John Shales: 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: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Kane County board District 19 Age: 30Family: Son Travis 4, step son Dominick 11, fiancee AnneOccupation: City of Elgin public services utility workerEducation: High school diplomaCivic involvement: Former precinct committee manElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions 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?I feel the county is squeezing tax dollars as tightly as possible, however there is room for improvement. Budgets need to be re-examined in housing and development. This should be an area of investment. In particular the growth and development of our county increases tax revenue and is beneficial to all.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?Eliminating board seats is a way to save money without raising taxes in Kane County, however the exact number cut should be decided by the voters in each district. Do voters want to have a larger district, therefore a quieter voice to their elected officials. Is cutting jobs and services and or delaying said services what the voters want? If so the board should eliminate positions and jobs as the voters see fair.Do you support adding a sunset clause to any toll created to fund the Longmeadow Parkway?Yes, the toll of 0.75 will help pay off the Longmeadow Parkway. Once it is paid off it should be up to the voters to decide on keeping the toll due to the fact that it can assist in upkeep and maintenance of the parkway.Was ending the county's GPS and electronic monitoring program the right decision? If not, how would you restore the program?I don't believe ending the counties GPS and electronic monitoring program was the right decision mainly due to the fact that offenders will be put in county jail. This will cause taxpayers to have to pay housing and food for said individuals instead of being at home where they could gain employment. Restoring the program would be aDo you support keeping the Aurora Election Commission?I agree that fair and unbiased election results are in the best interests of the people of Aurora as well as the people of Kane County.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Issues that are important to my beliefs and morals are preservation and conservation of Kane Counties natural habitats. Also examining Kane county education dollars and looking at how our county can do better in educational reforms. In addition Kane County needs to make it a priority to support growth and development locally. The future of Kane County has as much potential as we invest in it. We must look forward in preserving our natural habitats and investing in our children while developing our communities.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bernie Sanders inspires me to stand up for what I believe in and that we can all work together for a common goodWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?That through hard work and dedication almost anything is achievableIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I wouldn't change anything I have a loving family outstanding friends a good job and great coworkersWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?culinary arts cooking has always been a passion of mine and it helps in life because I do all the cooking for my familyIf you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Good things in life are not easy, they're difficult but if you keep trying and never give up it's worth it in the end