Dist. 21 hopefuls express views on big issues

Candidates in the Republican primary race for Kane County Board District 21 shared their views on issues including economic development, video gambling and open space during a candidate forum Thursday in Carpentersville.

About two dozen residents attended the League of Women Voters of the Carpentersville-Dundee Area candidate forum at the Dundee Senior Center. The event also included candidates for District 21 and District 25, county treasurer, county sheriff and state senator for the 25th District.

While incumbent candidate for District 21 John Fahy, 48, of West Dundee, and challenger Lee Barrett, 72, of East Dundee, held similar views on issues such as business development, the two candidates took different approaches on video gambling.

Barrett, who held the district seat from 1998 to 2006, said gambling is a moral issue that does not create jobs or support a community.

"Video gambling doesn't do anything except bring revenue to a bar or a government body or the county," Barrett said. "There are no good reasons to support it."

But while Fahy said he does not support video gambling, he does support the $31 billion capital improvement plan the state seeks to partially fund with revenue from the machines. "While I am morally opposed to it, it is not my job as a county board member to impose my morals on the district," Fahy said. "If the district decides - that East Dundee, West Dundee and Carpentersville - decide they don't want video gambling, then I will vote against video gambling. That hasn't happened yet and until that happens - they keep asking for money for their capital projects - then I would support it."

The 21st District covers parts of Carpentersville, East Dundee and West Dundee. Democrat Joseph Haimann will face the winner of the Republican primary in the November election.