Steve Snarski: 2022 candidate for Lake County Board District 8
Bio
Party: Democrat
Office sought: Lake County Board District 8
City: Waukegan
Age: 32
Occupation: Realtor
Previous offices held: N/A
Q&A
Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?
I am running for the Lake County Board because I want to build a strong community that works together. I'm proud to be a lifelong 3rd generation resident of Waukegan. I understand the value of being connected in the community. Being in tune with the people is vital to building a community that works together.
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?
As a new challenger, I will bring a breath of fresh air. My priorities include smart economic development, improving government transparency and accountability, clean air and water, and increasing investment in infrastructure.
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.
The county has done a good job balancing revenues with expenses even with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I'm worried about the possible effects of inflation and how the county will be able to keep up with increasing costs of salaries and purchases of goods and services while still working to keep the Lake County tax burden low for taxpayers. I will keep a close eye on all contracts and purchases while also looking for cost-saving opportunities within county government such as consolidating more internal county departments.
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.
The county has increased transparency by recording all committee meetings and also requiring vendors to disclose campaign contributions to Board Members and family relationships. Almost all meetings are now offered in a hybrid format on zoom, allowing the public to watch and give public comments remotely in addition to being in person. I believe the public could benefit by having virtual office hours for better public outreach.
What, if anything, should be done to improve automation and customer service in county offices? What steps should be taken to make that happen?
With how fast technology continues to rapidly expand, we need to keep our customer service operations modern, while still ensuring we offer in-person service for people that do not wish to use technology.