Mohammad Iqbal: Candidate Profile

Back to Kane County board District 19

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: ElginWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: fb.me/Mo.Iqbal.for.KaneOffice sought: Kane County board District 19 Age: 72Family: married to my wife, Nasreen, for over 40 years. Two sons, both married: one grandson. Both sons graduated born in Illinois and graduated from U-46. The older son is a Civil Engineer and the second is an attorney.Occupation: Attorney, and Civil/Structural EngineerEducation: J. D. Ãcirc;#144; Northern Illinois Univ., College of Law, DeKalb, IL. L.L.M. - The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IL M.B.A. Ãcirc;#144; The University of Chicago Doctor of Science degree in Civil Engineering Ãcirc;#144; Washington UniversityCivic involvement: Board Member, Eagle Heights Resident Association Past Board member, Gail Borden Public Library Foundation Commissioner, City of Elgin Image Advisory Commission (2007-2011) Elgin Human Relations Commission, Commissioner (2012) Chair (2013)Elected offices held: Democratic Precinct Committeeman, Elgin Township Eagle Heights Resident Association, Board member Kane County Bar Association, Bar Briefs magazine, Editorial Board memberQuestions Answers The county commissioned a study to determine which services are mandated and which are not in preparation for a deeper budget cut. Do you believe the county must continue to reduce costs? If so, which non-mandated services would you cut or reduce? Under what circumstances would you support a tax increase?There is a difference between cutting waste and cutting services. The county government needs to reduce waste, provide higher quality public safety services, and take economic steps that will help move the county forward. I disagree with the current board's approach to freeze revenue while keeping expenditures up, then further cutting needed services to balance the budget. I would first cut waste, then support a tax increase to upgrade the infrastructure and promote public safety and welfare.The mandated services study said the law will require a reduction in the number of board seats as the county's population grows. Reducing the number of seats might also save money. What is the right number of board seats? How soon should the reduction occur?As a lawyer, I must say that we need to follow the law and avoid political gerrymandering. Reducing the number of seats would save money, if the board members do not give themselves systematic raises. Currently, board members are paid too much for their services. I will support reducing board members' health insurance benefits for this part-time office.Do you support adding a sunset clause to any toll created to fund the Longmeadow Parkway?The proposed Longmeadow Parkway (LMP) is a minor arterial roadway about 5.6 miles in length, extending from Huntley/Boyer Road to IL Route 62, including a new Fox River Bridge crossing. The proposed road would pass through portions of the villages of Algonquin, Carpentersville and Barrington Hills, as well as unincorporated areas of Kane County. LMP is expected to address existing and future traffic needs and reduce existing/projected area congestion in northern Kane County. Your question assumes that is a viable project however, some citizens question its benefits. LMP will be constructed north of in Kane County District 19. Invariably, most, if not all, residents in District 19, use the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway or other local bridges to cross the Fox River. According to the Kane County Department of Transportation's (KDOT) website, LMP is not a tollway. All of the 5.6-mile corridor will be free to the public, with the exception of only the Fox River Bridge. The bridge has a projected toll rate of 75Ã#130;circ;cent; (75 Cents), and toll collection will cease once the bridge debt is retired. If there is a change in the KDOT's toll collection policy intending to collect bridge toll beyond the pay-off period, I would support adding a sunset clause to the tollway collection policy.Was ending the county's GPS and electronic monitoring program the right decision? If not, how would you restore the program?According to Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon, the court had ordered that more than 100 criminal defendants wear ankle bracelets, in lieu of being housed full-time in county jail or being released. Many of the defendants were accused of domestic violence and the electronic bracelets tracked their movement. The tracking capability gives the victims of domestic violence a few additional moments, alerting them that someone has illegally come within a prohibited distance of the victim. State's Attorney McMahon reported strong concerns for the safety of the victims without the program. [See Mr. McMahon's November 15, 2017 ABC7 Interview on YouTube]. I believe that public safety should be the highest priority when spending taxpayers' dollars. The electronic monitoring program costs the county about $20 per day to track a criminal defendant wearing the bracelet. However, it actually saves the county money because it costs a lot more than $20 to house someone in county jail for a day. Therefore, ending the county's GPS and electronic monitoring program for criminal defendants was a bad decision by the county board. If elected, I will support restoring the program in the interest of public safety.Do you support keeping the Aurora Election Commission?Kane County Circuit Court Judge David Akemann has allowed the referendum question to be put on the ballot. Residents of Aurora would be asked to decide in the Primary Election on March 20 whether clerks of Kane, Will, and Kendall counties would take over running the election in the City of Aurora. Kane County Board District 19, where I reside, is not part of the City of Aurora, and the outcome of that referendum would have little or no impact on our district. Therefore, I offer no opinion on how the residents of Aurora should vote.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Congestion on Randall Road Randall Road is a coordinated Strategic Arterial Route in our county. Traffic has increased to more than 50,000 motorists using Randall Road daily. Congestion and travel delays have increased greatly on Randall Road, with negative impacts to local streets and neighborhoods. The Randall Road segment between the I-90 Tollway and U.S. Route 20, which is located mostly in Kane County District 19, experiences heavy traffic. Two hospitals, Advocate Sherman and Presence Saint Joseph are also served by this segment of the Randall Road. The intersection of Randall Road and U.S. Route 20 / Weld Road (East) has become a bottleneck, as it cannot handle the volume of traffic. Consequently, motorists experience longer trip times and frustrating traffic delays. Delay in accessibility to the hospitals adds to public safety concerns. We need to widen the intersection and take measures to reduce congestion. KDOT is aware of the traffic congestion and has started an initial study to improve the intersection. However, the Kane County Board's lack of leadership in investing in infrastructure is expected to cause delays in moving the design/construction of the new intersection forward. If elected, I would support the improvement of the Randall Road to improve the traffic flow in this important segment of Randall Road. Sexual Harassment policy Sexual harassment in the workplace is reportedly more prevalent than ever previously thought. Our county government is not immune to these types of violations. I will support a review of the county's sexual harassment policy.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Dick DurbanWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Tell the truth and treat all people with respect.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Helping others in need.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Physics. In Physics, I learned to test hypotheses to understand the physical world around me, and to use the knowledge to build a better world.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Always tell the truth, and treat people with respect.