It is unequivocal that in Lake County, our property taxes are highly burdensome. By increasing the efficiency of the Lake County administration we will realize savings for tax payers. We also need and deserve full transparency in the property assessment process.
Our infrastructure is a vital foundation of the economic health of Lake County. We need to implement a coherent plan to improve and expand existing roads and bridges while maintaining the protection of our environment. Such a plan must also account for the infrastructure needs of the future.
We need a comprehensive plan to bring economic development and with a focus on areas in the county that have lost jobs. Coordinating with municipalities will serve to attract new employers throughout the county. A complete plan will also involve partnering with the College of Lake County to ensure availability of workers trained in new technologies.
Technological advances has made renewable energy viable and cost efficient. We should establish a goal of having all County Buildings acquire at least 50% of their energy use from renewable energy. Increasing the use of solar, wind and other new technologies and investing in them now will save money in the long run.
We owe it to the residents our communities throughout Lake County to provide a coordinated county wide effort to identify and protect vital wetlands for flood prevention and abatement.
Our natural areas within Lake County are a treasure which must be protected both through purchases and pursuing conservation easements from land owners. Open and natural lands make for a healthy population, both for people and for wildlife. The Forest Preserve lands also are a vital source of wetlands to help control flooding now and into the future.
These communities and our environment deserve targeted land acquisitions, increased access to Forest Preserve Programs and improvements in Forest Preserve properties.
The practice of extending no bid contracts to friends and family of Lake County officials stands in stark contrast to the interests of taxpayers. As Commissioner, I will work vigorously to enact `rules that require disclosure of conflicts of interest for all county contracts.
As citizens, we deserve to know what our government is doing, particularly when it comes to the allocation of our hard earned tax dollars. The Lake County Board stopped recording and streaming to us the meetings of the Finance Committee. I will fight to reverse this, as well as provide regular updates regarding the budget and all matters of the County board through social media.