Affordability
The number one issue I hear from people across the county is affordability. Kitchen-table costs are rising, taxes are rising, and something has to give or young families and retirees alike will get priced out. I hear this concern and anxiety repeated every day as I meet folks at their door. McHenry County can forge a stronger path through smart, sustainable development: workforce housing, robust local commerce, and quality infrastructure underneath it all. That is how we find a brighter day.
Right now, our property tax base across McHenry County is way out of balance - 88% residential and just 10% commercial & industrial. The gold standard by economic experts is at least 30% commercial. If we bring more business here, we can move past our standard commuter-community pattern and the heavy reliance on home property taxes that have defined McHenry County. Instead, start easing the burden on families and bringing in local economic opportunity. Several cities along the south and east, especially Marengo’s I-90 Corridor, are opening their doors to greater commercial development. The County Board needs to be paving this path forward, not holding it back.
Infrastructure
About 25 municipal bridges across the county need replacement after decades of regular use. The McHenry County Division of Transportation is working hard to maintain and rebuild them, but the time and cost will be significant. Most of these bridges are on the west side of the county, but they affect all of us through higher food costs, safety concerns, and because our farmers are our neighbors and a vital part of our community.
To get this done on a reasonable timeline, the county will need financial support from Springfield and Washington. We will also need to work out fair plans with our smaller townships so the burden is shared fairly going forward.
More broadly, infrastructure more than anything is what shapes local opportunity and what I’ll spend my time on the Board improving.
Sustainability
If the solutions we find to today's problems aren't sustainable, and don't protect the remarkable natural blessings of McHenry County, then all we have done is shrug and hand off problems to the next generation. Problems that will be even harder to solve. There is a smart, adaptive way to develop.
It starts with listening to the experts, the stakeholders, and bringing the whole community to the table: advocacy groups, farmers, unions, and developers alike. I will not choose a path that benefits us today only to hurt our children and grandchildren tomorrow. Our conservation areas are world-class, and must continue to be protected, supported, and accessible.
Oppose Home Rule
On July 21st, the McHenry County Board voted 13-4, with all 3 Democrats and 1 Republican against, and the Republican majority approved a non-binding "advisory question" to become a “Home Rule County" on our November election ballot.
Home Rule provides greater independence per state law, with notably more taxation powers and a very strong County Executive limiting board member authority. Many towns have it, like McHenry and Crystal Lake. However, only 1 out of the 102 counties in Illinois have Home Rule: Cook County.
This allows for a lot more taxes with a lot less oversight from state law. To that point, recall the vote last November increasing the property tax levy by 2.9% - that was the maximum legal amount per Illinois' PTELL. Meanwhile, the county is currently wrangling with about a $4 million shortfall for 2027. I strongly oppose Home Rule.
Data Centers
Modern cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence services require massive amounts of computing power and data storage to operate. As the AI industry bubble continues to grow, the amount being spent on data centers in 2026 is more than what was spent in the 1950s on our highway system, or during the railroad boom a century before that (percent of contemporary GDP).
No one wants to miss opportunity, but towns across the country have repeatedly suffered from a lack of expertise or planning, and poor negotiating. So we get situations like Canton, Mississippi and Saline, Michigan where residents suffer terribly from the projects. On the other hand, when a data center is forced to have closed-loop thermal cooling and its own local power plant, the community benefits. If all we get is a dirtier environment and higher electricity costs, I’m against. If negotiations are strict and fair, I’ll consider supporting it.
There are no current proposals for one in McHenry County. In June, Gov. Pritzker paused tax incentives for new data center developments for two years. I expect developers will look elsewhere moving forward.
Beyond McHenry
I've worked across the aisle, across languages and countries. National headlines grab our attention, but make no mistake: local policy and local issues shape our families and neighbors far more. Still, here is where I stand.
Partisanship
Politics has become a sport, where the same act is cheered or condemned depending on the team, where free speech, press, and privacy get trampled. It is noise meant to distract us from short-sighted policy made for a few. We must get "big money" out of political campaigns.
The wealth gap
Paying a fair share isn't only right. It is what built this country into the world's strongest economy. Today the top 1% hold as much wealth as the bottom 90%, while 14 million American kids go to sleep hungry.
Sovereignty & alliances
Threatening our longtime friends and allies wins no wars. Loyalty is strength and mutual respect is honor. Acting otherwise invites conflict we will pay terribly for, and all the while bad actors benefit from our shortsightedness.
The national debt
It is unsustainable, and an unfair legacy to leave the next generation - the debt is now more than our GDP. The way out is both cutting costs and everyone paying their fair share, like we did 50 years ago.