Karen Ramey: It's Election Season in Kane County

Yesterday was the first day to begin the process to file petitions for the primary elections in Kane County and the state of Illinois.

There have been some surprises in Kane County. Some candidates who had considered higher offices have decided instead to run for re-election in their own districts.

Some candidates who seemed so secure (or at least professed to be) within their own districts have decided instead to run in areas where voters have little idea who they are nor what they stand for.

Whatever the case or condition of events, rest assured that some “transformation” will take place between now and Election Day as candidates try to separate themselves from votes they took, or from a tendency to follow the line of least resistance. Should now be the time to reinvent myself?

Will Republicans and Democrats representing the county attempt to conveniently “forget” about votes that raised our taxes?

What about Rebublicans who ignored the platform of the Republican Party and voted to expand gaming in Kane County? Will those Republicans be asked to explain their reversal on gambling expansion?

Will the countywide elected board chairman actually stick with the explanation that the Kane County portion of the tax bill is small when compared with the tax-hungry “garish” school boards and local governments?

How will the current Kane County Board chairman try to explain away the fact that when she took office there was a $38.4 million tax levy and now it has expanded into a $54.3 million dollar tax levy?

If my math is correct this is approximately a 41.9 percent increase, and neither the School Board nor local government had anything to do with it!

So, aren’t we taxpayers doing more than our fair share contributing to the county till?

Will the chairman deny that far more has been spent than is justified by the increase in assessments and population?

Ms. McConnaughay has been “late to the party” and now seems disingenuous in calling for a tax levy freeze now. I didn’t read or hear about a call for a “freeze” in 2004, or '05, or '06 ... '07, '08, '09 or '10. (You get the gist.)

Why a call for a freeze in 2011? Is this perhaps due to board chairman candidate ?

As I have written, many new and strange happenings are going on over at the county building.

Watch as there may be a call for restructuring and revision. Funny how it seems proper to make changes on your way out. And just why might that be?

Why now, and why would any idea not have been a good one upon entry into office in 2004 or 2006 or '08?

McConnaughay put a blue ribbon committee together (all of whom she appointed) to raise her salary. Some even felt she was “underpaid.” Will she now state that any office holder that succeeds her is not worthy of the same compensation? Why restructure anything now?

Is the fear of a certain successor promoting new reform causing the status quo at County Kane to throw out not only the baby with the bathwater but the entire sink and tub, as well?

Currently there are two announced for the Kane County Board chairman’s position. Isn’t either of these more than capable of leading the county should they be elected?

And shouldn’t they or any other elected candidate in the future be responsible for making those changes?

We have elections to make those choices.

Hopefully the process will be able to move forward without the interference of board members with a different agenda in mind.