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McHenry County Board, District 7 candidate Brian Sager answered Shaw Local’s election questionnaire for the McHenry County Board primary election.
Voting ends for the primary election on the evening of June 28.
Full Name: Brian Sager
What office are you seeking? McHenry County Board District 7
What offices, if any, have you previously held? Woodstock City Councilman 1989-1993 & 1995-2005
Mayor, City of Woodstock 2005-2021
City: Woodstock, Illinois
Occupation: Retired College Professor and Administrator
Education: BS in Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Illinois
MS is Agricultural Economic Development; University of Illinois
PhD in International Development; Louisiana State University
MA in Instructional Strategies; Rockford College
Campaign Website: None
What would be your top three priorities?
Sound Fiscal Responsibility and Management
Minimize Impact of County Property Tax Bill on Residents
Protect the Security, Health and Welfare of County Residents and Businesses
Taxes are a top concern raised by voters locally. What do you do within your position to address residents’ tax burden?
First, managing property taxes begins with strong fiscal management and responsibility. The County Board needs to ensure departmental expenses are appropriate to provide requisite and necessary services for county residents, reduce costs where possible, plan for and fund well-considered priorities, and establish a balanced budget with reduced reliance on routine property tax increases.
Second, property tax management requires maintaining a proper balance between residential and business property taxes and established fees for services provided. Annually reviewing and updating fees is important, but most essential to the balance is economic growth and development requiring the County Board support economic growth through efforts of municipalities, in County jurisdictional areas, and in cooperation with the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation.
Voters also cited crime as a concern. What do you think needs to be done to address this concern?
Crime control is essential to a sense of security and stability for residents and businesses and many excellent strides have been taken by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department and municipal police departments working in strong collaboration. When crime does occur, the response is focused and resolute and suspects are rapidly apprehended.
Equal in significance to the response is prosecution and fair trials as dictated by state and federal laws. The McHenry County State’s Attorney and Courts have done a fine job of both prosecution and defense. It is important for the County Board to understand the significance of these three aspects of our criminal justice system, communicate their significance to the public, and provide the resources to support departmental efforts, including proper and routine training.
Finally, crime prevention is a full-time job on behalf of all residents and businesses and the Sheriff’s Department, as well as local police departments routinely invite local residents and businesses to participate in crime prevention programs and efforts. Anything we can proactively and collectively do to prevent crime, reduces the activities of the criminal element and costs associated with investigation, apprehension, prosecution, and adjudication.
How would you encourage economic and employment growth within McHenry County?
Economic development begins with a strong set of community values and a commitment to grow within the framework of those values. Second, it requires a recognition of the strategic advantages the county possesses that makes the county a great place to live, work, raise a family and invest.
Promoting these values and strategic advantages in a focused manner to potential new business and industry and working hard to support those already invested in our community to encourage retention and expansion are essential. The County Board must continue to support the strong, productive work of the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation, local municipal economic development departments, and the McHenry County Convention and Visitors Bureau in their promotional efforts.
Additionally, there must be a strong commitment on behalf of the County Board to continue to support and uphold our well-established values of quality education and health care; security and protection; affordable housing; agriculture; a strong retail and industrial presence; environmental protection and natural resource conservation; historic preservation; an open, inviting, engaging and diverse community; and very importantly, a growing maintained infrastructure of highways, county roads, bridges, METRA and PACE systems, quality water supplies, waterways, drainage and soil conservation.
Finally, working to maintain a proper balance of property taxes and fees to protect residents and businesses from excessive tax burden is essential to economic growth and development.
Do you think McHenry County should continue to challenge the new state law that prohibits its contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement? Why or why not?
No. Although I appreciate the financial opportunity associated with the contract, I believe there should be a complete, and thorough federal review of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in light of current international migration trends. Until such a review with well-documented, considered changes are made to the federal system, I believe the new state law to be appropriate and do not support a continued challenge.
What is the County Board’s role in addressing audit issues at the McHenry County Regional Office of Education?
The County Board has taken appropriate measures to improve the McHenry County Regional Office of Education. As a result, I trust there will be much improved auditing and accountability from new leadership. Those responsibilities rest with the Regional Office and State Board. Expecting much improvement, I do not believe the County Board should have additional auditing responsibility in the absence of further challenges.
What road and bridge infrastructure needs to be addressed in McHenry County?
Although the County has taken significant steps to improve many McHenry County bridges and roads, there are many aging bridges that yet need to be addressed. The County Department of Transportation maintains a good inventory of these needs and has properly prioritized them. We must recognize that such improvements are extremely costly and are best addressed in a long-term infrastructure improvement plan. I support the department’s very professional approach to this planning.
Suggestions to District 7 infrastructure needs include moving the METRA parking function from downtown Crystal Lake to northwest of Woodstock, which the County has supported most significantly both financially and politically, and improvements to the Lamb Road corridor that would release some pressure along Route 47.
What are the top issues facing Valley Hi Nursing Home and how should the County Board help address them?
The new facility is extremely functional and aesthetically pleasing, clean and inviting. Further, the dedicated professional staff provide an exceptional quality of care. McHenry County should be rightfully proud of the facility and service.
The primary needs include maintaining an adequate quality professional staff during these difficult employment times and under the pressure of the proscribed minimum wage. Additionally, there is still a void in care for certain identified care levels, such as evidenced behavioral challenges. The County Board needs to be aware of and make efforts to address these on-going needs through proper review of housing and care restrictions and, of course, funding levels.
Assess the McHenry County Department of Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. What changes, if any, need to be made related to the pandemic or any future response?
It is extremely difficult, and frankly inappropriate, to try to second guess the response efforts of a local professional Health Department to the COVID-19 pandemic. The world was caught off guard and everyone did the very best in a most tragic and devastating circumstance. I believe the department did a good job receiving and distributing testing and vaccinations in a very timely manner, given the limitations imposed by the release and delivery of supplies by state and federal governments.
If I were to identify one area for needed improvement it would be the initial communication with local municipalities which were inundated with requests from local residents. I trust the local Health Department has thoroughly reviewed their response and has learned much from the pandemic and, as all of us, will improve our responses in any future situation of similar magnitude.
If you could reverse one decision made by the County Board last year, what would it be?
None of which I am aware.
Do you think there is a local crime problem? If so, what needs to be done about it?
Addressed in previous question.
What local road and bridge projects should be a priority to get done in the county?
Addressed in previous question.
Do you support decreasing local property taxes? If so, how would the county make up the difference?
To the extent possible, of course. Costs of services provided and public demand for services continue to increase, however. Therefore, we must do our best to be fiscally responsible with the peoples’ resources by managing expenditures, cutting where possible and shifting available resources to priority needs when appropriate.
Further, and as previously stated, property tax management requires maintaining a proper balance between residential and business property taxes and established fees for services provided. Annually reviewing and updating fees is important, but most essential to the balance is economic growth and development requiring the County Board support economic growth through efforts of municipalities, in County jurisdictional areas, and in cooperation with the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation.
Do you support stronger county government ethics laws? What measures do you support?
Absolutely! The ethics training currently required by the State is soft at best and needs to be expanded from a simple online basic training and quiz to required face-to-face interactive training at all levels of government. Further, Ethics Commissions are essentially reactive in nature rather than proactive. Additionally, they are too often politically appointed with partisan outcomes. There needs to be stronger, broader responsibility and authority of Ethics Commissions which are independent and as apolitical as possible.
The McHenry County Ethics Laws are essentially boiler plate as derived from State Law. I would like to see an apolitical statement added to the requirements for commission appointment and an education and training component added to their responsibilities.
What are your thoughts on the Illinois Freedom of Information Act?
I very much appreciate the importance of both the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Open Meetings Act (OMA). They both exist to ensure government decision-making and work is conducted in an open and honest manner and to make access to records of such, easily accessible to the public. Having worked with both for many years, I believe the OMA to be most easily defined and workable in the public’s interests. Unfortunately, while I strongly support FOIA, there are distinct and routine abuses of the opportunity creating undue burden in time and finances on behalf of local units of government and their taxpayers. I believe these should be addressed by the State Legislature with possible mutually acceptable modifications.
Please state your plan to maintain government transparency.
As a member of the County Board and as a public servant of many years, I would pledge to continue to be open and honest in my work, to abide by the OMA, FOIA and Ethics Laws of the State of Illinois, to respond to questions regarding my positions and actions that do not require confidentiality in a timely and forthright manner, and to encourage such from colleagues and the body at large.
What would you push for as a member of county government to boost local businesses?
I would work to ensure McHenry County is a business friendly county by managing property taxes; upholding the need for timely plan reviews, reasonable and timely inspections, and appropriate fee structures; promoting grants available for business retention, expansion and growth; working with the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation and municipal departments of economic development; and supporting open and timely communication with current and potential businesses.
Should government employees and officials be allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements with private businesses?
No. I do not believe government employees and elected officials should be allowed to sign nondisclosure agreements with private businesses. It is a loop hole which flies in the face of open and honest communication between residents, businesses and public servants.
Would you push for or against government officials and employees being allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements with private businesses?
As stated in the previous question, I do not believe government employees and elected officials should be allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements with private businesses. Therefore, I would support efforts to prohibit such.