Q&A with Craig
1. Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what? What will be your main priority?
I am running for Kane County Recorder because I believe that the taxpayers of the county will be better served with new leadership that can cast a fresh eye on the mission of the office, initiate an unbiased top-to-bottom review of the office to correct past mistakes, eliminate any wasteful spending, increase efficiencies, and improve overall customer service.
2. For incumbents and non-incumbents. If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of important initiatives you've led. If you are not an incumbent, tell us what contributions you would make.
My main priorities will be determining how best to integrate the current IT functionality of the recorder's office with the existing county IT infrastructure in order to save taxpayer dollars and to improve customer service in the office. The customers of the office will not have to worry about having their chairs removed from the workstation areas once I am elected.
3. Has the dramatic rise in foreclosures put a greater burden on the recorder's office? Does this necessitate changes within the office?
While the county government is experiencing declining revenues due to the economic downturn impacting every citizen of the county, it is imperative that the elected officials in county government lead the way in cutting costs and utilizing tax dollars far more efficiently than they are today. To that end, I will not accept the recently approved pay raise and I will use the chairman's call for a proposed 1.5-percent budget cut as a "starting point," not an ultimate goal.
4. What challenges does the recorder's office currently face? How should they be addressed? What challenges do you see affecting the recorder's office in the next four years?
The office of recorder is experiencing declining revenues and has retained an IT infrastructure that I believe needs to roll back up under the county's IT department. While there once were valid reasons for running a separate IT department, recent increases in quality at the county level have, at the very least, minimized the rationale for keeping a separate IT department within the recorder's office. Moving forward, the office of recorder will need to operate at high efficiency and with improved customer service. We will need to do so with fewer resources and therefore will need fresh and creative thinking to achieve my goal of making the office of recorder second-to-none in county government in providing world-class customer service.
5. What would you do to improve the effectiveness of the position?
I will improve the effectiveness of the position of recorder by being more available to the public. To that end, I will institute a "Citizen's Board" of interested parties to convene on a regularly scheduled basis to discuss the issues relevant to the recorder's office to help positively drive change. I will also take advantage of new and emerging technologies to ensure the office does not fall behind the technology curve, and I will make it a priority that more records are available online. Further, I will ensure that improved customer service is a top priority of the office.
6. Please list the names of all relatives employed by or involved in contracts with Kane County, their relationship to you and their position or area of business.
No response.