results in merely moving the bottleneck 5 miles down the pike. As a resident of the Northern edge of the county, I would like to see some attention to developing a main artery in the Northern region of the countyDoes the county need to address its ethics policies? Why or why not? If so, how?In the past year, we have had numerous incidents of questionable behavior by our elected officials regarding the open meetings act and the perception of conflicting interests. It is time to clarify expectations to remove any misinterpretation. Ethic policy oaths should be public and they should be annual. The county needs to have an ethics policy that details the county's commitment to best practice and decisions making in everything the organization does, it should be used to guide an organization in all its decisions, services, and activities.Assess McHenry County?s efforts thus far in terms of groundwater preservation and protection. What needs to be done now and in the future?Water is a critical resource for the overall health of our county both economically and ecologically. Proper management of ground water resources is vital to the economy, human health and ecosystems. We need to educate the community on the responsible use of groundwater and means of recharging the aquifer. By providing tax incentives for building and landscaping practices that conserve, preserve, protect, recharge and prevent waste of groundwater we are encouraging good practices. The county should incent water conservation and land subsidence by rewarding building practices such as porous materials in parking areas, etc. The past seasons drought was an excellent reminder of how precious this resource and how heavily our community relies on the aquifer.Assess how the county health department approached the whooping cough outbreak. What should have been done differently?Education is the best tool to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The use of social media tools, community organizations, faith based communities and service organizations are inexpensive ways to communicate a message. This provides the community with the tools to protect itself. I believe that the county was proactive in preparing the healthcare community but lacked the tools to communicate effectively with the community at large.