Candidates don't understand county board

As a Lake County Board member who is leaving the board after the election, it is disconcerting to witness candidates from both parties campaigning for the board on baseless and dishonest grounds in an effort to oust incumbents. The county board is not run like Springfield or Washington, D.C., and we must be vigilant against false claims and empty promises. My sense during this election season is that several candidates from both parties are either uninformed about the county board's role or are deliberately attempting to deceive voters.

The county board recently held two full days of budget hearings in which $9 million was cut from last year's budget. I view the yearly hearings as the most important county board meetings of the year. Attending these meetings is a great way to learn about county government because each agency's budget is reviewed in detail, and the agency heads overview the key issues facing their departments. Shockingly, I did not see a single candidate who is running against a current board member at any of these meetings.

How serious are these supposed reformers when they do not even attend the board's most important meetings only a few weeks before the election?

Many candidates claim the county spends money recklessly. Had they attended the budget meetings, maybe the candidates would have learned we have cut $21 million over the past two years, which has involved deep cuts across departments.

There are many reckless ways to balance a budget, but the county board chose none of them. Of more than 3,000 counties in the United States, Lake County's bond rating is in the top 1-2 percent. Candidates claim that they will go “line by line” through the budget and recommend cuts. The budget is public record, so they should have already gone through it.

Multiple candidates want to “fix our schools,” perhaps even by expanding Head Start. While this is a worthy goal, it really has nothing to do with the county board. I encourage these candidates to run for their school board.

Many candidates claim they will fix our property tax assessment process. While the county's budget does affect property taxes, the board has nothing to do with assessments unless these candidates are suggesting board members should engage in Cook County-style backroom dealing.

Candidates are making many distorted claims, and therefore all claims must be treated with the utmost skepticism, especially ones that involve cutting the budget while creating new programs.

Collin O'Rourke

Waukegan