Annette Corrigan: 2022 candidate for DuPage County Board District 4

Bio

Party: Republican

Office sought: DuPage County Board District 4

City: Wheaton

Age: 58

Occupation: Attorney - Family Law, Lavelle Law Ltd.

Previous offices held: College of DuPage board trustee since 2019 and an elected Milton Township Republican Organization Precinct Committeeman for Precinct 25.

Q&A

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

A: I am a pragmatic person. My position on balancing county spending with today's revenues requires leadership to have a clear vision on priorities from both short and long-term perspectives. My default button is not to turn to the tax payers to solve funding issues. My approach is to always look internally first, for excess, and areas of redundancy.

Chief threats to balancing spending with revenues include funding law enforcement (which would include the unfunded mandate for body cameras for all sheriff deputies), infrastructure needs, and public health.

Q: Is there a specific service or amenity that is lacking in the county? If so, how do you propose to provide and fund it?

A: There has been a great deal of improvement in automating the Circuit Court Clerk's Office in recent years. The changes have improved the efficiency, access and transparency for attorneys and individuals who are involved in court-related matters.

Ideally, making all county offices fully automated so that residents are not required to be physically present at county facilities to conduct their business would be the endgame.

The DuPage County Board should continue its efforts to obtain the necessary funding, through grants and other revenue streams where possible, to support the project.

Q: Should the county board continue to start its regular board meetings with an invocation? Please say why or why not.

A: Yes. We are a country founded on faith. Welcoming representatives from all religious communities to commence our board meetings in prayer, offering blessings and seeking God's grace of wisdom in decision-making for all in leadership is unifying and sets a tone of humility.

Q: Does there need to be more bipartisanship and cooperation on the county board? If yes, what would you do to help make that happen?

A: Absolutely. Some of what I have seen and heard relative to the county board's actions and initiatives since the democrats assumed control formed the bases for my decision to run for a seat on the board.

As a member of numerous boards, I recognize that you will not always agree with your counterparts. Board members should always attempt to maintain civility and decorum in their words and actions with one another.

The primary focus of achieving solutions gets lost when there is a lack of cooperation. As a member of the DuPage County Board, I would insist that we show respect and tolerance for one another as we discuss, debate, and work toward achieving solutions and implementing policies for the advancement of our community.

Q: If your political party has control of the county board after the November election, how would that benefit DuPage residents?

A: The citizens of DuPage County deserve leadership that recognizes and ENSURES public safety as priority #1. The current county board democrats are fully responsible for preventing any discussion of the Illinois Legislature's "crime bill" (the SAFE-T Act).

As the second-largest county in the state, our leadership could and should have shone a light when it had a chance on the real harm this crime bill will have on law enforcement's ability to protect us. Every citizen MUST take the time to learn what is in the new crime bill. The Act does not protect law-abiding citizens.

In addition to voting for candidates who are authentic supporters of law enforcement, every citizen should contact their state legislators and demand that the Act be repealed or, at the very least, revisions be made. Although the democrat party as a whole has made a complete about-face in their stance on law and order with election season nearing, the Republicans are, and have always been, the party of law & order.

Q: The COVID pandemic put a spotlight on the need for mental health services. What role should the county play in this?

A: DuPage County is already playing a part in addressing the real mental health crisis that is occurring, not only in our community, but throughout our nation. No race, age, class, gender or other designated class is immune. We must continue to find ways to help our fellow residents, and providing financial resources is a great start. I am aware that multiple organizations are working to address these problems throughout DuPage (and we are lucky to have them!) in conjunction with the DuPage County Health Department, but there is no unified effort.

As a DuPage County Board member and a newly appointed member of the NAMI board of directors, I would explore the possibilities for greater success in combating these issues with more education, a unified approach, shared resources and easier access to services.

Q: What is the single most important issue facing your district and how should the county address it?

A: I had difficulty deciding how I would answer this question. There are so many important issues facing our county as a whole, not just District 4.

However, the cost of gas and groceries (and everything else in between) smacks me in the face everyday. That is why I am choosing "cost of living" as the single most important issue facing us all right now (public safety and the influx of illicit drugs into our community are close seconds). We are all hurting - paychecks are not going as far as they once did.

While county board members do not control what happens at the federal level, we can take steps to tighten our belts and reassess the budget at our local level, think creatively and implement policies and programs that will impact, in positive ways, the most people in the best economical ways.