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Name: Kit Kuhrt
What office are you seeking? Kendall County Treasurer
What offices, if any, have you previously held? Village of Oswego Trustee, Precinct Committeeman
City: Oswego
Occupation: Owner of 3 small businesses
Education: Attended College of DuPage
Campaign website: KitKuhrt.com
What would be your top three priorities over the next four years?
Transparency:
We need to put Kendall County’s financial accounts online. If the State of Illinois can be more transparent than us, by putting their “checkbook” online showing all of their expenses for public viewing, so can we. This would make it easier for our residents to see firsthand how their taxing dollars are being spent.
Efficiency:
The office has not seen a change in leadership for 20 years. There are bound to be areas where a new set of eyes and fresh perspective will lead to improvements with-in how the office is being handled. We also need to take a look at the taxpayer dollars that fund the Office of Treasurer and see if we can lower our office budget while improving services to pass the savings back to the taxpayers.
Advocate for Lower Taxes:
Kendall County has some of the highest property taxes in Illinois. We all need to do better and do our part to reduce the use of taxpayer dollars. If elected Treasurer that responsibility starts with me setting the example out of my office. I would push to cut office spending by 5%, to start. I also intend on using my voice to advocate and collaborate with other decision makers and municipalities to push for lower tax rates across the county.
Taxes are a top concern raised by voters locally. What do you do within your position to address residents’ tax burden?
I will advocate and collaborate with all other taxing bodies to cut the property tax burden across Kendall County. I truly believe this is a must, especially now with inflation on the rise. I am the only candidate on the ballot in Kendall County that has a record of voting yes to and passing a property TAX rate REDUCTION, putting money back in taxpayers’ pockets. We also need to do a better job with creating leaner budgets and look to increase efficiency where possible. When you reduce spending (saving taxpayer dollars) you create a climate for reducing taxes.
If you could redo or reverse any one decision made by the county treasurer in the last four years, what would it be and why?
I am a big believer and supporter of term limits. If I could reverse anyone decision by the county treasurer, it would be to have retired well before 20 years. I believe in challenging oneself and moving to other roles to help and serve the community; not staying in one position to make a 20-year political career.
What do you bring to the table that your opponents do not?
I would bring to our community 20 years of business experience. Running multiple small businesses in Illinois, forces business owners to make tough decisions with our budgets, meeting payroll, feeding the families that I have employed through the years, and growing my businesses. Sometimes sacrifices need to be made to make it work, and I have made those decisions to adapt to the ever-changing economy.
My time as a Village of Oswego Trustee, has opened my eyes to many realities governing bodies face here in Illinois. That has inspired and challenged me to want to do more for our communities and be the next Kendall County Treasurer.