Mary Donner: 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: Crystal LakeWebsite: http://MaryLDonner.comOffice sought: McHenry County board District 3Age: 61Family: Widowed in 2007, 3 children, 1 granddaughterOccupation: Community Relations RepresentativeEducation: BA in English, minor in theater and psychology, Nazareth College, Kalamazoo, MI in 1972. Certificated Paralegal, Harper College, 1993 (Phi Theta Kappa)Civic involvement: Environmental Defenders of McHenry County The Land Conservancy Member of Senator Kirk's Womens Advisory Board Crystal Lake Chamber of Chamber of Commerce McHenry Chamber of Commerce Woodstock Chambers of CommerceElected offices held: Nunda Township Precinct Committeeman 2000 - 2010 Nunda Township Trustee - 2001 - 2006 District 3 County Board Member - December, 2006 to presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Transportation and job creation, because they go hand in hand.Public transportation within the county has changed considerably over the past few years.There is a study currently being done to determine what changes need to be made to provide transit to larger populations.Public transportation to jobs does several things, including diminishing congestion and we have plenty of that in the county.Manufacturing jobs are on the rise and for those at entry level, public transit may be the way to go.Key Issue 2 Veterans.I am the liaison to the Veterans Assistance Commission.I work on several levels with the VAC, but the most important mission at the moment is to provide more space for the office so that staff can more efficiently counsel incoming veterans who are applying for benefits due to them because of their service.Now, with returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, the need will be even greater, as well as the need for services provided by our mental health agencies.Key Issue 3 Mental Health and Human Services.I am also the liaison to the Mental Health Board.As people try to cope with a changing economy, and our returing warriors cope with transition to civilian life in a changed environment, the need for quality services is more important than ever. We work with Pioneer Center,Turning Point, Family Services to name a few.Funds are filtered to agencies so that they can provide services to a miriad of agencies, from those addressing autism and epilepsy, to intellectual disabilities and psychiatric services.The need is more profound now than ever before.Questions Answers McHenry County has managed the recession without a budgetary crisis like those in other counties. How do you ensure the county continues on that path and that reserves aren't depleted? Are there specific budget areas that need more attention?The county has maintained at least a five month reserve for many years.We are the smallest unit of government in the United State to have a AAA bond rating, partially beacause of that.Every year we have a strategic planning meeting to go over our priority list for services and make sure that there is enough money collected over a period of time to accomplish those goals.The economic downturn changed our timing for projects but not our goals.Does the McHenry County Board have a good transportation improvement plan? Please be specific and suggest whether you think anything is missing or should be scrapped.The county has received a grant from the RTA to study public transportation issues in the county to see how we can improve it.The County has held several transit tables at events, including the County Fair to see where the average citizens would like to see transit dollars used.Bike paths and buses were high on the list. As for roads, I still maintain that rural roads remain rural and scenic roads should remain scenic.Does the county need to address its ethics policies' Why or why not? If so, how?We have an Ethics Commission, we have a policy, we have quesetionnaires and more questionnaires to see if there are conflicts or potential conflicts of interest.We use the state's attorney to determine if there are conflicts of interest when voting on issues.I think that is enough at the county levelAssess McHenry County's efforts thus far in terms of groundwater preservation and protection. What needs to be done now and in the future?We passed the Groundwater Resource Action Plan that sets out what we will be doing.Cassandra McKinney does alot of outreach throughout the county to educate the citizenry.We have set up monitoring stations all over the county.We have a conservation design subdivision ordinance that sets out to preserve groundwater where possible.We are on the right road.Assess how the county health department approached the whooping cough outbreak. What should have been done differently?Whooping cough is a recurring issue in the younger population.With the proximity of students in a classroom and the viulence of the disease, it moves quickly from place to place.The Health Department has vaccine available as do the pharmacies in the area.I don't think there was much else that we could do.There seems to be a lessening of contagion, probably due to the holiday vacation.Keeping people away from the germs is the best way to combat them.Again, education is paramount.