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DuPage County Board, District 6 candidate Greg Schwarze answered Shaw Local’s election questionnaire for the DuPage County Board primary election.
Voting ends for the primary election on the evening of June 28.
Full Name: Greg Schwarze
What office are you seeking? DuPage County Board
What offices, if any, have you previously held? DuPage County Board (2020-Present) 1st-Term
Carol Stream Village Trustee (2007-2020) 4-terms
City: Carol Stream
Occupation: Firefighter/Paramedic 1993-2021 (retired)
Education: Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University 1989
Office of the State Fire Marshall - Advanced Firefighter/Fire Officer I
Illinois Department of Public Health - Paramedicine
Campaign Website: https://gregschwarze.com/
What steps should DuPage County health and sheriff’s departments take to prevent opioid addiction and overdose?
As a former firefighter and paramedic, I have seen firsthand the tragedy of addiction. I am very fortunate to be a member of the HOPE Opioid Task Force, and very proud of the work the HOPE Task Force is doing to help those with this disease. I believe that we need to focus on being proactive with prevention education. Most of the opioid education our students receive is during the DARE programs in 5th grade, and even then, the opioid education is just a portion of the entire program. Since I was appointed to the task force in early 2021, I’ve been promoting opioid specific education in middle schools. Statistics show that a 16-year-old who starts using opioids is exponentially more likely to become an addict than someone who starts using at 19 years of age. We must work harder to educate those children before they start using. At our most recent Task Force meeting, I was responsible for getting language in the Task Force’s 2022-23 Goals that will allow Task Force funding for private educators who work in cooperation with our local schools. My ultimate goal will be to work with State Legislatures to get Opioid-specific education legislation passed
What is your opinion of the county board’s actions and initiatives since Democrats assumed control of the board two years ago?
So many wonderful things have been accomplished over the past 16 months, which certainly reflect the goals of elected democrats. The Democrat-led board has successfully worked tirelessly to fight the Covid pandemic. Our Democrat-led board has fought for and approved the purchasing of brand new voting equipment for the County to assure safe, reliable, and fair elections for our residents. Our Community Services Committee, which is made up entirely of Democrats, has enacted many programs that help our most vulnerable residents, including a Countywide 2-1-1 phone system, which will certainly save lives. This committee fought for $10 million dollars of ARPA funds to use specifically for those homeless, hungry, and in need of help for behavioral health and addiction issues. The Democrat-led board increased the sheriff’s department budget in FY22 which brought top-of-the line camera vests to all our sworn officers. Our Democrat-led board has advocated for better environmental initiatives such as solar panels on County buildings and sustainability programs through partnerships with SCARCE and the Conservation Foundation. Our Democrat-led board is fighting for safer bike path crossings and is bringing a fine arts festival to town. And there is much more. With Democrats in control, this is all being done with a balanced budget. And unlike the FY21 budget, passed in November of 2020, there was ZERO tax increase in FY22.
Do you support the merger of additional county offices/departments? Not at this time. What are your overall thoughts of the sheriff’s department’s job performance?
As a recently retired 28-year Firefighter who spent my career working side by side with police officers, I understand the difficult job law-enforcement deals with every day. And our Sheriff’s department is doing an outstanding job under those very difficult circumstances, especially in today’s climate. Sheriff Mendrick, Under-Sheriff Moore, and all the men and women in Blue have performed their duties with empathy, dignity, and professionalism that deserve sincere appreciation and recognition. We as DuPage County residents are blessed to have them keeping us safe.
The county sheriff has taken several initiatives to help reform inmates (tattoo removal services, gardening classes, job placement). What other initiatives would you like to see in an effort to reform inmates?
With many crimes being financially motivated, I believe job training and job placement programs are crucial. Having the Sheriff’s department work cooperatively with local employers and businesses to assist in securing jobs for post-incarceration is vital to the financial stability needed to assist former inmates’ ability to succeed. In addition to job placement, emphasizing rehabilitation and treatment programs along with classroom-style educational and vocational training is vital. With much crime also being a directly connected to illegal drugs, substance-abuse treatment programs, designed to prepare inmates to be productive members of society once released, are so important. County resources spent on rehabilitation will not only help the inmates live better lives, but also positively impact our community by reducing recidivism.
DuPage County recently provided the DuPage Foundation $10.6 million for a grant program designed to support nonprofit organizations that address food and housing insecurity, mental health and substance use issues. Discuss the county’s role to further tackle these issues.
As the Vice-Chair of the Community Services committee, I pushed hard to get this ARPA money earmarked to help our most vulnerable DuPage County residents. And instead of spreading these funds out across dozens and dozens of non-profits, thus making a small dent in a lot of areas, I was a strong proponent for focusing this money to make a significant impact on hunger, homelessness, and mental health and addiction needs, which were so severely impacted by Covid. I will continue to be a strong advocate for helping those residents most in need by working to provide more affordable housing, making sure our food pantries are stocked and easily accessible, promoting job training and placement services, along with fighting for mental health and addiction needs in my role on the HOPE opioid task force.
Assess the DuPage County Health Department’s actions to combat COVID-19.
The Health Department has done an incredible job combatting Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The cooperation between our Health Department and the State of Illinois helped make DuPage County the community leader in Covid safety. From providing safety guidelines, including promoting social distancing and mask recommendations, to providing free early pandemic testing on the County Campus, we no doubt helped save lives. Turning the fairgrounds into a daily vaccination clinic and making it clear to our community where they could go for these vaccines, helped save lives. Making sure our seniors and health-compromised residents were immediately given vaccines helped save lives. Staying out of the partisan rhetoric that swirled around the virus and the vaccines, helped save lives. And incredibly, 95% of those 65 and older are fully vaccinated and 82% of those over 5 years old are fully vaccinated in DuPage County. Our Health Department deserves a huge amount of gratitude for the incredibly difficult work they did to help save DuPage County residents’ lives.
What changes, if any, need to be made related to the pandemic?
We as a County need to continue to be on guard against this deadly pandemic. As new strains emerge, we need to stay vigilant and educated, so that we can continue to take the steps necessary to educate and protect the residents of DuPage County.
What actions can the DuPage County Board take to minimize the tax burden on residents while not sacrificing services?
Though the County’s property tax burden hovers around 2%, we need to continue to be fiscally responsible when approving the annual budget. As a board member, I feel it’s important to evaluate the needs of our residents when determining where taxpayer money will be spent.
How would you encourage economic and employment growth within DuPage County?
Working in cooperation with entities such as Choose DuPage and the DuPage Visitors Bureau, is a great way to help our current businesses and also encourage new business within the County. Funding these entities is an investment as they work to protect our current businesses and assist in bringing new economic development to town. We have been able to help hundreds of local companies over the past two years with Cares Act and ARPA funds, and need to continue to support the business community in DuPage.
Do you think there is a local crime problem? If so, what needs to be done about it?
Any amount of crime is too much crime; fortunately, we have an outstanding sheriff’s department along with wonderful municipal police departments throughout DuPage County, who keep our community one of the safest in the country. We need to be sure our law enforcement has the equipment and personnel it needs to continue to protect our residents. In my role as Chairman of the Emergency Telephone System Board, I secured the purchase of new interoperable radios for every police officer and firefighter in DuPage County’s ETSB System. These will replace 12-year-old radios which are out of warranty and are difficult to find parts and batteries for. Not only will this help protect our first responders, but will also save our municipalities, and taxpayers, hundreds of thousands of dollars. We also need to be sure we are providing fair and equitable union contracts for our officers and support staff to keep them from leaving. And we as elected officials need to remember that, when they take their oath, they put their lives on the line every day!
What local road and bridge projects should be a priority to get done in the county?
Fabyan Parkway in West Chicago is in high need of safety measures. With traffic growing considerably (especially truck traffic) as the nearby DuPage Business Park is adding over 7.5 million square feet of warehousing and distribution facilities, Fabyan Pkwy. will become safety compromised. It currently carries more than 15,000 vehicles per day, with more than 10% being truck traffic, and has been identified as a “priority safety corridor” by IDOT, due to fatal and high-severity crashes. Traffic demand is estimated to grow to almost 25,000 by the year 2030. Reconstruction and widening from west of Roosevelt Road to the County line is needed, along with a new traffic signal at Technology Blvd. With support from myself and other District 6 Board Members, I am very proud that this project has been identified in the County’s 5-year plan for completion.
Do you support decreasing local property taxes? If so, how would the county make up the difference?
Any chance to decrease property taxes without compromising the much-needed services the County provides is always at the top of my agenda. It is important to note that the DuPage County portion of a resident’s property tax bill is only about 2%. The majority of residents’ property taxes go to other governing entities. There are various ways to increase County revenues while keeping our property taxes low. One example is a direct result of the State of Illinois’s legalization of adult-use cannabis back in 2020. Due to this new state law, the County now has the option of allowing cannabis retail facilities in unincorporated areas, which has the potential to bring in millions of dollars in revenue.
Do you support stronger county government ethics laws? What measures do you support?
DuPage County is very pro-active with ethical oversight. The County has a viable ethics policy in place along with annual training for its employees and elected officials. The policy is strong and includes the formation of the Ethics Commission, whose members are appointed by the Chairman and voted on by the County Board and include appointees that identify from both political parties. Included in the policy are items such as gift bans, prohibited political activity defined and whistleblower protections.
What are your thoughts on the Illinois Freedom of Information Act?
I believe the Illinois Freedom of Information Act is fundamental to our democracy and a basic right of all taxpayers. By providing access to public records, FOIA ensures transparency and accountability in government.
Please state your plan to maintain government transparency.
We will continue to post FOIA information on our County website and make it easy for the public to submit requests via e-mail, fax, mail or in person. Our FOIA Officers are trained annually by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, advised by the Public Access Counselor and strictly adhere to all FOIA rules and regulations.
What would you push for as a member of county government to boost local businesses?
As a long-time Carol Stream Village Trustee from 2007- 2020, I enacted a “Shop Local” awareness campaign. DuPage County can take these same measures to promote our local and small businesses. Word of mouth is a powerful tool and the County has many resources, including social media platforms, that can assist with promoting business around the County. Helping residents understand the value of shopping local is so important to helping our businesses succeed and, at the same time, keeping sales tax revenue coming back to the County while keeping property taxes low.
Should government employees and officials be allowed to sign nondisclosure agreements with private businesses?
Government employees and officials need to remain transparent in their duties serving the residents and taxpayers.
Would you push for or against government officials and employees being allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements with private businesses?
See response to question 18. If signing non-disclosure agreements will result in less transparency, then I would not support it.