A statement of candidacy from Green Party County Board candidate Frank Wedig:

Frank Wedig

My name is Frank Wedig and I am running for McHenry County Board in district 5.My wife, Jeanne, and I have been residents of Woodstock since 1990. I received my B.A. from Illinois Benedictine College in Lisle and my M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. I work for American Airlines at O’Hare Airport.

McHenry County can no longer afford business as usual.

The “build it, build anything, and they will come” approach is not economically, nor environmentally sustainable.

The county economy needs to diversify, away from an excessive reliance on residential real estate. In many surveys, residents valued open space but the Board continues to approve most zoning changes, often ignoring staff recommendation.

Our county has a natural advantage in agriculture which has been undervalued. High soil quality combined with access to a large population makes food production a logical choice for economic activity. Food transportation costs will only increase. I also strongly believe that food production is a national security issue. Water quality and supply need to be addressed. McHenry County will not receive Lake Michigan water and must rely on local sources.

The Board seems out of touch with economic conditions: they have awarded themselves overly-generous compensation packages. The private sector has been forced to become more efficient, but the County Board continues to have more members per capita than surrounding counties.

I advocate single member districts, and would reduce the size of the Board significantly.

The Board will have to make difficult budget cuts and the process must be transparent and inclusive. I favor a Transparency and Disclosure Policy like the one promoted by The Illinois Policy Institute. This would give local companies the confidence that the county is a good place to conduct business. County Government should also streamline the business compliance process to assist in the creation of new businesses and keep existing business in the county.

McHenry County Board District 5 map from 2012-20.

Does Wedig have a chance?

Here are the District 5 election results from 2008 with the top two Peschke and Yensen winning:

• Virginia Peschke – 12,361
• Paula Yensen – 12,265
• John Jung – 10,942
• Frank Wedig – 3,105

The results from 2010 follow. again two to be elected:

• John Jung – 9,201
• Tina Hill – 7,997
• Jim Kennedy – 5,968
• Frank Wedig – 2,181

Both times Wedig got over 8% of the vote, which qualified the Green Party for “established” party status. That means Green Party candidates have to get very few signatures to get on the ballot.

Only three candidates have filed in District 5 so far.  Two Democrats, incumbent Paula Yensen and former Board member Jim Kennedy are expected to file Monday, the deadline.

Incumbent Virginia Peschke and GOP challenger Michael Rein are both expected to file Monday, too.