Lawsuit is about responsible spending
The Kane County portion of my tax bill has increased by more than 6 percent. This makes me no different from just about anyone else reading this letter.
What is different is that I am in the midst of a lawsuit with Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay and I ran against her almost four years ago.
When I researched and discovered she had given raises to numerous department heads in the midst of a significant recession, I was branded a pariah for daring to question how a politician talks about “tightening the government’s belt” while secretly giving raises that by actuarial analysis will cost county taxpayers more than $20 million in pensions and salaries.
When I ran for office, I promised to utilize our own workers for contracts as much as possible. I pledged to discontinue the practice of hiring firms that gave large campaign donations, going so far as to refuse to take them.
McConnaughay spent more than $350,000, most of the money collected from contractors, to defeat a guy — me — who had virtually no political experience and that honestly ran for the position just on principle alone.
Well, that was then and this is now.
When I discovered that not one board member whom I spoke with knew of the raises or approved of them. I wanted to know why. I discovered that the revised county code included language that called for a vote of the county executive committee prior to giving raises or promotions. After I filed Freedom of Information requests, I was considered public taxpayer Enemy No. 1.
So I filed a lawsuit on behalf of myself and other taxpayers.
Recently, McConnaughay stated she was “vindicated” when Judge Mueller decided the case be dismissed.
I feel I was right in asking some tough questions about pay-to-play, responsible spending, the over-reliance on expensive consultants and appointing task forces that reach the same conclusion as the chairman.
If that makes me a bad guy, I hope there are a few other bad guys out there willing to say, “Enough already.”
James MacRunnels
Elburn