Patrick Kenneally: 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: http://www.kenneallyforstatesattorney.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: McHenry County State's Attorney Age: 37Family: I am married to my extraordinary wife of eight years, Colleen. We have been blessed with two boys - Patrick, who is three, and John, who is one. We also have three rescue dogs - Ace, Abbie, and DaisyMy parents, Patrick and Therese, are retired and live in Chicago. I also have two accomplished and formidable sisters, Claire and Laura. Claire works as a physician at North Shore Hospital System and my sister Laura is a lawyer, working in Chicago.Occupation: First Assistant, McHenry County State's Attorney's OfficeEducation: Washington University in St. Louis, J.D.University of Vermont, Master of Law in Environmental LawCollege of the Holy Cross, B.S. in Biology and Liberal ArtsCivic involvement: Member of the Executive Committee for the McHenry County Substance Abuse CoalitionMember of the Knights of Columbus, St. Thomas ChurchMember of the McHenry County Environmental DefendersMember of Citizens for Conservation in BarringtonElected offices held: n/aQuestions Answers McHenry County will have a new state's attorney for the first time since 2004. In what ways do your see yourself reshaping or redefining the office?I will build on the enormous success this Office has enjoyed over the last decade, aggressively and successfully prosecuting dangerous offenders while expanding diversion programs for veterans, addicts, and the mentally ill. I envision three main points of departure. First, I will ensure the Office is the most transparent and accessible (in terms of fiscal and daily operations) office in the County. Second, I will ensure the Office's relationship with law enforcement throughout the County is sterling and based on mutual respect. Third, I have a plan that reduces spending by 10%, which will ease the burden on County taxpayers.How important is length of residency in the county to the qualifications of State's Attorney?My family has called McHenry County home for three years, and there is no other place I would rather live, work and raise my family. My dedication to McHenry County predates my residency here, as for the last nine years I have worked in the State's Attorney's office, delivering justice on behalf of those whose lives have been forever impacted by crime. I also serve on the executive committee of the McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition. Bettering this community is something I hold dear because McHenry County is and will remain home to me, my wife, and our two boys.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 how you would achieve them.Strong working relationships with the press and full disclosure to the extent allowed by law will be one of my first priorities. In addition, I will post budget and spending documents online monthly so that stakeholders have easy access to information about how their tax dollars are being spent. Because the State's Attorney's office is in possession attorney-client, highly-sensitive and private information, ethical rules and State laws sometimes limit the information that can disclosed. However, I will make every effort to execute these rules in a manner that is fully considerate of the public's interest in government transparency.Describe your position regarding the allocation of resources in the state's attorney's office. Are personnel allocated as they should be? Are there capital expense or other budgetary items that the office must address, and, if so, how do you propose to address them?By the end of my first term, I plan to cut the approximate $3 million office budget by at least 10%. First, the office will stop paying private attorneys who charge hourly $200,000/year to do legal work. We will bring this work in-house. Second, I will eliminate two criminal attorney positions, two administrative staff positions, and one investigator position saving taxpayers over $150,000/year. Third, I will cut cars assigned to the office from eight to four, saving the County $13,000/year. Lastly, we will no longer pay for office attorneys to travel out of state for trainings, saving taxpayers nearly $20,000/year.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?This is the first time I have ever run for elected office.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?We must address the heroin epidemic that is destroying lives in McHenry County. I am a founder of the McHenry County Opioid Initiative that successfully implemented a program supplying NARCAN to every County police department free-of-charge. The initiative is also developing a program that would allow a substance abuser to appear at any County police station and be fast-tracked for inpatient treatment. Lastly, the Initiative is holding a seminar for all local government officials in September to educate them on the dangers of Opioid abuse and resources currently available, and to develop a Countywide response to this crisis.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Louis Bianchi, the current State's Attorney and current boss. His instructions to all prosecutors on their first day is simply, "always do the right thing."What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?One's happiness and satisfaction in life begin with the person, their family, and their faith.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would not trade away a single of the many mistakes I have made because they have made me the person I am today.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject in school was debate class, for obvious reasons.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Do not harm others and stand up to those who would, help those who are suffering, and treat everyone as you wish to be treated.