Jason Snelson: Candidate Profile

Bio

Name: Jason Snelson

City: Elgin, IL

Website: none

Twitter: none

Facebook: Snelson For Kane County Treasurer

Party: Democrat

Office sought: Kane County Treasurer

Age: 40

Family: married-Wife (Sarah), Son (Hunter), and dog (Kinzie)

Occupation: Director of Operations (Restaurant)

Education: St. Edwards High School (Elgin) / Elgin Community College

Civic involvement: Former Chairman of Public Safety and Hospitality Committee (River North Residents Association)

Elected offices held: N/A

Questions & Answers

Question 1: Kane County Board members have suggested during the 2019 budget process that officials with special revenue or automation funds in their offices should contribute some or more of those funds back to the general fund to account for shared costs like building maintenance and operations. Would you support using more of the Treasurer's funds for such expenses?

Yes

Question 2: Would you support combining the offices of the county treasurer and county auditor? Would combining those offices reduce expenses?

Yes, I would be open to combining those offices and more than likely would reduce expenses.

Question 3: If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives you've led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the board and what would your priority be?

I would like to present what I call the ROI which stands for Reinvest in Ourselves Initiative. ROI would open the office doors to community and business leaders to openly discuss our biggest trouble areas so that we can begin to strengthen areas in our communities that are struggling and improve the financial health of the constituents and businesses

Question 4: How do you assess the success of the treasurer's office on what you see as its chief duties? Do you see areas of the operation in need of improvement?

I view a successful treasurer's office as one that has open and easy access to the people's funds while also being able to provide recommendations to the Board based on investment and empathy. I feel the office currently needs to be more transparent and modernized while also being more accessible to the business and activist communities.

Question 5: Describe your position on transparency in the office and the ease of access to records by the public. How effective is the office's website and other outreach efforts in helping the public interact with the office and understand their government? If you believe improvements are needed, what are they and how would you go about achieving them?

I believe the office has to make major improvements in it's transparency. The website is outdated, it's difficult to navigate, and the information is hard to access. I believe the constituents should be able to know the status of their tax dollars and what it's being used for regarding County business. The office needs to be more open and accessible to the public.