Outspoken Kane board critic says he'll run

One of the Kane County Board's most vocal critics officially threw his hat in the ring Friday to unseat the board's chairman.

Outside the Kane County Government Center in Geneva, Elburn resident Jim MacRunnels called himself a change agent set on "putting an end to machine politics."

As he's done at county board meetings the past 18 months, MacRunnels blasted the board's reliance on consultants as a waste of taxpayer money.

"Our reliance on consultants … is startling," he said.

In challenging Karen McConnaughay for the GOP nomination, MacRunnels faces an uphill battle. McConnaughay has name recognition and is expected to build a huge campaign war chest. MacRunnels indicated he will rely on a grassroots campaign.

A key component of MacRunnels' campaign platform is attacking what he perceives as a "pay to play" system of county government. If elected, he pledged to prohibit county board members from accepting campaign donations from companies that do business with the county.

"I am in favor of keeping the appearance of undue influence out of campaign donations," he said.

A 50-year-old financial management professional, MacRunnels has lived in Kane County for 18 years. This is his first run for political office. He ran the 2006 campaign of Kevin Williams, the Republican sheriff's candidate who lost to Democrat Pat Perez.

McConnaughay, a 50-year-old St. Charles Republican, is seeking a second 4-year term. She was elected in 2004 over St. Charles Democrat Tom Meadath by a nearly 2-1 ratio, replacing Aurora Democrat Mike McCoy. McCoy did not seek re-election.

The board consists of 26 members plus the chairman, who votes only as a tiebreaker. The chairman serves as the day-to-day administrator of the county, overseeing its budget and operations.

The primary is Feb. 5.