Sarah Jansen: Candidate Profile

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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:BioQA Bio City: Crystal LakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: McHenry County board District 3 Age: 38Family: Husband, Greg Jansen; three children ages 10, 9 and 7Occupation: AttorneyEducation: Grade School: Spring Grove ElementaryHigh School: Richmond-Burton Community High SchoolCollege: Illinois Wesleyan University, B.A.Law School: University of Notre Dame, J.D.Civic involvement: Assistant State's Attorney; McHenry County State's Attorney's Office (2008-2012)McHenry County Bar Association; Legislative LiaisonCrystal Lake Girls Softball League CoachUpward Basketball Coach; Immanuel Lutheran Church in Crystal LakeMcHenry County Spotlight Youth Theater VolunteerElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is that?I became interested in running for county board while serving as an assistant state's attorney at the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office. There, I provided legal advice to the board and its members and worked hand-in-hand with department heads and county officials. Several issues that will be facing the new board are important to me. First and foremost is property taxes, the number one concern for the majority of people I have spoken with in my district. I wholeheartedly agree with the board's decision this year not to increase the tax levy, particularly since the county had a 6-month reserve and its bond rating was not affected. With the prospect of property values recovering, there may be a desire to raise the levy by statutorily allowed amounts. This would be wrong and I do not want to see it happen. I want to work with county employees and department heads to ensure operations run efficiently and remain financially sound without need for increased taxes. Other important issues to me are the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and online codification. The UDO창#128;#148;a comprehensive ordinance combining the zoning, subdivision and sign ordinances, as well as other development regulations창#128;#148;is currently being drafted. This comprehensive ordinance is long overdue and should provide uniform regulations for such contemporary land uses as solar farms, wind energy systems, and agritourism, and eliminate many ad-hoc, discretionary regulations currently in use. I want to be an integral part in implementing a UDO that does just that and ensures fair, practical enforcement to all residents. Similarly, online codification is imperative because currently there is no one place McHenry County residents can go to find all of the county's ordinances and regulations. With online codification, every ordinance and regulation will be combined under one code and made easily accessible via the county's website. Immediate access to such information is every citizen's right in this technological age.What differentiates you most from your opponents in the race?What differentiates me most is that during my years at the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office I provided legal advice to several of the board's commissions and committees, including the Ethics Commission, Liquor and License Committee, Planning and Development Committee, Transportation Committee, Law and Justice Committee, and the Human Resources Committee. I also successfully defended the county and its officials and employees in various state and federal trials and appeals. Additionally, I prosecuted ordinance violations, drafted and reviewed county contracts and intergovernmental agreements and drafted numerous revisions to several of the county's ordinances, including the Animal Control Ordinance, Sign Ordinance, and the Zoning Ordinance. This practical experience gave me a unique, inside perspective on how to run the county efficiently, and a good working knowledge of the county's codes and regulations. I have also developed strong relationships with many county employees and elected and appointed officials and know we can continue to work well together. Another difference is the fact that I grew up in McHenry County. I grew up in Spring Grove, attended grade school there, and then graduated from Richmond-Burton High School. After completing college and law school and practicing law in Chicago, I returned to the county with my husband almost seven years ago, in Crystal Lake, to raise our children. I love this county and want to see it continue to thrive.If you are an incumbent describe your main contributions. Tell us about important initiatives you've led. If you are not an incumbent, tell us what contributions you would make.Though not an incumbent, I feel I have already made several significant contributions to the county. As the legal liaison to the Ethics Commission, I drafted the policies and procedures currently in place. Prior to my acting as legal liaison, the commission had no uniform policy or procedures for dealing with ethics complaints under the Ethics Ordinance. The current policy and procedures I drafted were voted on and approved by the commission and can be found online on the commission's website. Also, for the better part of a year, I had weekly meetings with the Health Department and Animal Control working on updated revisions to the county's Animal Control Ordinance to bring it in compliance with current state law. I also worked diligently on the online codification project discussed above, helping to combine all the county's current ordinances and regulations and put them into one cohesive, comprehensive code. I also drafted and reviewed several county contracts and intergovernmental agreements currently in place. As a board member, some of my top priorities would be keeping costs down by making sure each department is running efficiently and effectively and by helping to reduce litigation costs and risks; implementing the UDO and online codification and making sure the county's ordinances are being enforced fairly and practically; and continuing to update and revise outdated regulations.What should McHenry County be doing to address stormwater and flooding issues throughout the county?As the county's population continues to grow and more development occurs, stormwater and flooding have become critical issues. Obviously flooding is a problem for roads and property, and stormwater runoff can introduce dangerous pollutants into the groundwater system and make it unsafe for the ecosystem and human consumption. To address these concerns, the county took a major step in adopting the Stormwater Management Ordinance in 2004 and forming the Stormwater Management Commission, whose primary function is to address stormwater and flooding in our county. Now, almost ten years later, flaws in the ordinance are being recognized and the ordinance is undergoing a comprehensive review and revision process which must be seen to completion. The ordinance should concentrate more on major development projects as opposed to minor projects by homeowners in floodplains or by farmers whose farmland happens to border wetlands. Currently, any homeowner whose home is in a floodplain must get a stormwater permit, or at least pay for and submit an application to determine if a permit is required, before doing any home remodeling project, big or small. This is too intrusive and does not necessarily further the ordinance's goals. If we focus enforcement on major developments such as shopping centers or subdivisions, we could more efficiently and effectively address flooding and stormwater problems. Also, I believe the county, through workshops or seminars, should encourage more municipalities to become certified communities. (Certified communities are those whose stormwater regulations are as at least as restrictive as the county's and have been certified by the county to issue stormwater permits.) This would reduce the county's burden and costs and allow municipalities more control over their own stormwater and flooding issues.Finally, is there anything we haven't asked about that you feel we should know?In 2010, I was awarded the Litigation Award by the Illinois Institute for Local Government for a case I worked on for the McHenry County Liquor Control Commission. The case was important because it dealt with whether local government창#128;#148;in this case McHenry County창#128;#148;or the state of Illinois should have more control over dealing with county liquor license violations. Ultimately, the appellate court agreed with McHenry County's position that local government should prevail. I firmly believe the less government regulation, the better; but, to the extent certain activities must be regulated (such as local liquor sales and building projects), it is often preferable to allow for local control.