Holly Kim: 2022 candidate for Lake County Treasurer

Bio

Party: Democrat

Office sought: Lake County Treasurer

City: Mundelein

Age: Not given

Occupation: Lake County Treasurer

Previous offices held: Trustee, Village of Mundelein; Jaycees local director

Q&A

Q: 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?

A: Thank you to those who voted for me in 2018! I had a very civic upbringing with a father who was Jaycees and Chamber president. I believe that reflects in my accomplishments:

• Lowered Mobile home tax penalties which include senior living subdivisions like Saddlebrook. Penalties had been up to 200% of the tax bill and unfairly punished mobile homeowners.

• Community reinvestment by hosting over 50 financial literacy and tax sessions.

• Launched pay by eCheck anywhere in the world for $0.

• Launched eBilling.

• Added our first credit union as a collector site.

• After improving our investments, I can pay for my own budget and give millions back to the Lake County General fund.

• The 4 payment option during COVID shutdown. The Treasurer's office has never given property tax "relief"- EVER. This option meant doubling the workload and creating issues operating in 2 fiscal years, but I was determined to help our residents. I even fought to make sure the relief included business owners.

Q: Is there a particular issue that motivates you?

A: My background before running for office, I was a disruptor in the tech industry. That means I stop processes that don't work and implement new ones that do. In 2018, I heard the message loud and clear from voters of all walks and flavors: get in there and ramp it up from being snoozy, to being efficient and working for the people! I've changed this office from being a tax liability to a revenue generator, so I save taxpayers money. If title companies owed us fees, and they haven't paid them - I don't let it slide, I invoice them at the end of the year. I changed our investments so we make enough to cover our own annual budget AND still give millions of dollars to Lake County government. That's all revenue that doesn't have to come from Lake County Homeowners property taxes. Additionally, being a tech forward office that isn't afraid of change, we were one of the first departments to switch to cloud call center software to lose no time during COVID shut downs or revolving quarantines.

Q: The treasurer's office has a relatively low-profile. How would you improve the visibility and/or make residents more aware of what you do?

A: I ran on a platform to prioritize constituent engagement - and kept that promise. I've been everywhere from Lindenhurst to Libertyville and Vernon Hills to Volo. Taking office, I continued being visible in your town at your senior fairs and community fairs. I am not like some career politicians who only come out of their shell in an election year. I have hosted over 50 sessions on financial literacy, taxes, assessments, and will be hosting one this month with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation aimed toward teaching government finance professionals about various different scams, what to look out for, and how to prevent loss.

I am very accessible because that's what the people of Lake County deserve from their leaders. Additionally, videos for the finance committee have been restored so citizens can see where every cent of their tax dollars are going. I don't allow this office to be "low-profile," because what people demand of the government has changed.

Q: How do you assess the success of the treasurer's office?

A: I determine success by "How did I help the hard working residents of Lake County?" - I launched an ESG (Environmental Social Governance) sustainable investment strategy that gave us almost double the investment returns in 2020. Going forward from then, we can pay for our departmental budget and give millions back to the county funds.

• We've raised the bar with the Finance Department on our annual expected returns - which helped keep the County's taxes flat for 3 years in a row.

• I've streamlined check processing by leveraging existing technology which lowered our in office processing from 2 months turnaround at our worst down to 2 weeks.

• I've launched help tickets so you can submit your questions 24 hours a day - not just when our phones are on.

Future plans:

• Starting an internal CRM (Customer relations Management tool) to keep better track of issues

• Expanding payment options such as Google/Apple wallet or PayPal and more

• Flexible payment solutions such as a payment plan

Q: What do you say to residents who say their taxes are too high?

A: They're absolutely right! I live here and pay taxes too. I have said if there's anyone who can find ways to lower taxes, it's going to be me. My small office of 16 staff did our part to keep the levy flat for 3 years. We made it a priority to generate revenue NOT from property taxes.

I worked with our state reps and senators to lower tax penalties for mobile home residents. Did you know we are the only county in the state of Illinois with that relief? It's because I actively reached out to our state reps, senators, and congress people to push advocacy like raising the SALT (State and Local Tax) cap - which is double taxation for our residents with a tax bill higher than $10k. I've also found almost half a million dollars for Lake County sitting at the state of Illinois in unclaimed funds. I promised to work for you tirelessly. Promise made - promise kept. I am thankful you gave me the chance to reform the office. If you'd like me to continue, I will appreciate your vote this November.