Yvonne Barnes: 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: CARYWebsite: TBATwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: McHenry County Board District 1 Age: 55Family: Bryan (24), Allison (22), Megan (22), Emily (20), Nikita (18), Daniel (16), and Colleen (15)Occupation: Technical Communications/Business AnalysisEducation: B.S. Business/Marketing Indiana UniversityA.A.S. Data Processing Triton CollegePublic Environmental Affairs/Urban Regional Planning Indiana UniversityCivic involvement: Saints Peter Paul Church, Senior Services, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, School Improvement Committee and Booster Club, Youth Sports and Music, Citizens for Conservation, Friends of Parks, and Friends of the Library.McHenry County Housing Authority Liaison, Workforce Development Advocacy and Youth Council Member.Former Village of Cary Trustee 12 years. Cary Economic Development Committee and Merry Cary Parade Planning Committee.Elected offices held: Village of Cary Trustee 1994-2006McHenry County Board Member 2006-2010McHenry County Board Member 2012-2016McHenry County Vice Chairwoman 2015-2016Questions 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 am running for re-election so that I may continue my role as a citizen advocate, problem solver, and tax watchdog. My elected experiences as a Village Trustee and County Board member combined with my professional business and government consulting experience contribute to making me a qualified and proven representative. Skyrocketing property taxes, lower personal incomes, and a continued reduction in County expenditures are extremely important issues for me now and will continue to be my focus during my next term.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 led the charge on lowering McHenry County taxes through a reduction in the levy, departmental cost savings, eliminating unnecessary programs, attention to internal audits, and a directive for improved reporting, communication, and workflow process and procedures. I have started work on a new program which involves combined purchasing and bidding through a cooperative involving local governmental entities.Additionally I have extended the County's Economic Development initiatives to include our residents (workforce)as key considerations with top priority. Our residents need to benefit from all decisions whether it be more job opportunities, tax advantages, or other money saving opportunities.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?County spending and revenue need a continued decrease. This past year saw significant reductions in both areas, but there is much to improve. The County needs to continue to pare down to mandated services with sensitivity and planning to the State budget crisis. I'll continue to insist on lowering the amounts for consultants, special projects, and contingencies. Intergovernmental partnering will be a proactive answer to threats. I will continue to enforce the frugality necessary for operations. The major threat to maintaining our quality of life is that people can no longer afford to live in our communities.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.Improvements are always necessary in an organization. The County audio records Board meetings, but does not provide video. Committee meetings should be equipped with audio and video recordings as well. A search for ordinances and resolutions is available, but not easy for citizens. Better keywords and overall communication can be moved to another level. Computer access is not available for everyone. We need to provide phone options and answers. It is important to remember that our citizens are the true employers and executive managers of all the elected officials and employees at the County. Quality customer service requires productive responsiveness.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?Cary Village Trustee elected three times, appointed twice, lost first electionMcHenry County Board Member Elected twice, lost onceMcHenry County Vice Chairwoman elected unanimously by peersWhat other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I work for funding projects which are necessary and can be funded without an increased cost to the taxpayers. Our building projects and campus responsibilities require maintenance and this is a challenging situation. Much of my time on the Finance committee will be addressing these concerns. I will work for efficient services at the best value. My decisions are based on the premise that they must add value today and in the future. Communication with the public and other units of government requires time to ensure the resources available to provide a highly acceptable life experience in the County.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis because of his love, mercy, and inclusion. He acknowledges our human actions and learning. Pope Francis promotes the beauty in our world.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Help others, do your best, and learn something new every day.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend more time with people I love.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math. Mathematics helped me develop analytical skills,logical decision making abilities, and common sense. It enforced knowledge that there are multiple ways to solve a problem.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Help others, do your best, and learn something new every day.