Lesli Melendy: 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: HUNTLEYWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Lesli Melendy for County BoardOffice sought: McHenry County board District 5 Age: 49Family: Husband Matt, 3 daughters ages 22, 17 and 15.Occupation: Chief of Staff for Senator Karen McConnaughayEducation: Illinois State University 1986-88 Rolling Meadows High School 1982-1986Civic involvement: Huntley School Board Member Huntley Chamber Legislative Committee Past Precinct Committeeman Past Huntley HS Athletic Boosters Board Past Huntley Cheer Board Co-Founder Huntley Sparkle Cheer (Special Needs cheer team) Past Marlowe Middle School PTO Board Past Chesak/Martin PTA BoardElected offices held: Assnt. Director of Operations, Huntley Cheer Board President, Chesak/Martin PTA President, Marlowe Middle School PTO Secretary, Huntley High School Athletic BoostersQuestions Answers The county board chairman often references high property taxes as the greatest issue facing McHenry County. What steps would you take to address this problem?I agree with the Chairman. High property taxes are driving people and businesses out of McHenry County in record numbers. We desperately need property tax relief if we are to thrive. To address the problem I would look into streamlining services within the county and townships to see if there are cost savings that make sense. I would also work to shrink the size of the county board by half. In my current role as a board member of District 158, I voted Ãâ#128;™noÃâ#128;œ to increasing the levy. As taxing bodies, we need to live within our means and not increase the burden on homeowners. We also need to make the county business friendly so current businesses stay here and new businesses want to come here. This will help lower the overall tax burden on each resident.How do you think the Valley Hi Nursing Home should be operated, and what should be done about it's multimillion-dollar surplus?The multimillion dollar surplus needs to be spent down in a way that does not threaten the facility's future ability to access an appropriate and more reasonable amount of revenue to support operations. This most-likely requires a legislative fix from Springfield, so I would support working with our McHenry County legislative team to bring this legislation forward. I would also help lobby for its passage.What is your position on government consolidation? Are there areas of government in McHenry County that strike you as prime candidates for such consideration?I believe consolidation is a good idea when it results in lower taxes and cost savings. In some units of government, there are duplicative services, so streamlining services would be helpful. I would support a line-by-line review of budgets to remove the duplicative services and to find opportunities for additional efficiencies and savings, such as shared services and group purchasing for quantity discounts.How do you rate the county government on transparency and the public's access to records? Please explain.I believe the county has made some positive changes with regard to transparency such as streaming the board meetings, making board member attendance easy to find as well as implementing the electronic voting board. There can always be more transparent ways to share information and I hope to explore ways in which we can better be accessible to the residents.Should small amounts of recreational marijuana be legalized and taxed? Please elaborate on your position.Although a new revenue stream would help ease the burden of property taxes, I believe legalizing recreational marijuana could have some unintended consequences. Colorado, for example, has faced many issues since legalizing marijuana, such as a housing crisis and more drug related deaths and car accidents. Most importantly, companies are having trouble hiring employees if they have a Ãâ#128;™no drug useÃâ#128;œ policy. I would like to form a task force to explore this in depth and get the public's input before there is any vote or decisions on this issue.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I believe it is important to invest in our infrastructure in the county. We need a stable infrastructure to attract business as well as sustain the homes and businesses we already have. We need to take advantage of public-private partnerships to offset the taxes and cost. We also need to protect our environment through initiatives that preserve our natural resources.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Our social services agency leaders. They have been keeping programs intact with no money from the state while trying to serve our most vulnerable.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Giving back to the community is our duty as citizens. My parents were volunteers in many organizations and taught us that getting involved is rewarding.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?If I had to take a do-over, I would probably have spent more time with family members who passed away before their time.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I enjoyed English and writing. Being able to bring your thoughts to paper has served as a valuable tool in every aspect of my life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Work hard and be humble.