Mary FitzGerald Ozog: Candidate profile
Bio
Name: Mary FitzGerald Ozog
City: Glen Ellyn
Website: maryfitzozog.com
Twitter: @Ozog4DuPage
Facebook: @VoteMaryFitzGeraldOzog
Party: Democrat
Office sought: DuPage County Board District 4
Age: 60
Family: Married to husband Jim for 33 years. Children: Jimmy (Navy vet, active reservist, current Loyola student); Katie (Michigan State University graduate); Patrick (DePauw University graduate); Megan (Current DePauw University senior.) All 4 are graduates of St. Petronille Glen Ellyn and Glenbard West High School.
I am a first generation American; my mother immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1954.
Occupation: Board vice president, Glenbard Township High School District 87; Substitute instructor, Wheaton CUSD 200
Education: University of Michigan- B.A. Political Science; University of Illinois- Graduate Studies Urban Planning/Transportation
Civic involvement: Board vice president, Glenbard Township High School District 87, 2011-present (elected 2011, 2015); Glen Ellyn Zoning Board of Appeals 2006-2012; Holiday Pops Choir, Chicago; Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club of Glen Ellyn/Wheaton; Glen Ellyn Architectural Review Commission 1986-1992; Glen Ellyn Ad Hoc Citizens Pool Committee; Friends of the Glen Ellyn Library, treasurer; Glenbard West Choral Parents, president; Glenbard West Boosters volunteer; Capitol Hill Congressional Intern
Elected offices held: Elected to Glenbard Township High School District 87 Board in 2011, re-elected in 2015; Glenbard Township High School District 87 vice president 2013-present; Committee assignments: Policy Committee chair, 2017-present; Finance Committee chair, 2015-2017; Student Performance and Achievement committee member, 2011-2013; Community/Legislative/Partnerships Committee member, 2013-present
Questions & Answers
1. Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?
I am running for the DuPage County Board because I believe that for too long there have not been independent voices to challenge spending and policies decided by the DuPage County Board. I strongly believe that one-party government serves the Party, not us citizens, and with only one Democrat currently serving on the board there are not enough independent voices to serve us. During my college internship on Capitol Hill, work as a Transportation Planner at Metra and CTA, six years on the Glen Ellyn Architectural Review Commission, six years on the Glen Ellyn Zoning Board, and, currently, my eight years on the Glenbard Township High School District 87 School Board, I have worked, through government, to make life better for the communities I've served.
The county board has a budget of $439 Million and it's important to have new voices to examine how taxpayer funds are managed by the county. I am very interested in initiatives the county provides for countering the opioid crisis which is impacting families of every demographic in DuPage. The 2018 budget earmarked $100,000 for heroin abuse. Contrast that with $260,000 approved last week for 2019 for outside lobbyist contracts (Liz Chaplin, the only Democrat, was the only dissenting vote.). On the District 87 board we do our own lobbying (a group of us met with both the local state senator and state representative in the past few weeks to discuss education issues affecting our schools.) Then we find out that DuPage is just about last in the amount of state money returned to the county. Instead of these lobbying contracts a few internal staff people should track legislation, and county board members should be lobbying state legislators themselves.
Transportation within the county and to Chicago is also a very important issue. Is the county spending all RTA tax money returned to DuPage County on transportation and roads? Or is some of this money being used to bolster the general fund? Maintaining and developing the DuPage economy hinges on providing the best transportation services available. My transportation background will help me evaluate how transportation dollars are best spent in DuPage County.
I have no ties to any contractor vendor, lobbyist, elected officials or DuPage County staff. If elected I will use my experience and independence to help make DuPage a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
2. If you are an incumbent, describe two important initiatives you've led. If you're not an incumbent, describe two ways you would contribute to the board.
While I believe strongly in the useful activity of "asking an intelligent why" to question board policies and spending, I also know that effective boards need to set reasonable goals to represent their constituents and then build collaborative relationships to be able to work toward achieving those goals. I have the skill set, and I believe the experience and reputation, to begin building those relationships with fellow board members upon election.
Besides building relationships, I will work hard to provide oversight as a member of committees to which the chairman may appoint me. I would especially like to use my background as a transportation planner on committees dealing with public works and transportation, helping to build a better DuPage County and fuel economic growth. The DuPage Connects long range transportation plan announced recently is a great start to planning for DuPage County's future and I'd like to be a part of this continuing planning effort.
3. Is there a specific service or amenity that is lacking in the county? If so, how do you propose to provide and fund it?
I've lived next to the Illinois Prairie Path for over 30 years and have seen first hand the benefit this trail brings to both the citizens of DuPage County and others who pass through DuPage on this trail. I'd like to be a part of developing the long-discussed East Branch DuPage River Trail which would provide a North/South connection to the Illinois Prairie Path, the Great Western Trail and the Morton Arboretum. Engineering for this Path was first developed almost 20 years ago, but efforts to actually build this path have languished. A citizens group is advocating for a new engineering study, and will need the cooperation of the DuPage County Board, municipal governments, and utilities with easements along the proposed route. On the county board I would plan to work with the all of these entities to first secure federal grants to retool the engineering studies, and then work to actually fund this path (hopefully, again, by applying for federal grants available for local trail programs.) My past experience in transportation planning as well as consensus building on an elected board will help me help the county and finally make this trail a reality.
4. With DuPage County's budget being squeezed by state funding cuts and other factors, what initiatives would you support to increase revenue and/or save money?
A.) Roll back the county board salary to 2016 levels.
In 2016, the DuPage County Board (including my incumbent opponent) voted to raise their own salaries (many incumbents will also receive a pension for this PART TIME JOB and board members currently receive benefits including health care). Previously their salary was $50,000; they are now receiving $52,000. In neighboring Kane County, county board members receive $25,000, HALF of that amount. As a taxpayer I found this pay raise offensive, especially in light of the loss of almost $4 million in state of Illinois funding to DuPage County in 2016-2018, and cuts proposed last fall to the sheriff's office's staffing and budget. This pay raise has cost taxpayers $64,000 in 2017 and 2018. I noticed DuPage County earlier this year granted a $1,500 College of DuPage scholarship; this pay raise could have given 42 more students that same scholarship opportunity. Currently the only Democrat on the board (who voted against the raise) returns her raise the county general fund. If elected, I will be donating the 2016 raise amount ($2,000) to Bridge Communities, a local not-for-profit working to transition local homeless families to self-sufficiency.
While not directly related to funding, I'd also like to see term limits for county board members and the county board chairman. A reasonable limit of perhaps 10 to 12 years staggered among members' terms would allow for institutional knowledge on the board, but also guarantee new voices to represent constituents.
B.) Reduce size of the DuPage County Board from 18 to 12.
The Metra board has 12 members, receives a third less than the DuPage County Board's salary, yet administers an over $750,000 budget (Metra has 10 board members, a 33 percent larger budget than DuPage County, and receives a yearly stipend of $15,000.) This would achieve an immediate savings in salary alone of $312,000, not including current benefits.
C.) Finally, Look carefully at the entire budget. Consider meaningful government consolidation, not just on paper (see next question). Is RTA tax money returned to the county to transportation projects? Or is it bolstering the general fund? Are applications filed by the county for all possible federal and state grant money? Are staffing and spending levels appropriate? These are the questions I plan to ask. I have paid property taxes here for 32 years and expect our elected officials to spend as responsibly as we always have in our own family.
5. The county has been focused on consolidation of services and government agencies. How effective has that effort been and how could it be improved?
Frankly, I believe that a fair share of county's efforts have been on paper and have not achieved real savings to the taxpayer. While it's good to see the Election Commission will be finally incorporated into the clerk's office in 2019, I'd like to see the elimination of the recorder's office; this idea was discussed in the Daily Herald by the county chairman on 8/29/18. Current salaries alone for this department cost taxpayers $1.4 Million annually; the top 3 salaries amount to over $350,000 annually.
I also question the need for nine local township governments in DuPage County. The state of Illinois has the highest number of local government units in the country (almost 7,000) and townships account for 1,428 of those units. Townships provide road maintenance, property assessment, and social services; all of these functions exist at the county level. In 2017 voters in Lisle and Naperville Townships said yes to consolidation of their road maintenance departments. This is a start for a movement that needs to happen throughout Illinois; DuPage County could and should become a real leader in this cost-saving initiative.
6. What is the single most important issue facing your district and how should the county address it?
Right now, the main issues affecting District 4 residents are the primary concerns of all county residents. Is the county doing a good job with the court system, countywide law enforcement, property tax assessment, health department responsibilities, and transportation? How are economic development efforts like Innovation DuPage helping our communities? How are county health programs impacting the growing opioid crisis? This crisis is affecting all of our communities in DuPage. As I discussed earlier, I'd certainly like want to work with community groups, government units, not-for-profits and utilities to finally complete the East Branch DuPage River Trail, most of which would run through District 4.
I will be available to listen to concerns of District 4 constituents and certainly work to find solutions, as I have done for the past eight years for my Glenbard District 87 constituents. I plan to hold regular office hours at local libraries within the district, and will continue to maintain my website (maryfitzozog.com) and Facebook page so that constituents can reach me directly about any county issues.
7. Please name one current leader who most inspires you.
As I write this the United States is laying John McCain to rest. He served our country bravely, endured more than any of us can imagine for more than 5 years as a POW, and stayed true to his beliefs during his public life. He was an elected official who was able to respect other viewpoints and reach across the aisle to the opposing party. But most importantly, John McCain admitted to his mistakes and learned from them.
8. What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?
Hard work. My mother, a nurse who immigrated from Ireland in 1954, often worked 2 jobs while raising 7 kids in Detroit in the 1960s and 70s.
9. If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?
Easy. I would spend even more time with my mother. She had a wonderful sense of humor, even when life was difficult.
10. What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?
Debate and Forensics (public speaking) all 4 years of high school. I've used the analytical and public speaking skills from this class every day since then.
11. If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Three things in ... life are important: the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind. (attributed to Henry James.)