Michael Walkup: 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: www.WalkupElection.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: McHenry County Board District 3 Age: 66Family: Daughter, Erica Wacker, Grandsons, Ryan Wacker and Colin Michael WackerOccupation: AttorneyEducation: Juris Doctor, Catholic University of America, 1975, B.A. University of Illinois, 1971, Crystal Lake Community High School, 1967Civic involvement: McHenry County Historical Society, Crystal Lake Historical Society, Environmental Defenders of McHenry County (Board, past), McHenry County Bar Association, Northwest Suburban Bar Association (Board of Governors, past),McHenry County Farm Bureau, McHenry County Land Foundation.I have been heavily involved in efforts to preserve our local environment through sound land use planning, conservation efforts, preservation of our historic heritage, and preservation of varied forms of agriculture, and tax reduction efforts.Elected offices held: McHenry County Board, District 3, since 2012;Crystal Lake Park District Board, five years; McHenry County Regional Planning Commission; Nunda Township Planning Commission; McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission; Crystal Lake Historic Preservation Commission.Questions 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?McHenry County is in the top one percent of counties in the entire country for property taxes. As Board Chairman I hope to be able to change that. I am currently a County Board Member representing District 3. In 2014 the voters of the county approved a referendum to elect the County Board Chairman at large. Previously that position had been elected only by the County Board Members. I am running for both the Chairman position and for re-election to my County Board seat. In that way I will be able to continue voting on all issues before the Board.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?I have been in the forefront of challenging the status quo in county government as Board Member.I helped to stop the $100 Million boondoggle continuous flow intersection improvement at Algonquin and Randall roads which would have harmed local businesses in favor of a more conventional improvement. I also spearheaded reforms at the Mental Health Board which was wasting tax dollars. As liason to the nursing home board I advanced proposals to stop further additions to its $40 Million surplus fund. I also helped stop the purchase of an empty factory building for salt storage, saving $5 Million.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. In particular in the suburbs, President Preckwinkle has set a goal of eliminating unincorporated areas from county oversight. Do you agree with this approach? If so, how should the county go about it?Part of the reason for our high taxes is excessive payroll padding in county government, nepotism, influence of special interests, wasteful projects, and duplication of functions. I have been in the lead on various efforts to fight those problems, including an attempt to place a referendum on the ballot to allow voters to decide to consolidate townships to save tax dollars.This did not make the ballot due to opposition from entrenched interests but will hopefully be re-visited in some form in the near future. The Periwinkle proposal is for Cook County and would not be appropriate for McHenry County.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.McHenry County has a good record of overall transparency, but that needs to continue. There have been sporadic problems with Open Meetings Act violations, which have resulted in complaints and/or lawsuits. We need to better educate our Board members and Chairman on the requirements of the Open Meetings Act as well as the offices of the other county elected officials. Our Ethics Committee has fallen down on the job in a couple of key instances and we have replaced several of its members. I have been heavily involved in re-drafting of our Ethics Ordinance to prevent reoccurrence of these problems.Please list any elected office you have ever run for and what the result of that election was. Have you ever been appointed to fill an unexpired term?I served for five years on the Crystal Lake Park District Board prior to being elected to the County Board. I also ran for Nunda Township Supervisor and for State Senate. I was elected GOP precinct committeeman in my precinct in 2000.I have also served on several boards and commissions to which I have been appointed, including Planning and Historic Preservation, at the municipal, township and county levels as well as the Citizens Advisory Committee to CMAP (Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning) during the drafting of their 2040 Metro Land Use Plan.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?My primary issue is the excessive and unjustifiable rate of property taxation in McHenry County. There is no reason why we should have the dubious distinction of being one of the highest taxed counties in the entire nation and in the Metro area. Beyond that I seek to preserve open space and adopt sound planning principles for future growth, help bring businesses into the county that can contribute in a positive way to our local economy, and preserve our environmentally sensitive areas and farms. I believe that McHenry County is ready for reform and hope to further that.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Governor Rauner is doing a good job under difficult conditions and I support his efforts.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Respect for others and always treating others as you would want be treated.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would probably do pretty much the same thing. I went into the law and have helped a lot of people who were deserving.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History and music. Those who do not study history are condemned to repeat it. As you go through life, try to sing a little.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be true to yourself. Always be honest. Follow your passions, where ever they may take you, and don't take life too seriously.