Jail, spending now key issues in Kane County board race

Kane County Board District 14 member Mark Davoust is being challenged by one of the organizers of a group that protested the location of the new Kane County jail.

Tina Yagla says, however, that she is not a one-issue candidate.

Instead, she has questioned Davoust's attendance to county board business, said she thinks the county is spending too much money on consultants and criticized Davoust's responsiveness to constituents.

Davoust, of St. Charles, is in his first term. He has lived in the area for more than 30 years. Yagla moved to Geneva four years ago.

"We are proud to make Kane County our home. We are transplants here, but that doesn't make me any less dedicated or committed to Kane County," she said.

"I have an opponent today because of the jail," said Davoust. He defended his support for putting the new jail out by the Kane County Judicial Center, even though, as Yagla pointed out, he was not at the county board meeting where it was voted on for the final time. Residents of the neighborhoods near the site protested the choice.

"My position on the jail was very clear from the beginning," he said, noting he served on the jail steering committee. "There were many votes by me before it showed up for a final vote … (the final vote) was a foregone conclusion. It certainly is far from a lack of representation."

Yagla is critical of increased spending for consultants by the county board in the last few years.

"We have engineers and lawyers who should be putting in the time to work through some of these things," she said.

Davoust defended the spending, saying it was because the county has undertaken some big projects the last few years, such as planning and building the jail and the Stearns Road bridge. He said he always asks, in committee, if it is something the county truly lacks experience in and if staff is learning from the consultants.

"These are things you want done right the first time," Davoust said.

Davoust cited making sure the county has a sustainable water supply as a high priority for the board. Both Davoust and Yagla agreed planning transportation is another high priority for the district and for western Kane County, with Yagla giving kudos.

"I think the current administration is doing a very good job (in that regard)," she said.