Tracy Miller: Candidate profile, Kane County Board District 4

Republican Tracy Miller of Aurora and Democrat Mavis Bates of Aurora are newcomers vying for a seat on Kane County Board District 4 in the Nov. 3 general election.

Miller is a certified public accountant and small business owner. She has served as a Republican precinct committeeman and as a volunteer for Aurora's Hesed House homeless shelter. Bates, a health care professional and business owner, was elected as an at-large commissioner for the Fox Valley Park District in April 2019. She has served on Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin's Advisory Board on Sustainability. She is the founder and chair of Aurora GreenFest. She has also served on various boards.

To explore their campaign websites, visit www.mavisbatesforkane.org and votetracymiller.com. The 4th District covers the southwest portion of the county and includes parts of Aurora and Montgomery.

Q: Why are you running for this office, whether for reelection or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what?

A: I have never run for public office before. I have always had an interest in government and how it works.

I believe my skill set as a CPA and business background match up well with what is required of a county board member, which is to be accountable to its citizens in providing high quality county services in the most efficient way.

I think it is important to realize what an incredible responsibility it is, of seeing that our tax dollars are used in an resourceful manner while maintaining a balanced budget.

Q: 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?

A: As I stated above, I am a CPA and have over 30 years of experience in accounting and business. My intent, if elected, would be to maintain the current property tax freeze of the past eight years and continue the board's policy of having a balanced budget.

The county has some tough challenges ahead financially, however, my business experience will help navigate through this situation. The goal is to continue to provide a high level quality of government services.

Q: Describe your position regarding the balance between county spending and revenues as it exists today, then describe the chief threats you see looming in the future and how the county should deal with them. In particular in the suburbs, Cook County President Preckwinkle has set a goal of eliminating unincorporated areas from county oversight. Do you agree with this approach? If so, how should the county go about it?

A: I think the board has done a good job for the past eight years in freezing the tax levy and providing a balanced budget during that time. As stated in the previous question, I support both of these positions.

The biggest threat to the county will be to find other sources of revenue to cover the 2.5% payroll and benefit increase in the budget. The county will have to find other ways to generate revenue or reduce expenses.

The solution of a moratorium on new hiring is one way to reduce expenses. Do you hire someone to replace a person who has retired? Or if it's a necessary position, hire an entry level person to reduce costs.

Another solution might be to sell naming rights to visible county buildings or prominent roadways. We will have to think outside of the box to come up with revenue ideas.

As for Cook County President Preckwinkle's goal to eliminate county oversight of unincorporated areas, I do not see how this is relevant to Kane County and what the need is for Kane County to consider doing so. Providing services to unincorporated areas is under the Kane County mission statement. We need more data to determine the actual costs to see if this is a financial burden.

Q: How do you rate the county government on transparency and the public's access to records? If you consider it adequate, please explain why. If you think improvements are needed, please describe them and why they are important.

A: The county deserves high marks for its transparency and public access to records. Every move the county board makes is documented on their website with meeting minutes and supporting documentation for the meeting.

You can listen to the audio recording of the minutes on SoundCloud or their YouTube channel or you can listen to the meetings live. Financial reports and budgets for the current and prior years are all on their website.

The county auditor has created a Web page called Kane County Open Finance to provide further financial transparency to anyone who wants the information. In addition, the Kane County Connects news blasts are very informative to events happening in the county.

I find these articles to be very helpful in staying informed. They have a Facebook page and a Twitter handle. The public has multiple information sources available to those who are interested, and I will encourage all citizens to stay informed.

Q: What, if anything, should be done to improve automation and customer service in county offices? What steps should be taken to make that happen?

A: In my experience, the county customer service has always been good. I do know, with lower staffing in the office because of COVID 19, you might not get an actual person when you call, and must leave a message when calling some offices, but that should change once shelter in place measures are lifted and the offices are fully staffed once again.

As far as automation goes, there is an online payment option for most county services and fee payment. For example, you can look up your property taxes and pay them, you can get a copy of your birth certificate if you were born in Kane County, you can pay your traffic ticket, pay for your liquor license, etc. The only thing you can't do online is vote, and that is a good thing.

However, an online customer service survey page would be informative and help to improve any customer service deficiencies.

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: The fairest process would be to take the total population number from the 2020 Census, divide it by 24 (the current number of board seats) and attempt to make each district's population as equal as possible within reason.

Whether or not the current number of seats on the board is sufficient or not should be determined when the census numbers are finalized. If the population has grown significantly, then perhaps more districts are needed. Conversely, if the population has fallen significantly, then maybe less districts will be required.

Technology should make this a nonpolitical, strictly numbers endeavor.

Q: Do you support the current salary and benefits structure for the county board?

A: I support the current salary and benefits structure for the county board. However, health care benefits should be evaluated individually. A board member should consider whether it is necessary for him or her to take advantage of the health care benefits. If a board member can get health care from their job, a spouse's plan, or Medicare, they should get it there, in an effort to relieve the taxpayer burden.

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

A: The county needs to determine the best way to protect the most vulnerable to the virus, i.e. the elderly and those individuals with severely compromised immune systems, and achieve herd immunity. A vaccine could be 18 months out and, from what I have heard from some of the District 4 constituents, they do not want to get the vaccine until there is a proven track record. We have a better chance of attaining herd immunity before a vaccine is available and I'd like to see this plan from the county.

The Kane County Health Department should take a more positive approach. On their website, instead of focusing on the number of cases, which of course increases with increased testing, they should focus on the recovery rate and post that just like the Illinois Department of Public Health website does on their page's dashboard. As of yesterday (Aug. 31), the recovery rate from COVID-19, per the IDPH website, is 95%. The KCHD should also link the benefits of personal responsibility to maintain a healthy lifestyle which increases a person's chances of surviving the virus.

Q: The new board 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: My intent is to maintain a balanced budget without a tax increase. As stated above, the biggest challenge will be to come up with a way to cover the 2.5% salary and benefits increase. A moratorium on hiring is one way to do this.

A long-term solution might be to consolidate some of the local government agencies. I would encourage department heads to think lean, cover the needed expenses, and put off the "wanted" purchases. My spending priorities would be the same as if it was my own household or business. Salaries and contracted benefits would come first, then any debt payments and operating expenses. After that, each expenditure would have to be assessed by necessity.