McHenry County board District 1 Gasser: 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: Fox River GroveWebsite: www.andrewgasser.comOffice sought: McHenry County board District 1 Age: 42Family: Andrew Austin NoahOccupation: Retired MilitaryEducation: BA from Saint Leo University - Criminology/Pre LawCivic involvement: Veterans of Foreign WarsElected offices held: Precinct CommitteemanHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what?I want to be a voice for my neighbors and the people in McHenry County and speak out on their behalf. It is very important that we listen to the people who elect us and act in their best interests. We must have the courage to stand up to political pressures and legislate with integrity. One issue I would address is property taxes. While our property taxes are among the highest in the nation, many of our homeowners have seen the value of their property decrease, while their property taxes have risen faster than the rate of inflation.Describe your position regarding the balance between county spending and revenues as it exists today, then describe the chief threats you see looming in the future and how the county should deal with them.McHenry County is the 27th most expensive county to live in the United States. Almost every family has to do more with less. Government should be no different. We as county board members need to work with elected officials and department heads as well as stakeholders in the community to see where improvements can be made. We must all work together to maximize program efficiency and value to the taxpayer. One chief threat is the enormous capital improvement projects that will surely raise our taxes due to both construction and upkeep.If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives you've led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the board and what would your priority be?Not being an incumbent and a military veteran allows me to bring a new, fresh perspective to the County Board. Currently, there is not one veteran on the county board. I think diversity on the county board is very important. The county is a very large organization with about 1315 employees. The military is also a very large organization. My experience working with large organizations gives me the understanding of how complex some issues can be. I'm not taking the pension, I'm not taking the healthcare, and I'm term limiting myself to two terms. My priority is property taxes.How do you rate the county government on transparency and the public's access to records? If you consider it adequate, please explain why. If you think improvements are needed, please describe them and why they are important.First, I believe county staff does a great job following the open meetings act and responds very quickly to FOIA requests. I also believe that the government transparency offered by McHenry County Government can be improved. Our county checkbook is not online while other counties have made it a priority and now have their checkbooks online. There were two votes on transparency in the past session and both of them failed. My opponents voted against them. I would have voted for them. The public has a right to see what their tax dollars are being spent on.Name one concrete program youâ#128;™ll create or personnel move youâ#128;™ll make to improve efficiency in the office or make it more successful. Explain how it will be funded and how you will overcome any obstacles to initiating it.We have many programs and services inside McHenry County that help the public. My focus would not be on creating another bureaucracy that would raise taxes but instead I would propose conducting benchmark studies with other Illinois County Governments to see where we might be able to identify areas to â#128;œdo more with lessâ#128;ť. For example, McHenry County has more employees, approximately 1314, than Kane County, approximately 1255. Yet, Kane County has approximately 512,000 citizens and McHenry has approximately 307,000. There is an opportunity to assess size and function of McHenry County Government that I want to conduct.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Almost forgotten in our county is the issue of creating private sector jobs. Creating more public sector jobs only increases the tax burden on an overtaxed citizenry. Letâ#128;™s open up McHenry County for business. Letâ#128;™s cut the red tape of bureaucracy and roll out the red carpet for job creators and find ways that benefit both the private and public sector. The faulty notion of raising taxes and regulation is driving away job creators and entrepreneurs from McHenry County. Our younger workers are having a harder time finding those first jobs. We have people with graduate degrees who are under-employed.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Congressman Trey Gowdy - he is a gentleman as well as a fearless leader.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My mother taught the lesson of hard work and having a strong work ethic. Without it, you are in trouble.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?In life you do not get "do overs". Its a hypothetical and I really cannot answer because I learned from my mistakes.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?English. I learned how to read and write which made me a better communicator. Without effective communication you will not kick down barriers in life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Never sacrifice your integrity and honor to get ahead.