Several commenters have expressed frustration at the screening process at League of Women Voters forums.
I can’t tell you how frustrated I was when a question I submitted asking whether each candidate would vote to hike property taxes ended up on the cutting room floor, so to speak.
Commenters have suggested that McHenry County Blog send candidates some questions.
Today, let’s have people suggest questions for County Board candidates.
What would you do to cut the County levy rather than just maintain the status quo?
State Legislative candidates:
Will you initiate and vote for a referendum to completely eliminate the State Constitutional public pension guarantee?
If not, why not?
State Legislative candidates and federal office candidates:
Will you support the full elimination of prevailing wage laws and project labor agreements?
Will you work diligently to end all State / federal funding for illegal aliens and stop the transfer of tax dollars to any unit of government which has declared themselves a ‘sanctuary’ for illegal aliens?
Will you work diligently to eliminate ALL forms of ‘GRANTS’?
GRANTS have completely replaced ‘earmarks’ with a vengeance! They grow government and support crony capitalism.
Local office candidates:
Which office (department) in your unit of government will you eliminate?
Will you support an end to taxpayer funded public transit and replace it with a means tested taxi-cab voucher program?
Will you support en end to employer deduction of unions dues in the public sector and support right-to-work zones?
Will you put an end to the toxic fluoridation of our water?
I would like to ask the two candidates for the SA’s office, has either one of you ever had the police called to your home for any domestic disturbance involving you and your wife?
I would like someone to ask Dan Regna, who is running for states attorney, how he plans to successfully prosecute criminals when he is much more familiar with trying to keep them on the street.
Furthermore, how does he plan to work with the police instead of publicly trying to undermine their attempts at getting sex offenders off our streets.
http://prev.dailyherald.com/story/?id=37509
Ask Schofeld what work experience (aside from the PTA meetings involved with being a housewife) she has.
Ask Serwatka whether he feels like a hypocrite preaching about how public sector pensions are killing our state while drawing one.
Jack Franks, as a senior member of the state legislature when will you form a plan to stop the borrowing in this state and actually balance the budget to actual revenue available now.
Not the revenue you want or hope for, actual revenue collected last year.
What is the highest property tax RATE you will allow without demanding spending cuts?
I think all incumbants need to address the 40 Million stock piled cash at Valley Hi.
Specificially, why annnual tax levies were routinely approved by the Board without any mention by Board Members of the cash on hand or retirement of construction bond at Valley Hi which was continually levied afterward?
The second phase of the question should be addressed to whether a tax abatement for 2016 on Vallye Hi is sufficient remedy to taxpayers especially those who paid excessive taxation on Valley Hi but no longer live in the county?
Third question, given, Board Member Walkup’s disclosure on this blog that Valley-Hi will not be competative now or in the future with other homes because it is not located next to a Hospital, what consideration should be gven to the future of Valley-Hi?
Finally, due to the taxation debacle at Valley-Hi under the watch of Board members seeking the County Board chair position, isn’t this a “red flag” to taxpayers that neither individual is qualified to hold the chair position?
There are some good questions that have been proposed, but one offering is too personal for my taste, so I am not going to post it.
What have you done to CUT property tax rates?
@Cautious Voter:
1. Constitutional Guarantee: Amending the Constitution to remove the guarantee is the ultimate nuclear option, but I would support it if it’s the only way to fix our pension mess. I doubt, however, that removing the guarantee would work retroactively and eliminate the current underfunding.
https://illinoyances.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/invoking-the-
nuclear-option-on-pensions/
2. I’d support elimination of both. However, wholesale elimination is unlikely given the current makeup of the legislature. How about starting with exempting from prevailing wage any contract that is for less than the average price of a house in whatever jurisdiction is putting the contract out to bid? There are more of those than you might imagine, and it’d be a starting point for further reform.
3. If a city is standing in the way of law enforcement by claiming “sanctuary” status, they should pay a price. While I feel that this is more of a Federal issue, withholding state funds where possible is something I’d support.
4. I don’t believe in subsidies, and the best way to eliminate them is to create a climate in this state that’s welcoming and cost-effective for businesses to come here and expand without the need to offer them. The fact that we have to offer inducements for businesses to come or stay here is a direct result of the mess that has been caused by decades of mismanagement and corruption in Springfield. Bruce Rauner was elected on his promise to make Illinois competitive again, and the legislature is standing in the way of fulfilling that mandate.
@The Nob: Borrowing is appropriate only for capital projects. Until the state stops treating borrowed money as “revenue”, it’ll continue to borrow to fund current expenditures.
@Susan, @Bob Harrington: High property taxes originate in Springfield, and until we have a better way of funding education, they aren’t going to go down. I’ve said it many times, if your taxes don’t go down when the value of your house declines, you don’t own your house, you’re just renting it from the government.
https://illinoyances.wordpress.com/2015/07/30/how-should-illinois-pay-for-education/
Steve: Are you going to be on the ballot?
@Cautious Voter: Jack Franks is pulling out all the stops to contest my petitions, and that process is still going on.
https://illinoyances.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/jack-franks-is-attempting-to-hijack-the-2016-election/
How about we ask Dan Regna whether he’ll hire his wife as an ASA (or higher) if he wins.
If I recall correctly, they’re pretty much a package deal.
As a follow up if he does concede that he’ll hire her, ask who he’ll fire to make room for his wife.
Probably Kelly would be the first to go.
Those two are like oil and water.
Steve there should be no borrowing without voter approval even short term,and of course never be considered revenue.
@ Steve: Your thoughts on grants?
@Just Curious: See #4 in my comment above.
@The Nob: The state has to have the authority to borrow on capital improvement projects.
Your control over that is by holding your legislators responsible for what ends up as capital improvements.
What will you do to cut property Taxes without continually dropping home values!! ??
Will you sign off and agree to cutting all the Fat out of our local governments!,all the way down to town council waste of personnel ?
we need cuts across the board!
not token hot air!
what will you do to regain the balance of our state payroll tax,
what will you do cut sales taxes?
in our area? …
Will you work to pass TERM LIMITS ?
@Steve: works for businesses, but what about non-profits?
Would you deny all federal grants as well?
And how would you fill the financial gap for local government if there are no grants? More taxpayer funding?
Serwatka – you took the position of Chairman of Grafton Twp Republicans and have done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING there.
You are in a low level office for 1yr, made a couple of good votes as village trustee, ok.
This is my mind does not make you qualified to be a law maker.
Cont. Why would anyone think you are qualified?
Old Timer, I think you answered your own question.
From what I understand from Serwatka, he is not running to be a “law maker” but rather to scale down size and reach of government by ridding IL residents of the many laws which shackle “free enterprise” and “self reliance”.
You are right if you are looking for a “law maker” do not vote for Serwatka.
You see Old Timer, you fallen for the main stream criteria of electability by judging a candidate for state representative on the number of laws he or she will “make” which is not the criteria of the founders of this Republic.
Thank you for putting the best reason forward why readers of this blog should consider voting for Serwatka!
We have enough “law makers” in IL State and Federal Government.
Whether those running for county board already working for governments (Township, City Council, etc) would remain working and collecting salaries & benefits from those positions if elected to county board?