Greg Schwarze: 2022 candidate for DuPage County Board District 6

Bio

Party: Democratic

Office sought: DuPage County Board District 6

City: Carol Stream

Age: 56

Occupation: Retired firefighter/paramedic, Carol Stream Fire District

Previous offices held: DuPage County Board, 2020-present; Carol Stream Village Trustee, 2007-2020

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: Creating and maintaining a balanced budget is one of the most important functions a local government is responsible for. During my 13-plus years as a Carol Stream Village Trustee, we made sure that expenditures never exceeded revenues.

This was certainly very challenging for a municipality which had no secure revenue source for so many years, however I was proud to work for a community who consistently had zero outstanding debt. I brought this philosophy with me to the county board in 2021. During this current fiscal year, the county has done an incredible job, by not only working with a balanced budget, but actually creating a $40 million surplus in that budget.

And while having such a high surplus can certainly be a positive, staff and elected officials will need to closely monitor all the variables that led to this, especially the personnel costs, which will certainly increase when we fill the 100 or so positions that are currently open.

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: We need to be sure the residents of DuPage continue to get the outstanding public safety they have come to know. We need to be sure our law enforcement has the equipment and personnel it needs to continue to protect our residents. In my role as chairman of the Emergency Telephone System Board, I secured the purchase of new interoperable radios for every police officer and firefighter in DuPage County's ETSB System.

These will replace 12-year-old radios which are out of warranty and are difficult to find parts and batteries for. Not only will this help protect our first responders, but will also save our municipalities, and taxpayers, millions of dollars. We also need to be sure we are providing fair and equitable union contracts and pay for our officers and support staff to keep them from pursuing other law enforcement opportunities.

And we as elected officials need to remember that, when they take their oath, they put their lives on the line every day!

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

A: I have not heard any complaints from my constituents on this issue, so I am fine continuing this practice.

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: I do believe there is, way more often than not, good bipartisanship amongst our board members, however it seems to usually fall under more politically benign issues. My definition of real bipartisanship would be when an elected official is willing to make a stance for the common good of our residents even if it upsets their specific party, and so I do think partisan politics rears its ugly head for more hot button issues.

Making sure we are thinking first and foremost of the wonderful people we serve can help all of us make good choices regardless of our political party. I have had both public and private discussions with all of my fellow elected officials over hot button topics and will continue to do so, to help both myself and the rest of the board work for the right reasons.

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

A: The current Democrat-led board has worked hard for the residents in DuPage County and will continue to do so if holding the majority.

Our Democrat led board has fought for and approved purchasing brand new voting equipment to the county to assure safe, reliable, and fair elections for ALL of our residents. Our HHS Committee, which is made up entirely of Democrats, has enacted many programs that help our most vulnerable residents, including a countywide 2-1-1 phone system and initiated the use of $10 million dollars of ARPA funds specifically for those homeless, hungry, and those with behavioral health and addiction issues. The Democrat-led board increased the sheriff department budget in FY22 and included top of the line camera vests to all our sworn personnel. Our Democrat-led board is working to get solar panels on county buildings and other environmental initiatives. And with the Democrats in control, this is all being done with a balanced budget and a ZERO tax increase in FY22.

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

A: As a county board member, I know how important it is to stay cognizant of the mental health crisis; we can't get complacent to this issue. The county, in cooperation with the health department, needs to do everything we can to help with mental health, and we have made a good start by earmarking a portion of $10 million of ARPA funds to be strictly used for mental and behavioral health assistance.

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

A: In my opinion, climate change should be at or near the top of every elected officials concerns regardless of level of government. The concerning global environmental changes need to be addressed now and, even though it is a "global issue," the county is not immune to doing its part. The recent move to install solar panels is a great start. Adding more of these along with moving to electric vehicles is a logical next step. We need to give our young population of DuPage County our best effort to provide them with a sustainable and healthy planet.