Kerri Barber: 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: http://www.kerriformchenrycounty.com/Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: McHenry County Board District 1 Age: 42Family: Spouse, sonOccupation: MarCom ConsultantEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Former board member, It's Our Little Secret, a 5013c for abused and neglected children in foster care as well as the school and holiday drive volunteer for St. Vincent de Paul and other non-profit groups serve underprivileged youth and their families in McHenry, Cook and Winnebago Counties. Served as a volunteer educator with Junior Achievement, assisted with Red Cross relief efforts, her parish youth and adult religious education programs, Home of the Sparrow and her family hosts an annual fund drive at Halloween for the Cary-Grove Food Pantry.Elected offices held: no civic officeQuestions Answers There were significant voting problems in the March primary. Are you confident sufficient steps have been taken to avoid a repeat in November? What role, if any, should the county board have in such matters?I am not confident as the discovery process has not been made public along with the steps taken to rectify the situation. I have personally contacted Democratic election judges to ask them to participate despite not having been called up during the primary. My party has offered additional training and myself and others have recruited new judges from both sides of the isle as well as poll watchers. Board members should be champions of our election process to drive engagement. A 21% during the general was a sign of apathy that should be a wake-up call to all elected officials.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?The push by current board members to privatize Valley Hi, our only nursing home that serves indigent seniors and disabled veterans. The other was violating our state laws repeatedly in an effort to vote down Prevailing Wage. Through their ignorance of what is sound Republican policy established to help drive local economies, they instead are taking cues of a wealthy donor. We need leadership that puts our county businesses first.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 earns revenue primary through property taxes. Rather than cutting essential services, we need to diversify our tax mix and help small business grow- keep people working here, not in another county. Over $1.7 Billion came through Chicago last year from investors to no-name start-ups, but not a dime came out here. We aren't inviting them. Over 75% of consumer goods are imported to the county while less than 25% are supplied locally. If we don't change our future is an increase in only one area of employment: Combined Food Preparation Serving Workers/ Fast Food (11%). This is unacceptable.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.Pretty low. I disagree with showmanship toward non-binding referendums that give the appearance of action where little actually exists, extensive 5+ hour committee meetings that makes it impossible for citizens to participate. I am opposed to their repeated delays in approving meeting minutes, (6 months!) I disagree with limiting those minutes to just high level notes instead of the discussion points as we had before. This sets voters up to fail when they try to participate and information is inaccessible. All of this, to me, is a clear indication of civil servants who have forgotten what it means to serve.Please list any elected office you've ever run for and what the result of that election was. Have you ever been appointed to fill an unexpired term?None.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Our board members are expected to be champions of our laws and represent us in that capacity. Personal ideology aside, they must abide by the law set forth in our State Constitution, whether they agree with them or not. Our board members violated the Open Meeting Act while they spoke about transparency. They met at our public space with the announced purpose of discussing the 'Turn Around Agenda', barred the public from entry. These elected officials acted as though our voice does not matter and, at their discretion, ignored the law. They forgot whom they serve andare clearly inthe wrong job.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Malala Yousafzai She embodies leadership as a servant of justice against powers far greater. She speaks for all those without voice, a beacon to follow.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Outside that door you become an ambassador for our familyand country. People may never meet anotherAmerican, provide a good impression.Do nothing an apology cannot fix.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Even my bad decisions brought me here and I like where I am, who I am now and the lessons that came with it all.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Art classes unlocked creative thinking that helped with programming, debate, math and problem solving. I learned to take criticism from others and survive it.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?It doesn't matter how you earn a living, you will never BE your job. Focus on having a good character because that stays with you.