County board hopefuls debate single-party rule

Is one-party rule good for McHenry County?

That was one of the central questions asked this week when Republican incumbents in McHenry County Board districts 3 and 5 squared off against Democratic challengers and one Green Party candidate in an interview with the Daily Herald this week.

In District 3, incumbent Republicans Mary Donner of Crystal Lake and Nick Provenzano of McHenry are facing a challenge from Democrat Kathleen Bergan Schmidt of Crystal Lake.

In District 5, incumbents Virginia Peschke of Bull Valley and John Jung of Woodstock, both Republicans, face challenges from Green Party candidate Frank Wedig of Woodstock and Democrat Paula Yensen of Lake in the Hills.

Currently, only one of the McHenry County Board's 24 members is a Democrat, former Lake in the Hills Trustee Jim Kennedy.

Bergan Schmidt and Yensen hope to change that this year.

"I want it to not be a one-party monopoly," Bergan Schmidt said. "The only way to do that is to elect different parties."

The Democrats said the board needs ideological diversity to be representative of the county's residents.

"One party rule is very bad, just like it is in Cook County," said Yensen, a Lake in the Hills trustee.

But Republican incumbents argued board members' partisan leanings have little bearing on most issues that come before the county board.

"It's irrelevant if it doesn't manifest itself at the county board level," Provenzano said.

Wedig, the sole Green Party candidate, said county board members have been at odds on a number of issues, even though all but one ostensibly represent the same party.

"There was vigorous debate on leaf burning, although there were 23 Republicans," Wedig said of the recent debate over whether to restrict leaf burning in the county. The restrictions passed by a 16-8 vote.

Candidates in districts 3 and 5 also clashed over the economy. Challengers called for a reduction in the size of county government.

Bergan Schmidt, Yensen and Wedig said they would consider reducing the number of board members or cutting board member compensation.

"Put it all on the table, and evaluate it," Wedig said.

But the incumbents said board member compensation was fair, given board members' workload, and that reducing the number of board members would only increase the burden on individual members.

"I'm worth every penny of what I'm doing," Donner said.

Board members earn $18,600 a year and qualify for county health insurance and retirement benefits, according to the county's human resources department. As board vice chairman, Jung gets $23,600 a year, while board Chairman Ken Koehler makes $74,400.

Incumbents also pointed to existing efforts to save taxpayer dollars.

Jung said under the stewardship of the current board, the county has come a long way toward better financial planning.

"We've got a financial plan," Jung said. "We have financial modeling."

Peschke did advocate one reduction in board member compensation, however. The $24,000 allocated for board member expenses, she said, should instead fund a housing committee that would work to provide affordable housing.