What's needed in Lake County's District 5? Candidates disagree
From dealing with an aging population to lake dredging, candidates running to represent Lake County Board District 5 differ on what's needed for the area that includes Fox Lake, Lakemoor and Volo and parts of Round Lake, Wauconda, Antioch and Lake Villa.
Three Republicans and two Democrats are on Tuesday's primary ballot to represent their parties in the November general election. The has been seat held for 20 years by Republican Bonnie Thomson Carter, who is not seeking re-election.
Lake County Board members also serve as forest district commissioners.
Former board member Judy Martini, 63, of Fox Lake, and attorney David Zipp, 41, and Denise Rotheimer, 44, founder of Mothers on a Mission to Stop Violence, both of Ingleside, are on the Republican ticket. Ingleside resident Gloria Charland, 59, who is retired, and Roger T. Smith Sr., 41, a Fox Lake Elementary District 114 school board member, are the Democrats on the ballot.
Candidates were asked what program or initiative was needed in the district or what either governing body should stop doing. Responses are in no particular order.
Zipp said the county should not charge the Fox Waterway Agency permitting fees to do its job but should take an “active role” in supporting the agency's mission and dredging operations. He suggested the forest district purchase or use land adjacent to the Chain 'O Lakes to store and dry dredged materials, which could create jobs.
He opposes pensions for board members. He maintains patronage is an issue and that new hires should disclose whom they know or are related to in county government. He said the county's permitting process should be streamlined.
Zipp is a Marine Corps veteran, a Gavin Elementary District 37 school board member and founding executive director of the Illinois Boaters Association.
Martini said housing options are needed for the district's growing number of seniors.
“I would like to see more of a focus possibly giving incentives because that's the current wave in the building industry, trying to find adequate housing for the aging of the baby boomers,” she said.
Martini said many seniors don't know what services are available, and he suggested a “one-stop senior service resource guide” be created so they can easily find resources to improve the quality of their lives.
She said township assessors and the county should examine the discrepancy between the assessed and market values of properties.
Martini was a District 1 county board member and forest commissioner from 1994 to 2008. The former Realtor also is on the Fox Lake planning commission and is a Lake County Housing Authority commissioner.
Rotheimer said her focus is to work on behalf of taxpayers and initiate policies to reduce property taxes.
She noted personnel and benefits account for 56 percent of the county budget.
“Why are the expenses for county personnel going up when we are talking about seniors having to make the choice between food and health care? Let's look at what we're not doing. Let's look at the budget,” she said.
She also said board members should not receive raises or pensions.
Rotheimer is a victims rights advocate who wrote and worked to pass two victims rights bills in the General Assembly — Jasmine's Law in 2011 and the Victims' Rights Sign-Off Sheet in 2013.
Charland said she has seen district residents struggle with the “spiral of poverty” and thinks public transportation improvements would help
“They get a job, the car breaks down, they can't afford to get the car fixed so they lose the job,” she said. “I think we need improved public transportation to get these people to work, and of course we need more jobs.”
She said the county board should have elected majority and minority leaders, who each could appoint board members to committees.
“I think this would be better government. I also think all the meetings need to be televised and recorded. I think we need more transparency. People need to know what's going on,” she said.
Charland manages a family real estate business, teaches French and Spanish privately and is a volunteer with the Sierra Club, Clean Power Lake County and Livable Lake County.
Smith said community awareness is lacking and more interaction with constituents is needed in the district.
“I think we should be more in touch with our community and that is something I would definitely strive to do. Residents are not thinking about county government,” he said. “I want to be able to send something or get information to them to let them know we're not just there doing nothing or not looking out for their interests.”
Smith is an independent contractor delivering pharmaceuticals to drugstores, hospitals and medical offices.