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McHenry County Board District 4 candidate Joseph Gottemoller 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: Joseph Gottemoller
What office are you seeking? McHenry County Board Member District 4
What offices, if any, have you previously held? McHenry County Conservation District Trustee, McHenry County Board Member District 3
Chairman McHenry County Board 2014 to2016
City: Crystal Lake
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Juris Doctorate American University
BA University of Illinois Urbana Campus
What would be your top three priorities?
Continuing to hold the line on taxes. No property tax increases by the McHenry County board since I became a member. We need to keep it that way. Second we have reduced the size of the County Board from 24 to 18 members starting in December of 2022. The size reduction is long overdue. Third continue to operate without debt. For the first time in twenty years there are no bonds to be paid by the County. To help balance the budget without debt during the past few years has been great work that we must continue.
Taxes are a top concern raised by voters locally. What do you do within your position to address residents’ tax burden?
There has been no property tax increase at the County board level in ten years. We need to keep the budget balanced by living within our means without expecting our citizens to pay more. We have done it these past few years by automating services and reducing the employee head count. We need to continue those trends.
Voters also cited crime as a concern. What do you think needs to be done to address this concern?
Continue to support the police and law enforcement. McHenry County has not seen the problems of Chicago. When criminals venture here the crimes are usually solved. Take for example the road rage shootings last fall in McHenry. All of the people involved have been identified and charged. We are still awaiting results from the Courthouse but word gets out that McHenry County will find you and prosecute you. I support the efforts to continue to locate and charge those who break the law.
How would you encourage economic and employment growth within McHenry County?
McHenry County has the second most educated population in the state. In addition we are within 50 miles of three international airports. Add to that the proximity to Chicago and we are part of the crossroads of America. In the past few years we have made strides to improve our transportation network. The improvement at Route 23 and I 90 has given McHenry county its first interstate interchange . These amenities plus our open space and we have tremendous advantages to encourage job growth. We are enticing to old companies who want to expand here and new companies who want to locate in a place that has these advantages.
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?
The constitutional question is whether the Federal government can be prohibited by the State legislature from contracting with a County. The idea of Counties has been in existence in the English system of government for over 950 years. Yet under this new statute the state is prohibiting the federal government from contracting with McHenry County. It is a very interesting constitutional argument. However it is not before the County Board for a decision. The States Attorney office represents the County in all legal matters and ultimately decides which cases to bring to Court.
What is the County Board’s role in addressing audit issues at the McHenry County Regional Office of Education?
The Illinois statute places responsibility for any missing funds on the individual county board members. In other words if the books do not balance and the money is missing the individual board members must replace it personally. The County board is also given the authority to remove the Superintendent for malfeasance in office. An audit of the Regional office books is conducted annually by the state. In 2019 the former ROE superintendent submitted books that were out of balance by over 200,000 dollars. The money was all found but the books were not even close to balanced. In 2020 the books were submitted almost 8 months late and were still not approved by the state until after the 2022 books were due. Although the County Board tried other avenues there was really no choice. Sadly when books are not balanced it is time to get a new bookkeeper.
What road and bridge infrastructure needs to be addressed in McHenry County?
The County roads are in good shape. The transportation department monitors all of the bridges in the County jurisdiction. In addition the County assists with the state and federal program to replace township bridges as they need replacement. The main roads that need the most help in McHenry County are the north and south state highways. Route 31 between Crystal Lake and McHenry, Route 47 to the North of Woodstock and Route 23 all the way to Harvard should all be improved. However the state is the only one that is authorized to do that work. The County will continue to press the state to undertake those improvements.
What are the top issues facing Valley Hi Nursing Home and how should the County Board help address them?
The first issue is retaining employees. The County recently authorized wage study to keep current with the employee pay scale. Second the facility needs a memory care unit. To date the fastest growing demand in the senior care is the need for memory care. Yet Valley high does not have a space devoted to that need. I have been a supporter of that expansion and hope to see it completed in the next term.
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?
The health department had huge responsibility for keeping the public safe from communicable diseases. Most of us (myself included) had no idea the role the health department is designed to play during a pandemic. This is the first pandemic to hit the Untied States since 1919. At best you had an ancestor that might have mentioned it to you. The Health department was truly the front line. They set up the first test facilities and the first vaccine centers. Today they are reviewing what went right and what went wrong. Hopefully, we can learn from this review the best way to move forward. There will be another pandemic someday lets use this time to get ready.
If you could reverse one decision made by the County Board last year, what would it be?
I would not have changed the precincts this close to any election. The precincts had been essentially unchanged for the past 30 years. Although they needed to be rebalanced the new maps ignored the rest of the reasons for precincts. Rebalancing is a good goal but it was done at the expense of the natural barriers that make up neighborhoods. For example my precinct had been an area bounded by secondary roads and the train tracks. My new precinct starts on the west at routes 14 and 176 and stretches east along the North side of Route 176 to the East side of Veterans acres. There is a park, two significant north south collector streets and a train track that completed divide this precinct into multiple neighborhoods. Add to this the facts the county spent nearly a half a million dollars to issue new voter cards, buy new voting machines for new precincts and publish new voting locations and it was not money well spent.
Do you think there is a local crime problem? If so, what needs to be done about it?
McHenry County does not face the same problems as Chicago. In addition we do a much better job catching criminals. This combination helps hold the crime rate down. However the County board only budgets the sheriffs department. We are not allowed to actually manage the Sheriff’s office. The sheriff is elected to run the department. I do support the Sheriffs efforts. Just one example is the recent county board decision to create a joint training facility at the old Cary Village hall. This allowed the creation of a law enforcement training center for all of the agencies in McHenry County.
What local road and bridge projects should be a priority to get done in the county?
We were recently awarded money form the federal government to complete the northern end of Randall road. In addition we are now working on safety issues. The roads and intersections that have more than the average share of accidents are all undergoing review. The rest of the planned capacity projects have are completed. Capacity projects are those that are designed to simply increase the traffic flows; think Rakow road from two to six lanes. There are several state projects such as route 31 and route 47 but those are not County roads.
Do you support decreasing local property taxes? If so, how would the county make up the difference?
The County has done it the past ten years by consolidating services and streamlining government. We have nearly 200 fewer employees than in 2010. We can and will continue to hold down the cost of government rather than increase the tax burden.
Do you support stronger county government ethics laws? What measures do you support?
Of course. Who doesn’t support ethics in government. Years ago when Springfield first passed the gift ban act it was explained quite simply to me “If someone offers you something you actually would like to keep you should return it.” That is a simple approach but eliminates all ethical violations.
What are your thoughts on the Illinois Freedom of Information Act?
When in doubt disclose the information. With a few minor exceptions involving on going contract negotiations and litigation there is nothing we should be keeping from public view. The only reason we have the exceptions is that the public’s interest could be hurt by the disclosure.
Please state your plan to maintain government transparency.
Continue recording and publishing all County Board meetings and actions. If anyone wants to discover something about McHenry County Government it should be easy for them to get answers. It can be done from any internet connection. In addition we have been expanding the use of social media. The county has information links on most social media such as Facebook, Linked in, Instagram etc. the information is available and should always remain available. The best form of government happens when the population is informed. We all need the information.
What would you push for as a member of county government to boost local businesses?
For the past few years we sought to complete the transportation links. We have done our part and now need the State and Federal government to do their part on the state routes. I also support the economic development corporations aim to continue to coordinate employee training and encouraging job opportunities for employers and employees. In addition during the next couple of years we are charged with distributing the pandemic funds to help businesses and other organizations who have suffered during the pandemic. The first funds we awarded went to assist in new job and career training .
Should government employees and officials be allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements with private businesses?
I do not believe there is any way for government to take action that is not disclosed. All of our actions are in public meetings. The County board has never been asked to sign such a document and I doubt whether one could actually keep a secret with 24 current members. However I do not support the use of non disclosure agreements and do not intend to participate in any meetings that call for them.
Would you push for or against government officials and employees being allowed to sign nondisclosure agreements with private businesses?
Against. No action is going to be done in secret. I understand businesses might not want their information out until they are ready. However their plans should not be a secret the County is obligated to keep. If they are seeking our help or zoning etc it must be done in front of the public.