Laura Lambrecht: Candidate Profile

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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: Highland ParkWebsite: LauraLambrecht.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lake County Board District 11 Age: 55Family: I grew up here, in Highland Park, from third grade on. I have two wonderful children and I raised them here. I didn't grow up in fear and I didn't want my children to either. I'm thankful we live in a safe community. I graduated from American University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. I've had over 20 years of experience working for a Fortune 100 companies. The last 16 years I've been employed as an IT professional at a Fortune 10 company. I'd like to put my real world large infrastructure, tech savvy experience to good use.Occupation: IT - Professional System AdministratorEducation: B.S. PhysicsCivic involvement: AYSO board member for 5 years 2004 to 2009Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers Why are you running for this office? If you are running for re-election, is there an important project you want to implement? If you are a challenger, is there a particular issue that motivates you? Please explain.I believe my technical skill set is needed at the board, there appears to be plenty of finance, but hard core large infrastructure is needed. At the first meeting I attended there were five issues,I had expertise on all of them and it was clear no one else did. These people are making decisions for us, we need a variety of skill sets so that we are properly represented.What are your ideas to ensure the Lake County Discovery Museum remains relevant with county residents during the year it is closed while it moves from Wauconda to Libertyville and its new space is prepared?To remain relevant, they need to remain engaged with the public, and they are doing that by continuing history education programs and updating their progress through social media which they are doing. As I understand it their public outreach includes: continuing history education programs with schools, history presentations for senior groups, tours at the historic Stevenson House and Fort Sheridan, Farm Heritage Festival (September 24 25), and progress updates on the move to Facebook and Twitter, keeping us all updated. I look forward to the reopening. It's important to preserve our history for future generations.Do you believe all of the county board's and forest board's committee meetings should be televised live and webcast? Why or why not?I have no issue with televising the county/forest board committee meeting because that is where the real work happens. The public has every right to view for themselves the discussion that happens. Government should be transparent, we are here to serve the people and act in their best interest.Some municipalities are turning to Lake County government for contracted services in areas such as building inspections. For example, Lake Zurich signed a two-year contract with the county in late 2015 and expects to save $100,000 by paying $67 an hour for the inspections. Do you see this as a good thing for the county because of the revenue or are there concerns that should be addressed if these arrangements continue to grow? Please explain.In my work place we are always looking for different ways to get the same thing done, since our business is cost intensive we really need to watch our money. Contracting out the county and other municipalities can eliminate head count and since they only pay for the services they need, in theory, reducing overhead and all costs associated with it, we could see some savings. Let's see how it goes.Please list any elected office you've ever run for and what the result of that election was. Have you ever been appointed to fill an unexpired term?I ran for this same position against a man who had been on the city council for 20 years, he had name recognition. However, my skill set is technical in nature and in that sense I am a good fit. I've been gainfully employed for the last 20 years at Fortune 100 companies, so I'm intimately familiar with large infrastructure and fail safe needs. My work experience fills a technical hole that the board could leverage. It should be noted that the current board member is retiring and leaving the state like so many.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I'm keen on insuring that our tax dollars are spent judiciously, we need to ensure that our county (unlike our State) remains on solid financial footing. We need to ensure that Illinois residents are getting better bang for their tax dollars and not continue on the path we're on. Illinois is a great state and due to mismanagement over a long period of time, both parties we need to correct our path, and I think everyone agrees. Can we set aside differences and do what's right for our Cities, Counties and our State - too much is at stake.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Randall Stephenson ATT's Chairman CEO his vision is taking us to cutting edge of technology, from copper to a wireless company.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My Mom always asked us, "if everyone else jumped off the bridge, would you?" Basically, she meant to be free and do your own thing.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I wish I would've spent more time with my Omi, who passed away when I was in 8th grade.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?In High School, we had a section on computer programing and I rocked it. I should have done more of it in college.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Don't let others label you, you decide what you can achieve. Keep at it, life is not a race it's a marathon, keep at it.