In the August 10 primary, voters in District 3 and District 5 will vote to narrow the field of county commissioner candidates to two per district for the November election. What follows are the candidate’s answers to four questions related to current, county issues. As the only media source mailed to every Cook County household, North Shore Highway 61 is proud to provide this information to you.
Primary Questions: Commission Candidates Respond
Specifically, What Is One Thing You Hope To Accomplish If Elected?
District 3
Kay Costello We need improved communication and cooperation on the county board, and I believe I have the skills and experience to make that happen. While each member represents his/her own district, we are one county, and working effectively with each other will ensure the most benefit for the entire county.
Bob Fenwick (Incumbent) Every one of the projects on the 1% list has merit and a strong constituency. I would like us to use creative financing methods and prioritize project timing so that all our goals can be met. If we are patient and thoughtful we can do it.
Garry Gamble Encourage responsive, accountable governance; representation that consistently demonstrates it is worthy of peoples’ trust. This involves listening, learning, leveraging limited resources and ultimately making sound, informed decisions. While you will never please everyone, you must be willing to keep everyone in mind whenmaking decisions that affect peoples’ lives.
Sue Hakes I want the County Board to list and prioritize their most critical needs and budget accordingly. Reductions in State Aid and declining property values foretell a gruesome financial picture for the next 4 years. Limited resources must be conserved for priorities and not wasted chasing rainbows.
Keith Kuckler My first priority if elected, is to return the idea of public service to the commissioners job. I want to lower the pay of comissioners and use the money saved to combine current positions into a full-time county administrator position.
Lloyd Speck I would like to maintain the county budget without raising taxes and curtail unnecessary spending. For example, when the county starts bonding for the 1% sales tax projects, all aspects of each project should be thoroughly studied to determine the long-term impact to insure it will not be a tax burden in the future. I would make the tough decisions that come before the board that will be in the taxpayers’ best interest.
Cathi Williams If elected, my top priority is to get the Community Center & swimming pool complex started before the current swimming pool building is condemned. This was mandated by the voters last November and should have the highest priority among the projects because of the current pool building’s declining condition.
District 5
Paul James My #1 goal is to help maintain and create livable wage jobs. Entry level jobs in Cook County’s primarily tourism industry cannot support a household.
Bruce Martinson (Incumbent) Keeping property taxes to a minimum while maintaining fiscal stability and adequate working capital during this recession will be a priority.
Diane Parker I hope to prove to the tax payer that the county government works for them, and that they have a voice.
How Should The County Address The Financially Struggling Economic Development Authority?
District 3
Kay Costello The EDA has been plagued with challenges from the start. It seems that compared to other regional EDAs, ours has consistently been underfunded, which severely compromises its ability to accomplish its goals. We need to examine better functioning models while continuing to support city/county collaboration on economic development.
Bob Fenwick (Incumbent) The EDA should move management of BDA property sales and the Superior National Golf Course to other entities and then scale back to do what it has done well, function as an HRA. Once on its feet seek community projects and partner with regional development groups.
Garry Gamble Like every visionary idea, hoped-for outcomes often exceed realities. While it is reasonable to allow a certain amount of time for substantive results, there should not, in my opinion, be an ongoing expectancy that nonproductive efforts should be subsidized by peoples’ tax dollars unless they, the people, support such decisions.
Sue Hakes The EDA must be recognized for its successes, but also held accountable for its shortcomings and mistakes. Limited resources means the EDA should be put on a narrower, more well-defined track. Their mission statement should be rewritten to emphasize their most important assignment—economic development. Cook County has a wonderful product to sell—itself. The EDA needs to shout that out!
Keith Kuckler I think we need to rethink the whole mission and structure of the EDA, the current board and administration, have demonstrated time and again, that they are not on the right track. For all of the public money invested, they have only succeded in getting the public into a very deep hole of debt, while providing work for lawyers, bond salesmen and outside consultants.
Lloyd Speck The EDA has a history of mismanagement. They have received $1,754,000 of Cook County taxpayers’ money and $2,250,000 more in grant money. The business park is now $1,600,000 in debt, not including interest on the bonds. They have failed as a management entity and unless they can prove they can solve their financial problems they should be discontinued. We do NOT need more mismanagement in the future.
Cathi Williams I would like to see the EDA director position phased out, and hire a full-time secretary to do the work as directed by an EDA committee comprised of county commissioners, citizen appointees, and county department heads including the county attorney.
What Role Should The County Play In The Effort To Improve Electronic Communication Services?
District 3
Kay Costello It depends what our options are. Is there a private entity that is willing and able to build and manage this utility? If so, can we partner with them to assure access and adequate service for the entire county? If not, can the county afford to be the principal provider?
Bob Fenwick (Incumbent) The County needs to act as a motivator and a catalyst for private sector development. But when companies can’t or won’t respond we must look to other methods and funds, because there is no doubt that this service is vital to Cook County’s economic survival.
Garry Gamble Help shepherd any effort: Ask the right questions; Be inclusive of all members of the community in the decision making process; Be “realistic”–resist overstating the real benefits; Be honest when evaluating costs; See the “big picture;” Guard against subsidizing special interest groups at the expense of the whole community.
Sue Hakes The electronic communications phenomenon is evolving faster than any endeavor in human history. The County’s role should be one of encouragement and cooperation with existing providers, enabling them to use their expertise and economies of scale to bring communication services to us at a reasonable cost and without risk to taxpayers.
Keith Kuckler I think that the county should continue to pursue improved telecommunication access. However, I think the chance of a county-wide broadband network is not likely, or economically feasible, unless the federal government puts money into the project. Until that happens, the county should work with the current providers, like Qwest and Century Tel, to improve and extend their service to more county residents.
Lloyd Speck I personally do not feel a need for broadband in my life. Going forward, I believe the majority of the public will use this service in the future. Since CenturyTel bought out Qwest, I believe the county board should have open communication and cooperation for the development of broadband in Cook County. CenturyTel has said their future depends on instaloing broadband whereever they provide service. I believe the county should leave communication service to the private sector.
Cathi Williams Because of the recession, I think it is wise to hold back on any multi-million dollar projects that would put county taxpayers at risk. I think there needs to be a greater effort on the part of the county to try to form partnerships with existing high speed Internet companies such as Qwest and Century Tel. to extend services to more people.
Paul James (James chose to combine the first three questions. His complete answer is above.)
Bruce Martinson (Incumbent) Cook County should continue to support the efforts of both public and private entities to expand cellular phone coverage and fiber cables. AT&T is now joining Verison to increase coverage in the County. The Northeast Service Cooperative is bringing broadband fiber cable in 2013 to Cook County connecting to government, hospital, education and other institutions.
Diane Parker Several plans have been presented, and they all seem to involve fiber optic cable. As I talk to people, many question why we aren’t looking to wireless Internet. I would like to see an evaluation of the best, most cost effective system for Cook County, presented by an expert who does not stand to profit from the decision.
District 5
Paul James We have the mechanism for development in the joint Cook County/Grand Marais EDA. However, the EDA first needs to resolve the business park problems by bringing in an arm’s length arbitrator to find a solution to the legal problems and get it settled. The golf course should be sold if legally possible. The EDA should be a catalyst not an owner. The proceeds from the sale could be used by the EDA to promote the development of a privately owned technology center or Bio fuels industry. The EDA could help find a location and, with the help of the county board, establish a broadband infrastructure, act as a grant administrator or bonding authority, and help obtain low interest start up loans. The Center could be a medical records processing facility, or used for higher education. A Bio Fuels operation would put loggers and truckers in our area back to work.
Bruce Martinson (Incumbent) The EDA should divest from the Business Park and Superior National Golf Course. The city should accept responsibility of the Business Park in Grand Mariais. An independent Management Board should be formed to control Superior National Golf Course with members having expertise in management, marketing and golf course operations. Any profit should be spent on marketing and capital improvements. Another option in the future would be to sell the course.
Diane Parker We need to be vigilant about reviewing the overall benefit of development projects to the tax payer. I realize the need to be careful about how public funds are committed. In the long run, any development project should be designed to pay for itself.
Are you satisfied with the county policy regarding off-site managers?
District 3
Kay Costello The county approved an “alternative work site plan” (not a policy) for one department head that is thorough and well-designed for this particular situation only. I am satisfied with the four page agreement that was drawn up between this employee and the county board.
Bob Fenwick (Incumbent) Evidence shows that our one off-site work agreement is working well. It has saved money, kept service in place, and preserved needed experience. We are also preparing for state mandated service centralization which will bring cost savings, but require out-of-county administration. Our experience will help us craft a policy to take full advantage of the changes.
Garry Gamble Decisions to use offsite managers are usually driven by lack of affordable, qualified candidates. Given the options: a. Affordable, qualified manager–offsite; or, b. Affordable, unqualified manager–onsite, which form of management will provide the best results? Decisions should not be made out of convenience, or an ingrained comfort-level with the status quo.
Sue Hakes There is no policy regarding off-site personnel. Until the County receives multiple requests to work off-site, these situations should be handled on a case-by-case basis. Practical consideration should be given to cost, productivity, staff impact, employee retention, residency and quality of service.
Keith Kuckler I have the old fashioned idea, that if you work for the taxpayers of the community, you should live in the community, we need to keep as much of our tax dollars in the county as we can. I am opposed to the idea of off-site management.
Lloyd Speck No! Department heads should be present at the work site to oversee their employees and be accessible to the employees and the public.
Cathi Williams I believe that department managers in the county should have to live in the county. Nobody can for-see problems that may arise which dictate the presence of the department head as problem solver and supervisor. I also think it is important that wages paid in the county are mainly spent in the county.
District 5
Paul James The off-site manager decision was a poor decision and should be rescinded if possible. It certainly should not be repeated in the future. Creating and keeping good jobs in our county is tough enough without the county board sending them down the road.
Bruce Martinson (Incumbent) Cook County does not have an established policy. We have approved an alternative work site plan for the Human Services Director.This experiment will show the effectiveness of possibly sharing a director with Lake County in the future which the State is considering. Our best interest is for this to be successful.
Diane Parker Replacing a valued manager is challenging. To make a practice of employing off-site managers, however, is a mistake. A manager needs to be in responsible charge of the employees under his or her direction. Person-to-person contact is necessary to exercise this responsible charge. Furthermore, with an off-site manager, the county does not benefit from the employee spending his or her paycheck locally.
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