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Name:
Richard Yelle
What office are you seeking?
Algonquin Township Clerk
What is your political party?
Republican
What is your current age?
63
Occupation and employer
Self-employed. Staff contract property adjusters for insurance companies
What offices, if any, have you previously held?
None
City:
Campaign Website:
Education:
Crystal Lake South High School, Crystal Lake, IL. University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.
Community Involvement:
Crystal Lake Lions Club, Challenger Little League (Woodstock - Baseball for kids with special needs)
Marital status/Immediate family:
Married for 24 years. Wife - Lisa, 6 children - Josh, Sarah, Cayla, Zach, Cam, Haylee
Questions
What is your stance on township consolidation as a means of reducing redundancy in local government?
A properly functioning township provides valuable services through the General Assistance Fund. I don’t believe anyone could do it more efficiently. The state and county really don’t want to manage the township roads, plus how far down the priority list would maintenance for these roads fall? Sometimes, when you have a smaller group that can actually work together, it’s easier to accomplish things. The larger the group, the more red tape you have to navigate through to move things forward. The tax rate is only 1.84% for the township. We need to keep that low and provide services and savings to justify it.
What do you think about the censures against Algonquin Township Supervisor Randy Funk?
I think it’s an absolute joke. You have three current trustees, Teresa Decker, Theresa Fronczak, and Millie Medendorp, who don’t like supervisor Randy Funk and have formed an alliance to vote against everything he’s trying to accomplish. They put forth their puppet, Rich Tado, to run for supervisor, so he can spout all their lies for them. A censure is merely an expression of disapproval that can be drawn up by any of the trustees. They don’t have to be true. Since they have their own little coalition, all it takes is a majority vote to pass. There are no legal ramifications, or it would have been pursued. This was literally done to create campaign material. The actual issue is that Decker, Fronczak, and Medendorp wasted almost $9,000 in taxpayer money to have an attorney draw these up.
What are your top three priorities for the township, and how do you plan to address them?
- When you have a team that works together, a great deal can be accomplished. Getting supervisor Randy Funk’s team (Rich Yelle, Kevin Byrnes, Tony Colotorti, Maureen Huff, and Debbie Rinn-Alcock) elected is a priority. We all have business backgrounds, plus several of us have successfully worked together in other charitable organizations. How refreshing would it be to have trustees working with the supervisor to achieve something instead of the current group of trustees who go out of their way to be a roadblock.
- Fiscal accountability. The current trustees Decker, Fronczak, and Medendorp have wasted over $140,000 in legal fees. They tout cutting the salaries of the supervisor and clerk, but never mentioned that they increased the trustee salaries by 143%. Providing selective information, especially on finances involving taxpayer money, is just political gamesmanship. As a taxpayer, you need to know where your money is going. Where’s the return on investment for its constituents?
- Replenishing the General Assistance Fund. Providing financial assistance to the needy is one of the primary functions of the township. Trustees Decker, Fronczak, and Medendorp defunded this by over 50%! We need to rebuild this.
Do you support requiring government officials to publicly disclose potential conflicts of interest, and how would you enforce this?
The township is already required by law to disclose any potential conflict of interest. Disclosures are done annually. My position involves FOIA, contract bids, road district orders, and maintenance of records, so it is important to be aware and address any situations that come up.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
I will always be available at the office, by phone, or by email. Foremost, I will be responsive. The biggest complaint I witness across the business spectrum is “No one gets back to me.” You also will never hear “It’s not my job.” If I don’t have the answer, I’ll get it.