Robert Bless: 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: Fox River GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: McHenry County board District 1Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married, 6 children, 2 grandchildrenOccupation: police officer and attorneyEducation: bachelor business management and accounting juris doctorateCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: county board 2008-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal responsibility/balanced budget/continued good financial management without cutting servicesKey Issue 2 Transparency and educating the publicKey Issue 3 Economic developmentQuestions 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?Mchenry County has and continues to be fiscally responsible in the economy. Through continued efforts with our management and county employees, we will weather the economic storm we face. We must restrain from large capital expenditures that would drastically deplete our reserves or feed off our reserves to keep up with operational needs. Each department must continue to take responsibility for its budgetary needs and continue to lean out any waste.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.Mchenry County has a satisfactory transportation plan and as everything else in this world, it requires continuous scrutiny so it can be adjusted and adapted to the changing needs of our society. Not every person will be affected in the same way by each individual project. Although the people need to be heard with their concerns, and the communication with our citizens needs to be open and continuous. We have a problem that needs fixing and that is transportation around and through the county. As seen in the past, plans have been put in place and were modified, some simple changes to drastic ones. The answer is not always the way it is written on paper, and everyone isn?t always going to be happy with the outcome, but it still remains that we need to move people efficiently, safely and effectively through the county.Does the county need to address its ethics policies? Why or why not? If so, how?I believe the county has put into place an ethics policy that addresses the current needs which may require some adjustments in the future but is a positive work in progress.Assess McHenry County?s efforts thus far in terms of groundwater preservation and protection. What needs to be done now and in the future?Mchenry County continues to be a leader in groundwater preservation. The continued efforts of our staff and board members in working with local municipalities to plan and design programs that will ensure the future of our groundwater. We need to look into strictly enforcing ordinances that protect our groundwater and find new ways to insure our future generations will have water in Mchenry County.Assess how the county health department approached the whooping cough outbreak. What should have been done differently?Candidate did not respond.