Linda Pedersen: 2022 candidate for Lake County Board District 1

Bio

Party: Republican

Office sought: Lake County Board District 1

City: Antioch

Age: Not provided

Occupation: Lake County Board Member

Previous offices held: Antioch Township Trustee

Q&A

Why are you running for this office, whether for reelection or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?

I have had the privilege of serving on the Lake County Board for 14 years and have enjoyed serving the residents of District One. The County Board and Forest Preserve Board have accomplished many projects in this time and I would like to continue to accomplish more.

I currently serve on the Policy Committee for 911 consolidation and the County Board recently approved building a new 911 center. This is currently in the design stage and it's my hope I would have the opportunity to be a part of this coming to completion.

Our Forest Preserve has had the opportunity to acquire some amazing properties and although we have had the opportunity to develop some new preserves, there is so much more to accomplish and I would like to continue to be a part of that.

Constituent services is one avenue of service that I have enjoyed the most. It is very gratifying to be able to help the residents of District One with various issues that come up.

If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives you've led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the board and what would your priority be?

I pride myself in being a very engaged board member. Besides serving on board committees, I am also serve on the Lake County Opioid Initiative Board,& the Antioch Area Healthcare Accessibility Alliance Board

When the County Board approved Video Gaming for the unincorporated area, it was important to me that we used the revenue in a positive way. During our budget hearings I made a presentation to the committee requesting that our video gaming revenue be placed in a grant program for social services. This was approved by the Board and each year our Lake County social serve organizations can apply for this grant money, a committee reviews the grant applications and awards grants.

I also fought to stop a proposed large wind farm in District One that many of the residents opposed. The County was considering establishing a large and small wind ordinance and there was a proposed wind farm in District One with 500" wind turbines. After much discussion in committee a small wind ordinance was approved but not a large wind.

This property is now a beautiful Forest Preserve, Pine Dunes.

Serving on all committees over the years, gives me a good understanding of County Government.

Describe your position regarding the balance between county spending and revenues as it exists today, then describe the chief threats you see looming and how the county should deal with them.

It's of the upmost importance to have a handle on your revenue so you have a good idea on what you can spend and what needs to be placed in reserves. It is so important to have reserves in place in case of emergencies. If the revenues are not what's needed, cuts in the budget have to be made.

We just experienced in these last two years what I consider a threat with COVID 19, this came as a shock to all of us and major adjustments had to be made. The best way to deal with them is to make sure you have set funds aside to get us through the crisis or in case of critical infrastructure needs.

This is all part of being fiscally responsible with tax payer dollars.

How do you rate the county government on transparency and the public's access to records? If it's adequate, explain why. If you think improvements are needed, delineate them.

Transparency is a subject that has always been a priority. I will have to say we have come a long way in making sure the public has access to live committee meetings so they can see first hand the work that is being done in committee and if they cannot watch live, they have a chance to view the videos online. There is so much information online on our website from the County Clerk's, Circuit Clerk's, Recorder, Assessor, State's Attorney, Health Department and many more Departments. I feel we are doing and will continue to improve.

What, if anything, should be done to improve automation and customer service in county offices? What steps should be taken to make that happen?

I believe we do an exceptional job with automation. There are so many services that are available to the public on our website, that being said, we can always improve on these services and we are continually looking at how to do this.