Drew Frasz: Candidate Profile

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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:BioQA Bio City: ElburnWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Kane County Board District 18 Age: 59Family: Wife, GailDaughter, LauraSon, AaronOccupation: excavating contractorEducation: Associates Degree, College of DuPageCivic involvement: LaFox Civic Association Vice Pres. 2000 to present; our company has volunteered in the construction of the Kaneland Career Center Fire Training facility as well as the construction of 3 veterans memorials and several eagle scout and Make A Wish projects.Elected offices held: Kane County Board Representative District 18 (previously District 26) 2008-present. Precinct Committeeman Blackberry Twp. Pct 4 2008-presentQuestions Answers Do you support or oppose construction of the Longmeadow Parkway, including the use of a toll for the crossing over the Fox River?As Transportation Chairman, I strongly support. Engineering and funding are in place and construction of the roadway has begun. This project is the culmination of over 20 years of regional planning that was requested of the County by the villages of northern Kane County. It will immediately relieve congestion and provide transportation efficiency and economic growth for decades. As a former community activist, my heart goes out to those who oppose it. But this is a much bigger issue than one township and many of those opposed chose not to take part in the 100+ meetings that took place.Do you agree with the Kane County State's Attorney, Kane County Public Defender and Kane County Sheriff that they require more staff? If so, where will the money come from to support that additional staff?I think all three have made compelling cases that they do need additional personnel. The actual number we can afford is probably less than the number requested. This is the annual budget process we go through. As we have run the County on a tight budget since the recession, there comes a time with an improving economy we need to try and move forward with some of these requests. Collecting tax revenue from new construction, user fees, and creatively moving monies from special tax funds will likely be the solution that comes forward in the next few weeks.Do you support a completely frozen Kane County property tax levy, or would you support a non-referendum increase of the county's property tax levy to factor in new construction?I support factoring in the new construction. This would be part of the solution mentioned in the last question. It is time to incorporate new construction. We are proud to have frozen the tax levy for so long and at the same time provided the same level of county services. The counties percentage of your tax levy bill is about 4.5% for a whole range of services. That percentage has actually gone down over the years.What is your philosophy regarding the use of forest preserve district property? Are projects like the proposed cross country course for the former Settler's Hill Landfill appropriate?We maintain a high ratio of passive uses (hiking for example) to active uses (sports fields), probably in the 90% range passive uses. But some active uses, usually as partnerships with other public or private agencies are a good fit. It is important to note that the Settlers Hill property has a fund that came from dumping fees at the landfill that is required to be used for recreational redevelopment of the property. This is a 40 year promise to Geneva and Batavia who incurred years of the negative effects of hosting a landfill in their communities.Do you believe Kane County's elected officials, including the board, are fairly compensated? Or is it time to explore raises for all the elected offices?I feel the board members are fairly compensated. But it is time to have an independent citizens commission look at the county-wide offices and make a recommendation on pay levels. I will only support raises if recommend by a citizens commission. I opposed the raises earlier this year because of the lack of an independent board of citizens and the poor way it was presented.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I feel strongly that labor unions and other special interests groups money has had a very negative effect on every level of government and the taxpayers who fund it. I also believe in small government and by making it easier for businesses to operate and grow. Our economy, employment, and personal income at all levels will thrive. That is why I am a strong supporter of Governor Rauner's Illinois Turnaround Agenda.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Governor Walker of Wisconsin. He identified what needed to be done to turn his state around, said he would do it, and did it.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?A sense of community. I grew up in Geneva and you helped your neighbors, got involved, kept things neat and said please and thank you.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I have few regrets. I'm a good writer with bad handwriting and it is hard to correct later in life, so I choose better handwriting.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I still enjoy American and military history. I enjoy seeing how decisions affected outcomes. You can apply lessons learned to current problems.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Your life is the culmination of your decisions (and a little luck), make well thought out decisions and take your time doing it.