Judy Martini: 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: Fox LakeWebsite: www.JudyMartini.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lake County Board District 5 Age: 64Family: My family were some of the first settlers in the Ringwood area, moving here in the 1870's as farmers. I was born and raised in the Richmond area, where my father owned a union construction company for over 50 years. I later married and moved to the Chain O'Lakes area of Spring Grove and Antioch and finally Fox Lake. I am a single and have one son, who works in the movie industry while living in California. My brothers and their families live in the surrounding area with their families. My sister and her husband retired and live in Kentucky.Occupation: part-time aide and community activist and leaderEducation: I was formerly a real estate agent for 18 years until the bubble burst in 2008. I previously attended the College of Lake County for accounting and real estate. I furthered my real estate background by attending McHenry County College and the University of Wisconsin for contracts and conveyances and obtained a Wisconsin real estate license as well as my Illinois license. Having a passion for our natural resources: flowers and plant life, I attended the College of Lake County for Horticulture.As a numbers person, I furthered my educational background by attending the Chicago Appraisal Institute for residential appraising.Civic involvement: Present:Lake County Housing Authority Commissioner, helping those less fortunate meet their housing needs for adequate affordable housing. Village of Fox Lake Planning Commission, Board Member, to help meet the needs of the Village for business expansion and by promoting tourism with plans for a long awaited lakefront hotel.Former Fox Waterway Agency Director, promoting safe recreational usage of our waterways and creation of no-wake zones.Initiated the Water Safety Reform Act which Senator Geo-Karis sponsored on my behalf mandating children wear life jackets on boats.Former: Director of YMCA Camp DuncanVA Hospital Stakeholder CommissionMember Stormwater Management AgencyElected offices held: Director of Fox Waterway Agency, working on improving water quality for Chain O'Lakes.Lake County Board Member District 1, giving a voice to the people and a transparent form of government.Member Affordable Housing Commission helping meet the needs of those less fortunate obtain housing.Lake County Board Liaison to Fox Waterway Advisory Board, advising on water quality issues and solutions. Vice-Chair Lake County Board, initiating first ever County Board Member newsletters to public.Chair Legislation and Intergovernmental AffairsVice-Chair Law JudicialChairman Lake County Building ZoningVice-Chair Public Works Transportation served on over 22 various committee'sQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office? If you are running for re-election, is there an important project you want to implement? If you are a challenger, is there a particular issue that motivates you? Please explain.I am running for Lake County Board Member for District 5, because I love our area and I know I can make a difference. With the retiring of Bonnie Thomson Carter, this area needs someone to fill her shoes that has the experience, knowledge and fortitude to continue Bonnie's good government legacy. Having been on the County Board before, but in a similar District, I will need no on-the-job training. I have spent decades fostering relationships on Municipal, State and Federal levels government, and will be able to hit the ground running from day one for projects for our area.What are your ideas to ensure the Lake County Discovery Museum remains relevant with county residents during the year it is closed while it moves from Wauconda to Libertyville and its new space is prepared?With the Lake County Discovery Museum moving from Wauconda to Libertyville it is important to keep the spirit of the Museum alive in the publics eye. I would suggest that discussion needs to occur at the committee level on options for "taking the show on the road" of various artifacts relevant to Lake County residents. For example, I would recommend an outreach program to local historical societies to host exhibit displays. For example, our local Historical Society would be eager, I would think, to show case some of the many Chain O'Lakes artifacts to help educate residents of our history.Do you believe all of the county board's and forest board's committee meetings should be televised live and webcast? Why or why not?As a former Vice-Chair of the Lake County Board, I am proud to say I was a part of the first televised Board Meetings to make Lake County Government more transparent to our residents. Making good decisions at the County level is an endless task of meetings, questions, review of policies and sometimes compromise. With the most recent step by the County Board to televise the Finance Committee meetings, residents can hear discussion of agenda items prior to the full board meetings where usually everything is worked out prior to a final vote. The public deserves full Board Meeting transparency.Some municipalities are turning to Lake County government for contracted services in areas such as building inspections. For example, Lake Zurich signed a two-year contract with the county in late 2015 and expects to save $100,000 by paying $67 an hour for the inspections. Do you see this as a good thing for the county because of the revenue or are there concerns that should be addressed if these arrangements continue to grow? Please explain.When the bubble burst after 2008, Lake County Government cross-trained employees, offered early retirements and down sized the amount of employees at hand. The one department downsized significantly was the Building Department because permit requests and revenue was down because of the market crash. Likewise, municipalities are trying to find cost saving measures to save tax dollars by operating more efficiently. I believe that if reduction of any form of government is a cost saving measure for the taxpayers, we as leaders should encourage that intergovernmental cooperation while meeting the needs of the public by keeping an eye on expenditures.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?In 1991, I was elected Fox Waterway Agency Director. My issues were to protect the water rights of taxpayers and tourists of the Chain O'Lakes.In 1992 I ran for Lake County Board Member in District 1: Antioch, Spring Grove, Lake Villa areas, but lost in a 3 way race.In 1994, I ran successfully for County Board and was re-elected by the public in 1998, 2000 and 2004. I was honored to hold the County Board seat until 2008, when I did not seek re-election to help my ailing father.I ran unsuccessfully for supervisor in 1993 2007.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Keeping a lid on taxes. Since 2008 even though property values have dropped significantly real estate taxes have risen dramatically. An incredible amount of over 70% of our real estate tax bill goes to fund schools. Of the real estate taxes collected, 7% of the taxes go to run Lake County government. I will work hard to reduce taxing districts if it benefits the taxpayers, find solutions to freeze or roll back the county tax levy, and push for more shared intergovernmental services to reduce taxes. I will also promote tourism for our area to increase businesses and local revenues.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I have the greatest respect for PAST legislative leader, Senator Adeline Geo Karis, who broke the mold for women in office as a role model.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?if you want to get anyplace in life, you have to work hard to get there and if you first don't succeed try, try again.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?There are no "do-overs" in life, just lessons learned. Life is a journey and a learning experience.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject in school was civics, peaking my interest in the political process of American patriotism and in good government.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Follow your dreams and be happy.