Lake County board District 6 Werfel: 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: GrayslakeWebsite: www.WerfelForLakeCounty.comOffice sought: Lake County board District 6 Age: 51Family: Two children â#128;#147; Emily (age 17) Chase (age 15)Occupation: Marketing/Management ConsultantEducation: Bachelor of Arts in Government 1984, Georgetown University, Washington, DC Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing Strategic Management 1997, Loyola University, Chicago, IllinoisCivic involvement: Conserve Lake County (formerly Liberty Prairie Conservancy) Board Member (2003 - 2013) Grayslake Chamber of Commerce Grayslake Historical Society Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency Board of Directors -Alternate Director (2003 - present)Elected offices held: Grayslake Village Trustee (2003 â#128;#147; Present)Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions Answers Should the county continue to pay for road improvements on state routes that otherwise wouldnâ#128;™t be addressed?Yes, based on how feasible overall a particular road improvement is in easing Lake County residential traffic burdens and in enhancing business/economic development. The state has fallen short in its responsibility to improve our transportation system over the years. Lake County and many municipalities have had to get creative working with the state to address traffic and transportation challenges that need to be addressed. An effective and efficient transportation network is vital to a thriving economy. I want to make sure we are a job importer, not exporter, and that â#128;œbad trafficâ#128;ť negatively impacts our families as little as possible.If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives youâ#128;™ve led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the board and what would your priority be?I believe the most important issue facing Lake County is its overall economic viability and competitiveness both within Illinois and outside of it, especially given our shared border with the state of Wisconsin. The county needs to be as creative as possible to encourage the development of a thriving local economy in a very tough environment. Sound government fiscal management, maximizing public-private partnership opportunities, improving public infrastructure and services, and maintaining a business friendly economic environment are some of the policies/practices that are crucial to success. I possess 11 years of pertinent experience as a Grayslake Village Trustee here.Name one concrete program youâ#128;™ll create or personnel move youâ#128;™ll make to improve efficiency in the county government operation or make it more it more successful. Explain how it will be funded and how youâ#128;™ll overcome any obstacles in initiating it.Weâ#128;™ve improved our municipal service levels, lowered costs and enhanced Village revenues in Grayslake through the implementation of shared service practices. Lake County has begun the same process. I would like to aggressively promote police protection from the Lake County Sheriff as a contracted out service to smaller county municipalities. The same with the Countyâ#128;™s building inspection, plan review and permitting function. I would champion an internal initiative focused on implementing process re-engineering, including collaborative purchasing, in all County functions, similar to what has already been done in permitting. Funding ultimately comes from increased revenue and cost savings.Given the continued decline in interest of golf, should the forest district consider divesting its interests in some or all of its golf holdings?I would be supportive of conducting an overall cost-benefit analysis that would provide both the quantitative and qualitative impacts, positive and negative, of divesting the Forest Preserveâ#128;™s golf holdings. I would also ask that such a study provide any other potentially feasible alternatives to either keeping the golf courses operating as they are now or divesting them totally.Do you have any ideas on how you could work with municipalities within your district? What kind of issues do you think it would be worth collaborating on?Work with the local municipalities to support all efforts by other levels of government to improve the local roads they are responsible for. District 6 examples include the Route 45 widening by the state and the countyâ#128;™s Washington Street with Rollins Road Gateway improvements. Actively address in cooperation with local municipalities the continuing need for more business/commercial development to add jobs, improve the overall economy and assist in relieving more of the onerous residential property tax burden on our citizens. Continue to pursue and expand upon innovative shared services and joint purchasing relationships with local municipalities and other governmental entities.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Responsibly managing Lake County's budget and finances while continuing to deliver high quality county services. I believe county government needs to be as innovative and cost-effective as possible in the delivery of the services for which it is responsible. This is also true for all other levels of government. As a County Board Member I will focus and work on keeping county government taxes low while maintaining high service levels for our families and businesses. As a Village Board member in Grayslake over the past 11 years, we have been very successful in achieving these ends.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.My father, - for the way he handles himself and example he sets with family, friends and in his business life.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To always be sensitive and respectful of other people and try to do the right thing by them.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have gotten involved in community and public service earlier as I really do enjoy it.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Social Studies. It has helped me greatly in understanding and appreciating how our culture developed and how it works.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?To always be sensitive and respectful of other people and try to do the right thing by them.