Reform achievable on local level

Last month, voters sent a strong and unequivocal message that government must change. Taxpayers are overburdened and our financial future is overleveraged. People are fed up with government that wastes money and fails to work in the best interest of the taxpayers it is duty bound to serve. Reform at the state and national level will take time.

Here in DuPage County, we can act quickly to respond to the demands of frustrated taxpayers. One agency in need of major reform is the DuPage Water Commission. The commission has been fraught with financial and management problems in recent years. In the Illinois Senate, I sponsored legislation that requires a new board of directors, oversight by the County Board and the elimination of a portion of the county's sales tax that funds this agency.

During my first meeting as DuPage County Board Chairman, the county board approved four new commissioners and a new chairman to oversee the water commission. The new board members have private-sector experience in finance, engineering and business operations. Despite their professional and personal commitments, they are willing to take on the significant challenge of making the commission more accountable and fiscally responsible.

To paraphrase one incoming commissioner: “You can complain about what's happening in government or you can actually do something about it.” By involving new people and taking a fresh approach to old problems, I believe we can actually begin to meet the demands of DuPage taxpayers.

I'd like to thank the new commissioners, as well as the county board, for their support. We do not have to wait for Washington or Springfield to take the lead. We can demonstrate right here on the local level that reform is achievable and begin to restore the lost trust of voters.

Dan Cronin

DuPage County Board Chairman