Anna May Miller: 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: CaryWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: McHenry County board District 1Age: 59Family: Married to Robert, three children and six grandchildren with number seven due September 29, 2012Occupation: Administrative Assistant with the Algonquin Township Road District.Education: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Cary Grove Historical Society Member, Member of the Cary Grove Chamber of Commerce, McHenry County League of Women Voters.Elected offices held: County Board Member - District OneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I believe it is critical for McHenry County to continue to maintain its strong financial position in the face of declining revenues. The County?s AAA bond rating has resulted in actual dollars saved for our residents, with the funding of major projects. We must continue to partner this financial acumen with measurable savings for our property owners.Key Issue 2 I remain committed to a strong investment in transportation infrastructure. I have and will continue to support affordable, effective, and innovative transportation solutions while protecting our County?s environmental resources.Key Issue 3 Groundwater protection must continue to be a priority for McHenry County. The drought we experienced this summer should have emphasized the value of this measurable resource. As legislators we must continue the commitment to protecting our groundwater for generations to come.Questions 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 County?s strong commitment to a financial model and a ?maintenance? budget has been effective tools in in maintaining our financial solvency. We have been able to continue to provide the high level of service McHenry County residents expect and maintained our operating reserves. However, with the continued challenge of declining incomes we are going to have to look at creative ways of decreasing operational expenses, managing personnel costs and sharing resources.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 identified and supported a very aggressive Five Year Highway Improvement Program. We have included many bridge replacements, several capacity and safety improvements and an ambitious transit program. We partner this with the Pavement Maintenance program, an essential component to preserving our existing infrastructure. I do not recommend removing any specific project; however, I believe that moving forward we must evaluate how we should be investing our transportation dollars to effect these improvements. We could be rehabilitating bridges rather than replacing them and some of our projects should continue to reflect the more rural character of our county.Does the county need to address its ethics policies? Why or why not? If so, how?The county updated its Ethics Ordinance this year. We identified the Ethics Officer as the Director of Human Resources rather than the States Attorney to address any potential conflicts should there be a violation filed. We also added the requirement for County Board Members and County employees to take and pass an online quiz on the Ethics Ordinance. From a policy perspective the county has addressed the issue of ethics.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 should be commended for how aggressively they have tackled the groundwater issue. They identified, created and financially supported the position of Groundwater Resource Manager. This allowed an employee to commit all their efforts to the creation of the Groundwater Task Force, the adoption of the Groundwater Protection Action Plan and the collaborative educational outreach between the County and the many municipalities within our boundaries. We have made great strides in educating people about the importance of our fresh water supplies in a very short period of time. We must continue the education process and enact policies that support the protection of this valuable resource.Assess how the county health department approached the whooping cough outbreak. What should have been done differently?I believe the McHenry County Health Department did a very comprehensive job of addressing the whooping cough outbreak in our county. When the reported numbers of whooping cough cases indicated an apparent/possible outbreak , the Health Department reached out in a timely fashion to schools and communities on a countywide basis providing information on symptoms and treatment. They mobilized resources to provide; and partnered with the private sector to coordinate immunization clinics. I believe we can always improve on our level of communication but I feel that they responded appropriately to this public health threat.