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Douglas Scheflow: Candidate Profile

Kane County Board District 22 (Republican)

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: ElginWebsite: www.DougScheflow.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Kane County Board District 22 Age: 59Family: Married to Lena for 34 yearsFour Adult Children, John - 29, Steve - 27, Tommy- 23, Sarah - 18Occupation: LawyerEducation: Larkin High School 1975 Elgin, IL University of Michigan, College of Engineering, B.S. (Engin.) 1979University of Illinois, College of Law, J.D. 1983Civic involvement: Former Board Member of the Open Door Clinic (past president), Anderson Animal Shelter (past president), Elgin Daycare Center, Sherman Hospital Interested Men (past president), First United Methodist Church of Elgin, City of Elgin Park and Recreation Advisory Board (past president) and former member of the Elgin Noon Kiwanis Club and the Elgin Cosmopolitan Club, current Chair of the Elgin Township Republican Central Committee.Elected offices held: I am in my first term and first elected office as a Kane County Board Member and Commissioner of the Forest Preserve of Kane County in District 22 on the West side of Elgin and Elgin Township.Questions Answers Do you support or oppose construction of the Longmeadow Parkway, including the use of a toll for the crossing over the Fox River?I support the Longmeadow Parkway. In my experience the traffic congestion in Northern Kane County is a serious problem and a detriment to continued economic growth. These projects take years to complete and this project should continue. The Longmeadow project, being a parkway will bring people closer to the Fox River and promote access to the Fox River and the Brunner Forest Preserve. KDOT's financial assistance made the Brunner purchase possible. The toll bridge / user charge method of financing a portion of the project is fiscally responsible and will not unduly burden Kane County taxpayers.Do you agree with the Kane County State's Attorney, Kane County Public Defender and Kane County Sheriff that they require more staff? If so, where will the money come from to support that additional staff?These agencies have excellent leadership and have produced excellent results. That said, the need for more staff to do the good work of these agencies is never an issue, but like my business or my household and like almost all households in my District, the tax payer and the wage earner simply do not have the money to pay more taxes with flat wage increases for over 10 years. If the money is not available then staff increases will need to wait.Do you support a completely frozen Kane County property tax levy, or would you support a non-referendum increase of the county's property tax levy to factor in new construction?I support a frozen levy because the Kane County revenue from Sales and income taxes continue to rise each year. That said picking up the tax from new construction is also a reasonable approach and I will also support a freeze of the Kane County real estate tax with a small increase of the levy to cover the new construction.What is your philosophy regarding the use of forest preserve district property? Are projects like the proposed cross country course for the former Settler's Hill Landfill appropriate?The Forest Preserve needs to balance the need for natural areas and access by the community for recreation and to experience the land that their tax dollars have provided. The Settlers Hill site is a landfill with several million dollars in reserve for re-development projects. The cross country use is an excellent project for this site and might attract high school and college meets from around the region. The site will support walking trails, sledding and for other users when track meets are not being held. The Forest Preserve should avoid undertaking obligations that burden operational costs.Do you believe Kane County's elected officials, including the board, are fairly compensated? Or is it time to explore raises for all the elected offices?I believe the Kane County Board is fairly compensated. Some of the Elected officials are due for a raise to be on par with the demands of the office and the salary of senior staff in the departments. This should be reviewed with time for due analysis and deliberation.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?1. Control Taxation and Spending. Under the leadership of our County Board Chairman, Kane County has avoided unneeded capital programs and wasteful spending. The frozen levy has proven that with concerted effort it can be done and I believe it has been an inspiration to other taxing bodies. Maintaining this progress, through a frozen levy or a frozen tax, is my most important issue.2. Represent the Taxpayer. I try to speak for the taxpayer rather than interest groups and county departments, this is an important issue, so that the taxpayers voice is heard.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Texas Senator Ted Cruz, based upon his extraordinary ability to articulate his principled political positions.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Be patient and forgiving.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Taking college history classes, as an engineer I did not have that opportunity and I now appreciate the importance of understanding our nations history.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Constitutional Law, I learned that many court decisions were clearly not supported by the text of the constitution or the intent of our founding fathers.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?The advice I gave my kids almost every morning before school, "study hard, try hard, do your best and have fun"