McHenry Co. auditor candidates want you to get involved

Ask random people on the streets of downtown Algonquin or the Woodstock Square who the McHenry County auditor is and what the McHenry County auditor does, and chances are you'd get many more blank stares than correct answers.

Perhaps that is to be expected for an elected office that generally operates backstage of county government, keeping an eye on how more prominent county departments are serving the public while rarely coming into contact with the public itself.

But incumbent Auditor Pam Palmer and Richard Kelly Jr., her challenger in next week's Republican primary, say they could change that perception with proposals that would make the office more accessible and accountable to residents.

Kelly, an attorney from Crystal Lake, said if elected he hopes to create a citizens advisory panel that would review the office's work and make suggestions about operations.

"It would provide an opportunity for the public to have some input in the auditor's office," Kelly said, adding that the input would not be binding on the auditor.

Palmer, a Union resident seeking her first full term as auditor, said her plans if elected include posting the office's quarterly reports on county finances online.

She said she also hopes to create a scaled-down version of the yearly comprehensive annual financial report that would use more narration, graphs and charts to explain the county's fiscal situation.

"It would be something anyone could pick up and get a pretty clear understanding of where the county stands financially," Palmer said.

Along with Palmer and Kelly, both of whom are on the Feb. 5 primary ballot, Algonquin resident Richard Evans is running for the auditor's post as a write-in candidate.