Some Kane Co. candidates take money from businesses with contracts

A few Kane County officials who are up for re-election have taken money from companies that have done business with the county. Those who could be reached said the campaign contributions don't influence their votes or how the county selects contractors in any way.

Campaign contribution reports from the past six months show county board members Bill Wyatt and John Fahy and Sheriff Pat Perez all recently took some money from companies who have received taxpayer dollars.

Wyatt netted at least $7,500 in campaign contributions from engineering and construction management firms that list Kane County as a client. For instance, Omega and Associates donated $2,000 to Wyatt's campaign fund. The company netted $435,000 worth of business from the county in 2009. Wills, Burke, Kelsey and Associates donated $1,500 to Wyatt's campaign. The company received about $232,000 of work with the county in 2009.

Wyatt is the chairman of the county board's Transportation Committee and said the donations he received are no indication of how or why those companies received their county contracts.

"Our system for awarding county transportation contracts is handled entirely, completely by KDOT staff, and myself, the board chairman and the county board are completely excluded from the selection process," Wyatt said. "I mean we have zero input. And I'm telling you that there aren't any contractors out there that say if I donate $500 to Bill Wyatt I'm sure I'll get the $4 million bridge contract. All the contractors are on equal footing."

Fahy echoed those comments in denying that a $750 donation from Global Benefits, Inc., or his familiarity with them as a union president in Elgin, had anything to do with the firm's selection as the county's new insurance broker. Global Benefits received about $15,000 in payments from the county in 2009. Fahy also received a $250 donation from Civiltech Engineering. The firm garnered about $810,000 worth of business from the county in 2009.

"Campaign contributions have to be reasonable," Fahy said. "I wouldn't take a $10,000 donation from anybody. I have a broad spectrum of donors from businesses, engineering firms, unions and individuals. To me, I think that it bodes well that you're a pretty well-rounded candidate."

Perez said his $600 donation from Aramark, which runs the food service at the county jail, has no link to the company's ongoing work for the county. Perez said the donation came at a fundraiser he ran where a group of four Aramark employees played a round of golf.

"To anyone with questions about it, I say they were four people who played a round of golf," Perez said.

Perez pointed out that, as sheriff, he doesn't even get a vote on who receives the jail contracts. The county board makes that decision.