DuPage chairman candidates offer plans for county

Four high-powered Republicans are seeking their party's nomination for DuPage County Board chairman in the Feb. 2 primary election.

The field features state Sen. Dan Cronin of Elmhurst; Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso; DuPage County Board member Debra Olson of Wheaton; and state Sen. Carole Pankau of Itasca.

The winner will advance to the November election to face Democrat Carole A. Cheney, 48, an attorney from Aurora who has never held elected office and is running unopposed in her party's primary.

All the candidates are hoping to replace Bob Schillerstrom, a Naperville Republican who is stepping down after 12 years in the chairman's post.

The Daily Herald asked the candidates several questions related to the primary. Today is the third installment of a five-part series looking at what the hopefuls in the contested GOP race for chairman had to say.

For more on their responses, visit dailyherald.com later this month.

Q. What is your third-most important campaign issue? Olson: Vision for the future. Dealing with the challenges ahead, the chairman must be both a strong leader and a consensus-builder. She must have vision for local and regional issues, and be innovative and responsive to effectively do more with less. She must work collaboratively to build partnerships with other governmental leaders to provide better services at lower costs. As a county board member, I know firsthand the issues we face in the years to come. On a local level, our county is largely built-out, putting land-use and redevelopment issues at the fore. Our transportation and stormwater infrastructure is constantly strained. The population of DuPage is aging and increasingly diverse, adding new demands on government. Maintaining strong law enforcement is necessary to deter crime and properly deal with offenders. Regionally, we are positioned to both contribute to and benefit from projects and partnerships that can improve our local economy and extend our reach in a global economy. Our challenges will not be solved with lofty semantics, but with thoughtful approaches to problem-solving and a get-in-the-trenches work ethic. We are a sophisticated, well-educated citizenry in DuPage with the resolve to get things done. New technological advances are on our doorstep that can lower costs, improve our environment, enhance our quality of life, and change the way we do business. It is up to leaders in DuPage County to access this creativity and utilize these new resources to make government more productive, responsive, and lean. As the DuPage County Board chairman, I will be that kind of leader.Pankau: Efficient and effective use of every tax dollar.Cronin: Transportation and infrastructure has been, and will continue to be, a major issue in DuPage County. Last year, the county board considered a large-scale infrastructure program totaling $220 million. This initiative was tabled, although crucial infrastructure needs exist and the next county board chairman will have to work within the unstable economic paradigm to fulfill these needs.Fortunately, some funding opportunities are available on the state and national level. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) authorized two types of tax-preferred bonds that can be issued for "Recovery Zones." I do support the tax-exempt private activity bond, or facility bonds. This should help stimulate private sector growth in the county. The program would be administered though "Choose DuPage," which is a private-public partnership. In addition to the ARRA programs, the state legislature recently approved the first capital plan in 10 years. As a state senator, I supported this bill and would work with officials in Springfield to ensure DuPage County receives its fair share of capital funds.Several major construction projects are now in the preliminary engineering phase, including plans to widen Route 59 through Naperville, Fabyan Parkway in West Chicago and Gary Avenue in Carol Stream, as well as improve 55th Street in Clarendon Hills. The next chairman will also oversee the proposed expansion of O'Hare Airport. I have been a proponent of this plan and believe the western access to O'Hare Airport will be a catalyst for substantial economic development in the northeastern portion of the county.Grasso: DuPage must be open for business development so we remain the best county to live, work and raise a family. That means being business friendly and growing jobs. This includes the long-term goal of achieving western access to O'Hare to benefit all DuPage residents and businesses, with special attention on enhancing the commercial properties and municipalities closest to the western access of O'Hare. Route 59 has to be improved and the congestion relieved. It also means trying to take advantage of historically low interest rates by finding the revenue stream within a $460 million budget to fund bonds to sustain and improve our infrastructure; especially transportation and stormwater. I am not suggesting going into large-scale debt to borrow, but to adjust expenses and consider responsible borrowing (debt service is only about 3 percent of the budget) to take advantage of these low rates. This is going to be easier said than done, but these interest rates will never be lower. Infrastructure must be maintained. Otherwise, replacing it becomes prohibitive and the quality of DuPage life suffers in the long term.False9631278Gary Grasso False