Q&A with Dist. 6 GOP hopefuls
Five Republicans are vying in the Feb. 5 primary for two spots representing District 6 on the McHenry County Board. Incumbent Randy Donley faces challenges from Harry Alten, John Jones, Roger Naylor and Ersel Schuster. Here are their thoughts on an issue selected from a Daily Herald questionnaire sent to each candidate.
Q:Transportation continues to be a major concern throughout McHenry County, primarily in the southeastern and northeastern corners. If elected, what, specifically, would you do to expedite improved transportation funding for the county? What would you do that's different from what's previously been done?
Alten: We need to work with our state representatives to obtain state and matching federal funds.
Donley: I plan to continue to work with our legislators at the state level to obtain necessary funds for these important projects.
Jones: My focus would be to complete the proper planning and plotting of roads in District 6 in order to prevent the gridlock that is plaguing the east side of the county. I would work with state and federal leaders to secure funds to alleviate the problems on the east side, but also to prepare for the growth on the west side of the county.
Naylor: Funding public transportation for McHenry County has a good start. The JARC and McHenry County funds that have been set aside are a beginning.
I would aggressively seek New Freedom Initiative dollars that fund pilot programs. While McHenry County residents contribute more than they receive in Pace dollars, without a state budget it would be more advantageous to seek alternative options for McHenry County riders.
As public transportation in McHenry County gets under way, we need to be flexible and able to change as the county changes.
Schuster: It is my experience that elected officials "study" issues when they want to avoid controversy. Needed road projects in southeastern McHenry county, specifically a bridge over the Fox River, comes to mind.
This project was first "studied" in 1965, with a consulting firm being paid $25,000 for their services. Since then, millions have been spent dancing around the hard decision to cut the road path and get the project done. It is long past the time when that project is accomplished.
The proposed western bypass is simply a costly diversion to again avoid making the final decision to move on with the bridge. We need decision makers who can act rather than procrastinate. That alone will move projects forward and at a lesser cost to the public.