League of Women Voters
of Elmhurst - Voters Guide for the General Primary Election |
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Jeff Redick |
| 1. Please describe the functions and responsibilities of the office you seek and explain why you are qualified to hold that office. The duties and functions of the DuPage County Board are defined as follows: "The DuPage County Board holds all the powers of the County not assigned to elected officials or other boards. Overall, it is responsible for the management of County funds and business and also fiscal and regulatory powers. Policies and programs of the County Board are implemented through the levying of taxes and the appropriating of funds." In short, the DuPage County Board serves as the legislative body charged with the responsibility of overseeing the operations of DuPage County Government. As such, the scope and focus of the Board is vast and wide ranging. In order to effectively perform the job, one must be able to identify issues, work closely with citizens and other bodies of government and effectively advocate for the needs and concerns of the citizens he or she represents. Four years ago, when I ran for the office of DuPage County Board, I promised to meet regularly with citizens, to bring County Government to the people, and to work with the Mayors and Managers in District 2 to work cooperatively on problem solving in order to best serve the good people of our district. Since that time I have conducted a series of public meetings with citizens on issues ranging from zoning to flooding. I have conducted these meeting throughout the district in Downers Grove, Oak Brook, Elmhurst and Lombard. As a result, I have effectively been able to gauge the issues and concerns of the District 2 citizens and have thereafter, advocated on their behalf on the Board floor. Further, since being elected, I have met every quarter with representatives of the municipalities that make-up District 2 in an effort to foster open communication about issues in the district and work to achieve cooperative solutions. My interest in bettering our district, willingness to
work with the people of our district and ability to work with elected
officials at every level of government on behalf of District 2 make me
uniquely qualified to serve the people as their representative on the
DuPage County Board. 2. Do you see a need to reduce expenses in DuPage County government? If so, what do you propose? As a good steward of the taxpayers' hard earned dollars, I believe that DuPage County should always be looking for ways to reduce expenses while providing its citizens with necessary services. To that end, this year the DuPage County Board passed a budget which is approximately $30 million less that last years'. Those reductions were obtained by freezing employee salaries, holding head-count and identifying and implementing organizational efficiencies.In the future, DuPage County can work to further reduce expenses by fully implementing the resource reductions and conservations identified in its Environmental Responsibility and Conservation Policy, working cooperatively with municipal and township partners to minimize duplication and maximize efficiencies and finally by engaging in a full scale utilization of performance measures as a means of evaluating all county programming to ensure maximum efficient return on every dollar being spent.
3. Indicate some environmentally friendly endeavors you want the county to pursue. How important are utilizing environmental friendly building standards and practices in new construction? Would you support this even if it meant increased construction costs? Since my election to the DuPage County Board I have served as the County's Environmental Committee Chairman. In fact, I am the first Freshman Board Member to serve in that leadership capacity. Upon taking the Chairman position, I authored, ushered approval of and implemented DuPage County's first Environmental Responsibility and Conservation Policy. Said policy has formalized the county's commitment to resource conservation and mandated the use of environmentally responsible practices in county operations. The effect has been reductions on the impact county operations have on our environment and reduced county expenses as a result of the mandated resource conservation. An important part of that policy has been the use of environmentally friendly products in campus construction including the use of light sensors, LED lighting and energy efficient windows and doors. Admittedly, the cost to use those types of products in construction has proven to be higher than using other "non-energy efficient" products. However, experience shows that the operational cost savings off-set the initial cost investment after only a few years and as such I would support further use of such green building practices. Additionally, I supported the development of environmentally responsible transportation improvements like using ground rubber tires in pavement projects and ECOSALT for ice and snow melting to reduce the amount of Chloride introduced into stormwater and ground soil and I believe expansion of those programs would serve DuPage County well. The county has initiated a Traffic Signal Synchronization
project through the use of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants
to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and improve air quality. The
benefits of this program are wide ranging and as such should be expanded.
4. Given the current economic climate, would you support a salary freeze or reduction for DuPage County elected officials? I have long been a proponent of reducing County Board salary and benefits. Even before the current economic down turn I favored reduced salaries and benefits for DuPage County Board Members. In fact, I helped lead the effort to eliminate Committee Chairmanship stipends, mileage reimbursement and Board Member raises. DuPage County Board Members, in my mind, are part-time employees and as such it is inappropriate to offer full-time benefits and salary for that position. Accordingly, I have voluntarily foregone raises, benefits and reimbursements that have resulted in a taxpayer savings of over $60,000 in my first three years on the county board. 5. What three specific initiatives would you like to accomplish during the upcoming term in office? The three initiatives that I would most like to see accomplished in my next term on the DuPage County Board are: 1) Full implementation of the Recommendations of the Ad-Hoc Committee of Government Transparency and Accessibility; 2) Development and use of Performance Measures in conducting critical program reviews; 3) Further relief for DuPage County taxpayers. Government Transparency and Accessibility I fully support the efforts of DuPage County to enact ethics and transparency reform. In fact, I authored the county’s Transparency and Government Accessibility Report which serves as the roadmap for making DuPage County the most transparent county government in the country. The thoroughness and wide ranging impact of the recommendations set-out in the report have been applauded by government watch-dog and reform groups. Accordingly, I am working to enact all of the recommendations contained in the report, including campaign contribution reform. Transparency is vitally important to renewing the confidence of people in their governments. As a result of scandals that have plagued Springfield and Washington, people have become naturally skeptical of government at all levels. The recommendations set-out in the Transparency and Government Accessibility Report attempt to “open” government and make elected officials and county staff more accountable to the people they represent. This is vitally important to restoring and rebuilding confidence in government. An important part of that change includes limiting and restricting campaign contribution from “prohibited sources”. But that is not enough in and of itself. We need more thorough, complete and timely reporting of campaign contributions. By making that information available, the public will be able to hold officials and candidates accountable for their campaign activities. Further, in order for any reform to be of significance, it must be made applicable to all current and future elected officials and candidates. Performance Measures Performance Measures are defined as a means of providing quantitative or qualitative indicators or measurements of the outputs or outcomes of a given program or service. When properly utilized, they provide a very effective way of monitoring, measuring and evaluating departmental and program performances over time. Such evaluation standards provide an objective way of determining if program goals are being met and evaluating the effective use of resources. In order to proceed, DuPage County needs to utilize the data gathered and incorporated into the development of its Strategic Plan in order to formally identify the specific goals and objectives for each department and program. Thereafter anticipated outcomes and measures should be adopted as means of evaluating the effectiveness and efficiencies in county operations. Once established, the performance measures should be used as part of the budget process so that elected officials and the public can scrutinize and evaluate the investment in any given department and/or program as its budget and priorities are being set. Reduce Taxes It is understood that every business and household is feeling the strains of this, the worst economic downturn in a generation. Accordingly, the 2009-2010 DuPage County budget is approximately $30 million lower than the 2008-09 budget. This reflects the efforts of the county board to live within its means while funding vitally important programs including issues of public safety. This was done while providing modest property tax relief. As the economy improves, I support greater allocation
of funding for public safety, transportation and public transit improvements.
However, I believe that those investments can be made with revenues derived
by natural economic growth and that the DuPage County Board needs to work
to further reduce tax burdens on its citizens and businesses. 6. What is the best way for county government to advance economic development and create jobs? The best way for any government to promote economic development is by creating safe communities with adequate transportation and minimal tax burdens. By doing so, the area becomes a desirable destination for businesses and customers.Accordingly, it is vitally important that DuPage County maintain its commitment to public safety so that citizens, customers and businesses are attracted to its safe communities. DuPage County has adopted a ten year transportation plan to deal with anticipated needs and demands. The DuPage County Board must be committed to fully funding the plan, including appropriate public transportation planning to assure needed access to our business corridors and centers. I believe that commitment should include pay-as-you-go budgeting for projects rather than being tantalized to use bonding programs for the implementation of the plan. Admittedly, given the current economic conditions and Federal Government financing options available, many people believe we would be well served to engage in aggressive bonding to pay for these projects. In my mind, government for too long has failed to adequately plan for financing capital projects and as a result has created long-term structural debt that sacrifices future stability for immediate gratification. Accordingly, I was the only DuPage County Board Member to vote against the creation of capital bonding accounts this year. It is imperative that DuPage County utilize a portion of the RTA Sales Tax proceeds each year on regional transportation plan funding. Those dollars should be designated for regional projects that will serve as vital improvements to our transportation infrastructure. Finally, no matter how safe and convenient a county may be, economic development and job creation requires competitive tax structures. DuPage County has prided itself on low taxes and as a result has historically been attractive to businesses. At a time when our neighbor to the east has establish itself as the tax capital of the United States, DuPage County can truly differentiate itself by working to reduce taxes in order to create competitive advantages for the businesses located here and will ultimately, as a result, attract new ones.
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