Jeffrey Meyer: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: ElginWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Kane County board District 17Age: 30Family: Engaged to Courtney L. Berg of Elgin, IL.Occupation: Attorney; Member (Partner) at Smith Meyer LLC with its principal office in Sycamore, Illinois.Education: - Graduate of Larkin High School, 2000. - Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Northern Illinois University, 2003. - Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, Northern Illinois University, 2007.Civic involvement: - Elgin Township Republican Central Committee, Precinct Committeeman, Elgin Township Precinct 29. - Volunteer Attorney, CASA - DeKalb County. - Board Member, Elgin OCTAVE. - Kane County Bar Association, Member. - DeKalb County Bar Association, Member.Elected offices held: - Elgin Township Republican Central Committee, Precinct Committeeman, Elgin Township Precinct 29.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY:It is imperative that the County Board adapt to the realities facing our community.Many Kane County residents are out of work; their property values are declining; many residents are making less; and, everyone has had to tighten their belt.The County Board must do the same.It is not sufficient for the Board to hold the line on spending, it must work aggressively to spend less.I support the implementation of zero-based budgeting to root out wasteful spending, and I firmly believe we can utilize the County's facilities, particularly its courthouses, more efficiently so that unnecessary facility expansion is avoided.Key Issue 2 ENCOURAGING JOB CREATION:The greatest incentive the County can provide to encourage job creation is a low-tax, regulatory unobtrusive and predictable business environment.The County must consider proposals that decrease to cost of doing business in Kane County.It has long been a policy goal for the Elgin community to bring retail back to its historic downtown, located primarily in County Board District 17.The County can help in this effort by lowering its commercial property tax rates thereby lowering prospective and existing business owners' up-front overhead expenses. Adjusting the corresponding sales tax rate can make this largely revenue neutral to the County but at the same time making the store-front itself more affordable, predictable and less risky. The more commerce the County can attract by thinking outside the box and giving Kane County businesses a competitive advantage, the more jobs that will be available in our community.Key Issue 3 GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY:Accountability comes about through transparency.For far too long the Kane County Board has operated under the radar of many of its constituents by meeting at times when residents are not able to attend, observe and participate.The County Board's meetings should be moved to the evening when more residents are able to attend.The Elgin OCTAVE, an organization I have been working with, has been able to form the debate and influence the City of Elgin's public policy over the last year largely because the organization was able to bring the Elgin business community to the Council and confront them publicly.This would not be possible at the Kane County Board since most business owners and concerned residents have work obligations that prevent them from being present when policy is being decided.Questions Answers Do you support a more stringent ethics ordinance for Kane County governing the conduct of elected officials and county employees' Why or why not? If so, what should the ordinance contain?I support a more stringent ethics ordinance for the Kane County Board.The community must be assured that pay-to-play politics have no place in Kane County.To the extent legally enforceable, Board Members, County Officers and employees should be prohibited from accepting gifts or campaign contributions from the County's vendors when they are of a size that has the capacity to influence policy. Campaign donors should not be priority candidates for government appointments.Most importantly, the ethics ordinance must have teeth.Within the parameters permitted by law, fines, disgorgement of benefits received and, in the case of willful repeat violations, further penalties or enforcement through the courts should be potential penalties.The county's portion of gambling proceeds has been decreasing every year for several years. What is your plan to prioritize use of that money? What might be done to wean the agencies and programs that receive this money off of it?Along with Illinois' recent gambling expansion has come decreased attendance and revenue at Kane County's two riverboats.This trend is likely to continue.For that reason, riverboat gambling tax revenue should not be treated as general revenue but should be used only for capital improvement projects or acquisitions.Zero-based budgeting should be employed to assure that recipients of these funds are efficiently utilizing the same.Do you believe the Kane County court system needs a computer system upgrade that might cost as much as $12.6 million? If so, do you support using RTA sales tax money to fund the cost, or do you have a different plan? If not, what is your alternative plan?A lack of leadership and vision has left us with an antiquated court computer system in Kane County.It is unfortunate that a system that continues to work in DeKalb and Kendall Counties is now behind the curve in Kane County.If the existing system cannot be upgraded in a cost-effective manner using existing funds in the Clerk's budget then a new system should be acquired, provided that the new system allows for e-filing by attorneys and others utilizing the court system.Allowing for e-filing will reduce paperwork processing and personnel needs at the Circuit Clerk's office which in turn will allow for savings that offset the cost of acquiring the new court computer system.Do you believe county board members and the chairman should receive health insurance and pension benefits' If you are running for one of those positions, do you plan on accepting those benefits' Why or why not?Fringe benefits are appropriate in full-time employment, not in part-time public service.My law firm does not provide healthcare and retirement benefits to its part-time employees.I do not believe it is appropriate for me to ask the Kane County taxpayers to treat me, other Board Members or the Chairman differently than my firm treats its employees.If elected to the Kane County Board I will be declining publicly funded healthcare and pension benefits.How do you resolve the ongoing debate over the county board setting budgets for departments run by other elected officials whom the county board has no control over? How should the county board enforce the budgets it sets'The purpose in having the County Board review proposals and set the budgets for departments run by other elected county officials is to provide a check and balance.The purpose is not to allow an opportunity for private agendas to be pushed or proxy wars to be fought.Zero-based budgeting would go a long way toward assuring that the taxpayers' money is being utilized efficiency, as it would require county officials to justify each dollar they spend. At the same time, it would afford the elected county officials a full opportunity to make their case for resources to the Board and to Kane County residents. Procedural transparency would be afforded by online publication of proposed budgets prior to deliberation over the same and by creation of a virtual online checkbook for County departments that could be reviewed by taxpayers.A public, deliberative legislative process is in the best interests of the Board, other county officials and the taxpayers.No one is served well by a secretive process or by litigating budget disputes between the Board and other elected Kane County officials.