Ellen Nottke: 2024 candidate for Kane County Board District 2

Bio

Party: Republican

Office Sought: Kane County Board District 2

City: Batavia

Age: 70

Occupation: No answer given

Previous offices held: N/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? If so, what?

As a resident of Kane County for almost 35 years, I've seen the county go through many transformations.

As a citizen activist, I've played a role in influencing many of the changes that have an affect on all of us.

Whether it's the increased congestion on our roads or urban sprawl eating up at our precious farmland, I've tried to bring an educated voice to the table. Too many times people move here and want to close the gates so no one else can come in.

We have to work together to make growth compatible to all of our desires by bringing a balance to the area so that Kane County can continue to be a great place to live, work and raise our families.

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?

My opponent, as the former mayor of North Aurora and more recently as a county board member, has served his community for nearly 30 years and should be applauded for his service. However, County Board District 2 does not begin and end in North Aurora. The district covers a small portion of North Aurora, the west side of Batavia, parts of Blackberry Township and the southern tip of Geneva Township.

I have walked the entire district and have listened to the voters. Issues that have a direct impact on them have not been addressed by their current board member. Issues like granting a gravel pit around the clock permission for operation fell on deaf ears and he voted yes, against his constituents wishes.

He voted to raise the gas tax and flippantly stated during a board meeting that raising property taxes by just 5% would be equivalent to the cost of one martini. I'm running because I want to bring a fresh perspective to the entire district and not just my backyard.

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.

I'm tired of the “spend then tax” mentality at the county board. The board needs to work with the elected officials, not just say “this is what we are giving you and nothing more.”

And the elected officials need to quit saying “give us what we want or we will sue you.”

Emergencies arise, we go through that in our own lives. But the decisions of the current board's finance committee, under the leadership of my opponent has been to take money set aside for those emergencies and use it to balance the budget, essentially kicking the can down the road.

This isn't a viable solution. Also, taking money from the county's transportation department and deferring most maintenance and other projects is short sided and in the long run will be detrimental to future plans.

As the county grows, so does the need for safe roads. We need to be responsible to our constituents and understand that in today's economy we need to be frugal while being responsible stewards of tax dollars.

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

Yes. However I do think that some board members are striving to do that. If we are going to make a difference we have to learn to compromise.

Our decisions should not be black or white, it should be black and white. Far too often there is a grey area that goes undiscussed in an effort to move the meeting along.

As an example my opponent, as chair of finance committee tries to cut off discussion as committee members are discussing issues at hand in an effort to better understand and reach a middle ground.

What role should the county play in combating the opioid crisis?

Our coroner has exhibited extraordinary leadership. Along with the county's health department, they have made great strides to educate the public. As the opioid litigation continues at the national level, it is important the board makes wise use of those settlement funds.

The county board should continue to support education and prevention methods as well as the use of Narcan. Addiction has no boundaries, it affects all walks of life and all social classes. Educating parents and families to recognize the signs is an important first step in remedying this growing crisis.

What role should the county play in increasing affordable housing in the region?

The existing infrastructure and state law effectively requires affordable housing to be addressed by individual municipalities, and not by the county board but the county can and should offer communities staff assistance in creating their own affordable housing plan.

A recent proposal to build county sponsored affordable housing in unused commercial parking lots is a legal and jurisdictional nonstarter.