Corinne Pierog: Candidate profile, Kane County Board Chair

With two-term Kane County Board Chair Christopher Lauzen choosing not to seek another term this year, voters will choose Nov. 3 between a former school board leader and the county's longtime treasurer to replace him. Corinne Pierog, a Democrat from Batavia who previously served on the St. Charles Unit District 303 school board, is facing David Rickert, a Republican from Elgin who in 2018 was elected to his sixth term as treasurer.

Q: The new chairman will take over during a time of unprecedented budget challenges. What is your plan to balance the budget? What will your spending priorities be?

A: The political philosophy of the current Kane County leadership is to approach the budgeting process through the lens of austerity. With a property tax freeze, much of our services are leaner than our adjacent counties. After nearly a decade of reducing the size of the government, the budget is beginning to show cracks. Increases in inflation, compounded by the increase in the costs of payroll adjustments, insurance, retirement, and commodities, have outgrown the non-property tax revenues, which once supported it. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we now face the potential of a $14.6 million budget gap. To balance the budget, we need to review spending of the county's mandated services, many directed by the state of Illinois. We cannot spend money that we do not have. Truly this is not a time to raise taxes. I will make it a priority to fund the essential services being overlooked by the current administration. I will support our hardworking employees with the tools they need to do their jobs. As I review the budget, I see our people and their needs, not just numbers. That is the core value I will use in developing a sustainable fiscal path forward.

Q: What role do you believe the chairman has in the day-to-day operations of the county?

A: Kane County is rapidly changing, and it is incumbent that the chairman sets an agenda that collaboratively considers our diverse needs blended with strong fiscal oversight. With an elected board of 24, and it is up to the chairman to provide and assist the members to define the fundamental short and long-term needs of the county and the methods to fund them. The role of the chairman is defined by Statue 55 of Illinois' Counties Code. Requirements include ensuring that the will of the board is faithfully executed; the administrative and management functions of the county government are coordinated; an annual report and importantly a yearly budget is presented to the board for approval. The chairman must act as a facilitator and coordinator working with the other elected county officials and department heads. The chairman is also the county's champion-in-chief, including as an advocate in Springfield and in Washington, work effectively with the local mayors and village presidents. We do not stand alone, rather we form a partnership working together to develop sustainable long-term solutions for all of our residents. To address these goals, I plan to consider the hiring of a county manager.

Q: What actions must the county take to continue to address COVID-19?

A: Our economy began to wilt. The unemployment rate reached 16.80% in April of 2020; in July the rate receded to 10.30%. These crushing unemployment trends have been felt primarily by women and Black men. Food disparity is increasing, social isolation includes depression and anxiety. These all need to be addressed. The leadership in Kane County has been woefully incompetent in handling this crisis. In April, the county received almost $93 million from the U.S. CARES Act. The Chair installed a hand-picked partisan committee. This task force was sanctioned by the State's Attorney for its violation of the Open Meetings Act and it then was dissolved by the board on July 2. The new CARE's Act Committee has just released its spending allocations and grant applications. In these last six months, the residents of Kane County have had to move forward without the support of the county. My first priority will be to review the board's progress and make sure the current funds are all allocated and that we are in recovery.

Q: The county board recently approved a resolution calling on all local police departments to pursue reform efforts. Does the county need to act to reform the policing practices and jail operations of the sheriff's department? If so, what role should the chairman play in those efforts?

A: The Illinois Black Caucus addressed what has been identified as a system of systemic racism in Illinois, "What happens on the South Side and West Side of Chicago have once again shone a light on the intense, systematic discrimination of Black residents face every day." The chairman and board need to take the lead to bring together the parties who could affect Kane County's efforts toward criminal justice reform, offices of the State's Attorney and Sheriff. The chairman can gauge the decisions of the board to ensure that progress toward equity and social reform are on track. This course of action will also require the chairman to reach beyond the county to identify best practices, made in other Illinois counties, as well as, other states. Importantly, the chairman must understand that criminal justice reform is a human issue, which impacts people who are in a very stressful situation - the officer, the victim, and the alleged perpetrator. We also need to continue working with community partners, like Amita Medical Center in Aurora, to establish crisis stabilization units throughout Kane County, along with the future expansion of supportive long-term transitional housing, and job training.

Q: The county board will undergo redistricting following the 2020 Census. What is the most fair process? Do you support the current number of seats on the board?

A: Recently, the board voted down a motion for an advisory referendum to decrease the size of the board from 24 to 18 to save money on salaries and due to COVID-19 pandemic, to allow for additional seating space between members. In 2010 our population was 515,269. Chair McConnaughay, in March, 2011, stated, "it will be my recommendation to ... that the size of the County Board be reduced from 26 to either 24 or 22 members. The Illinois Counties Code provides that counties of between 800,000 and 3,000,000 persons may have no more than 18 members. It appears to be a sound policy to begin downsizing the board to eventually reach the 18-member maximum." The 2040 Plan projects population to be over 800,000. In 2017, the county's Illinois Mandated Services Study recommended to decrease to 14, based on population per member, and with the goal to save money. A reduction from 24 to 14 would be a true logistical challenge. A more conservative reduction would be 20 or 22. This can follow the same process as in 2011. This is the approach that I wish to advocate for. I would also review the process of redistricting that was conducted in 2011 and determine if that is the fairest method.