Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the March 17 primary election.
The Democratic race for the Kane County Board seat in District 13 in the March 17 primary election is between incumbent Michael Linder and Nicolas Jimenez.
The winner in the contest will move on to the Nov. 3 general election to face the victor in the Republican primary race between Ryan Deniz and Anthony Catella.
Michael Linder
Linder, 76, of St. Charles, is seeking a second term on the board and said voters in the district are concerned about taxes, general public safety and issues with development.
The tax issues, he said, include that “they keep going up and the county keeps about 4% of the taxes.”
“People want to live here because of the amenities and the schools. We take a lot of heat because we collect the taxes and then distribute them to the other (taxing) districts,” he said. “So, as taxes keep going up – people keep complaining. You ask, why then did you move here? It’s because of great schools and it’s safe and you’ve got nice roads here. There’s a reason why we have the quality of life we have – we’re paying for it.”
Public safety includes “having a great Sheriff’s Department and our courts and our judicial system are award- winning.”
“We currently have programs protecting children and working with people in the jails to get them jobs, get them counseling and off drugs and that ensures public safety,” he said.
Regarding development, Linder said the board hears “a lot about encroachment into residential areas with solar farms.”
“We need industrial rules. People are asking why do you need solar farms or why are you putting them in my back yard,” Linder said. “Development, in general, is big because people kind of like where we live. It’s pretty and it’s open. We need development, but people are worried about it being in their back yard.”
If re-elected, Linder said he is looking at issues that include the budget, open space and staff development.
“The budget is a big issue. We need to increase revenue and decrease spending,” he said. “We need to do that without losing the services that we give to our constituents, so we have to do that carefully. We can’t just say we’re going to cut by 10% and expect the county is going to work.”
Linder says he is “very much into open space,” adding that board members “are also Forest Preserve commissioners.”
“I want to preserve open space including keeping farmland in farms as much as we can and we have some programs to do that,” he said. “Our commercial development, our industrial development should be in places that are not taking away from our open spaces or farmland.”
Linder also would like to focus on staff development as “we have some great directors but there are some middle people going off to other counties.”
Nicolas Jimenez
Jimenez, 34, of Geneva, said issues in the district include rising costs and taxes as well as the county budget, services in the county and questions about who is representing voters.
“Kane County faces real structural changes – rising costs, stagnant revenue stream, public safety systems, demands on our infrastructure and natural resources,” he said. “People talk about taxes and the concerns about the fiscal state of things. The county faces a multi-million-dollar shortfall and the challenges that come from that. They rejected the sales tax referendum and it’s very clear that there needs to be change. We need to make sure we are planning for the future.”
Services are tied to the budget and Jimenez says people are concerned that services may be cut.
“People rely on these in the community and that’s why we need to make sure we are planning strategically and thoughtfully, that we’re putting things in the forefront of our minds that are going to help our constituents,” he said.
Jimenez argues that “people don’t even know who their representatives are.”
“I knock on doors and people don’t know who their commissioner is or what is going on at the county level,” he said.
If elected, Jimenez said he wants to focus on addressing finances, overseeing open space and providing transparency.
“First and foremost we need to make sure we are addressing finances very thoughtfully. This can’t be a situation where we are cutting services that people rely on,” he said. “We need to take a strategic approach in how we are allocating money and making it make sense for the people.”
Jimenez added that he wants to make sure the board “is putting environmental considerations in every decision we make.”
“I, for one, am a strong proponent for the environment and I want to make sure that budgets and projects and programs are considering that for our county,” he said.
Transparency remains important, Jimenez said.
“At the end of the day, I want to make sure we have a transparent government so that people feel that we are being open, honest and we are presenting information to the people in this county honestly and with integrity and truthfully,” he said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
