Honest, ethical government.
Is that too much to ask for nowadays? In Illinois the phrase
has become an oxymoron.
All too often local officials forget why
they initially sought office. Illinois in general has become
known as the corruption capital of the United States. Our
former governor is pleading "politics as usual"
as his defense in a federal corruption case charging him with
attempting to sell a US Senate appointment for personal game.
We deserve better.
Residents are not seeking a great deal. They
want transparency, honest, and integrity. They want their
leaders to read the bill, come prepared, and vote their district.
These should be no brainers for any elected officials, but
in Illinois far too often they are the exception to the rule.
As Clerk, Kurt has torn down the walls preventing
transparency. He led the effort to redesign the Township's
website allowing more information to be freely available to
local residents. He worked with the Board to develop new standards
for employee reimbursements and travel expenses. Kurt has
always separated his political functions from his elected
responsibilities.
While Kane County is taking steps to regain
the trust of our residents, there is still a long way to go.
Recent accounts of politically connected lobbyists obtaining
no bid contracts is a black eye on the county. Everyone has
read the story of one county employee having his salary ramped
up by 50% just before he retired, raising his annual pension
to over $100,000... the highest pension in county history!
If that wasn't enough, he then was appointed to another paid
position for the county, and has been hired for consulting
purposes. Some how the same select few keep getting appointed
to nice government posts.
Enough is Enough!
To help rebuild the trust, Kurt is advocating
opening the books, and establishing an online checkbook detailing
county expenses. This initiative would make it more difficult
for departments to hide wasteful spending. Political donations
will no longer be a litmus test for government appointments.
When budgeting, Kurt advocates a zero-based budgeting system
to prevent gross misappropriations from being hidden year
after year.
Kane County will begin to look at merit,
not dollar signs. We deserve better from our elected officials.
