advertisement

Brian Pollock: Candidate Profile

Kane County board District 4 (Democrat)

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: AuroraWebsite: http://www.brianforkane.comOffice sought: Kane County board District 4Age: 34Family: SingleOccupation: Small Business Owner/Attorney with a practice concentrating in workers' compensation, personal injury, and small business consultingEducation: Bachelor?s of Arts, Northwestern University, 1999 Juris Doctor, DePaul University College of Law, 2002Civic involvement: ? Board member, Aurora Township Senior Services Committee ? Volunteer, Senior Services annual holiday dinner ? Constituent service work for State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia ? Treasurer, LULAC Council of Aurora Foundation ? Local food pantry volunteer, including deliveries to Constitution House ? Volunteer, St. Therese Church and school ? Legal counsel, LULAC Council 5218 ? Treasurer, Hispanic Leadership Organization ? Religious education teacher ? Youth mentor ? Member, Kane County Bar AssociationElected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal responsibility: Freeze property taxes for Kane County residents and spend within our means, while protecting health, safety, and vital servicesKey Issue 2 Bring quality jobs to Kane County, while preserving the ones already hereKey Issue 3 Ethics reform, responsive and transparent government, and ending pay-to-play politicsQuestions Answers Did the county board get it right when they decided to leave an ethics ordinance that is more stringent but more open to a legal challenge in place? Would you support the creation of more detailed economic interest statements?As an attorney, I do not support unenforceable or unconstitutional ordinances. Kane County has been sued multiple times recently costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. We do not need more lawsuits. However, the weak ordinance discussed by the board this year lacked accountability and enforcement mechanisms. The County Board should focus on passing a strong and enforceable ethics ordinance, rather than engaging in political theater. A more detailed economic interest statement is a good idea, but it cannot be done at the county level. Statements of economic interest are governed by state statute, not local county ordinance. If we want more detailed statements from our elected officials, we need to ask the state legislature, not the county board.Would you support the buildout of the shell space in the Kane County jail if it could be shown that the space could/would be used to increase profits from housing federal inmates?Although I cannot support any plan without concrete details or documentation, I would support the board's examining all legitimate revenue-generating options, including this one. The buildout of the jail will be needed eventually. However, we must be mindful of the taxpayers. Any project must eliminate the unnecessary costs of pay-to-play politics and also protect the county from potential lawsuits and liability issues.Do you believe the county court system needs a computer system upgrade that might cost as much as $12.6 million? If so, do you support using RTA sales tax money to fund it, or do you have a different plan? If not, what is your alternative plan?Yes, the county does need to upgrade its inadequate system. However, spending $12.6 million is way too much for this. DuPage County recently created a new system with its own employees for little cost. We need this type of ingenuity in Kane County. We should reach out to DuPage County and inquire about using its system and save that $12.6 million for other necessary uses.Do you support the call by the state's attorney and public defender for raises for their staffs? Where should that money come from?Ideally, the county should increase salaries for assistant state?s attorneys and public defenders. The county will lose the best and brightest attorneys by continuing to pay below market value for these employees. However, we do not need to raise the tax levy to pay for this. The county already raised user fees in the court system to provide the funding for these increases, and the board should redirect the funds already allocated for that purpose.What aspects of the Fabyan/Settlers Hill campus redevelopment vision created by the task force do you support? What should happen to the old county jail property?I support the task force?s plan to use the landfill site for recreational uses, such as opening hiking and biking trails and an observatory. I also support preserving the historic building on the Fabyan site. Expanding the golf course and adding a clubhouse banquet facility is good idea if done properly. However, I disagree with the plans to build a limited-use outdoor music venue. Removing trees to build parking lots is also a bad idea. The board?s leadership has rushed this idea without developing a solid plan. For years, leadership has pushed unorganized outlines like this to the board, and as a result, there have been very few successful developments in the county. Frankly, instead of rushing this plan, the county should deal with more pressing issues like passing a real ethics ordinance or crafting a budget that protects vital services and protects taxpayers. As for the jail, the existing units using the property, such as fleet management, should remain until money can be allocated to move them. The property itself should stay under control of the county and not be sold to private investors now. In a bad economy, we will not receive good value for the land. The land is bounded by county and forest preserve property and should have a recreation use that takes advantage of the location and natural resources to attract visitors.