Blanca Rodriguez: 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: AuroraWebsite: n/aTwitter: blancaerodriguez11@gmail.comFacebook: n/aOffice sought: Kane County board District 1 Age: 55Family: Socorro Tovar- Mother Late Jose Tovar- Father Rodolfo Rodriguez Sr. - Husband Rodolfo Rodriguez Jr. -Son Ariel Rodriguez - Daughter Jose Rodriguez- SonOccupation: Former Li sensed Cosmetologist and current Energy ConsultantEducation: East Aurora High school. Cosmetology license Energy Broker certification.Civic involvement: Volunteer at Aurora First Baptist church. Parent Volunteer at Gates Elementary. Cowherd Middle, and East Aurora.Elected offices held: n/aQuestions Answers The county commissioned a study to determine which services are mandated and which are not in preparation for a deeper budget cut. Do you believe the county must continue to reduce costs? If so, which non-mandated services would you cut or reduce? Under what circumstances would you support a tax increase?Yes the county should continue to reduce costs. We should begin by evaluating and prioritizing the non-mandated costs and look to eliminate waste and inefficiencies. For example, we could reduce or eliminate up to $250,000 per year of costs by consolidating the Aurora Election Commission with the Kane County Clerk's office. One of my top priorities is making sure our senior citizens are properly cared for. Keeping the property tax freeze in place will prevent senior citizens from being taxed out of their homes. I do not support a property tax increase.The mandated services study said the law will require a reduction in the number of board seats as the county's population grows. Reducing the number of seats might also save money. What is the right number of board seats? How soon should the reduction occur?I recommend 20 seats. This would save the county money and we would still have excellent representation for the size of our district.Do you support adding a sunset clause to any toll created to fund the Longmeadow Parkway?Yes, Once the Longmeadow Parkway bridge is completed, the toll should sunset.Was ending the county's GPS and electronic monitoring program the right decision? If not, how would you restore the program?No I do not think it was a good idea, because public safety should be the highest priority when spending taxpayer dollars. To restore the program I would consider possibly raising court security fees as a way to bring the program back.Do you support keeping the Aurora Election Commission?I would recommend consolidating the Aurora Election Commission with the Kane County Clerk's office. This will result in savings of up to $250,000 per year and will not impact the ability of people to vote.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Attendance at meetings and collaboration with other members is important to me. Issues can not be resolved without representatives being present at the meetings. In reviewing public attendance records I noticed that my opponent missed 47% of the committee meetings assigned to her (109/230) from 2012-2015, yet collected 100% of the pay. As I mentioned before making sure our senior citizens are properly cared for is an important issue and I will continue to support the property tax freeze to ensure we do not tax our senior citizens out of their homes. Also, Keeping my district informed and being in communication with consitutatants is important to me. I will answer emails and addressing concerns promptly.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Last Year I met Tony Robbins at his Date with Destiny seminar. I am inspired by the love he has for people.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Growing up with seven brothers and sisters In Mexico I learned how to work as a team, work hard, and be resourceful.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I enjoyed raising my children so much. If I had a do-over I would choose to go back and have one more child.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?English- Learning English as a second language created the opportunity to immigrate to the united states at the age of 16 with my family.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Do not depart from your faith.