Economic growth a priority for McHenry County District 3 candidates
Growing McHenry County economically and expanding its tax base are priorities for the four candidates vying for two District 3 seats on the county board in the Nov. 8 election.
Democrats Diane Johnson and Kathleen Bergan Schmidt, both of Crystal Lake, are challenging incumbent Republicans Chris Christensen of Cary and Michael Walkup of Crystal Lake.
This is the second elected position for which Walkup, 66, is running. He will also face state Rep. Jack Franks in the race for county board chairman. Serving in both roles, he said, would allow him to lead the county board while also weighing in on the issues at hand.
Because of the county's size, the chairman is not allowed to vote, even as a tiebreaker, unless he also holds a county board seat, as per state law. If that law changes, Walkup said, he would step down from his District 3 seat, at which point another Republican would be appointed.
Bergan Schmidt, 72, said she strongly opposes that idea, arguing that it goes against the intent of the voters who decided two years ago to elect a separate county board chairman.
"Just because it's something that's allowed by Illinois law doesn't mean it's really the best thing to do," she said.
Bergan Schmidt, who served on the county board from 2008 to 2012, is the latest addition to the race. She replaced nominee Kenneth Miller, who died in September.
Christensen, 41, was appointed to the board in August to replace Nick Provenzano, who stepped down from his seat to accept a full-time position with U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren. With experience on boards for Cary Elementary District 26 and the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce, Christensen said he wants to focus on growing the county economically.
His ideas for economic growth largely mirror those of Johnson, 59, a family mediator who has served on numerous boards and organizations throughout the county. Both candidates said the county board can make budgetary cuts here and there, but the most effective way to lower residents' property tax bills is to expand the tax base in McHenry County.
"That means we need to attract businesses and expand the businesses we have," Johnson said.
They stressed a need for more skilled workers, improved infrastructure and incentives that make it easier for companies to move to the county. Bergan Schmidt agreed and added that fiber optic infrastructure could also attract businesses that may need high-speed broadband services.
Because of its proximity to Chicago and Rockford, McHenry County is in a great position to attract new growth, Walkup said, noting that the county needs to maintain a balance between residential, commercial, industrial, retail and agriculture.
But it's up to the private sector to create jobs and economic growth, he said, and local governments should wait until the timing is right before offering incentives to new businesses.
"It's not fundamentally the function of the government to be the all-encompassing entity that drives all kinds of economic activities," Walkup said. "There has to be an economic wave coming in, and we need to be positioned so we can facilitate it."