Infrastructure
The number one issue I here from people across the county is affordability. Kitchen-table costs are rising, taxes are rising, and something has got to give. McHenry County can forge a strong path forward through smart, sustainable development. Affordable housing, local commerce, and the infrastructure foundation to support it all. That’s how we will move forward.
Right now, the county property tax base is 88% residential, and just 10% commercial/industrial. The gold standard is at least 30%. If we bring business here, we can start to move past the “commuter community” lifestyle and heavy reliance on home property taxes that define McHenry County.
There are about 25 municipal bridges across the county in need of replacement after decades of regular use. The McHenry Division of Transportation is doing their best to support and rebuild but the time and cost will be massive. Though these bridges are mostly on the west side of the county, it impacts all of us through heightened foodcosts, potential safety concerns, and because our farmers are our neighbors, a vital part of our community.
The county will need financial support from Springfield and Washington to get these taken care of in a timely manner. We also will need to shape out affordable plans with these smaller townships to share the burden in an equitable way.
Community Issues
Affordability
National issues
Partisanship
Wealth Gap
Sovereignty
national debt
I’ve worked across the political aisle, across cultures and languages. National headlines may grab our attention, but make no mistake: it is local policy and local issues that have a much larger impact on our families, neighbors, and life here.
Politics as a sport, where violence against the other side is cheered, where Capitol rioters are either peaceful tourists or “antifa” depending on the argument of the day, where freedoms of speech and press and privacy are shattered - all of this is shameful. The Founding Fathers would be appalled at the path we’re taking. It’s noise to distract from unpopular, short-sighted policy decisions enriching those at the top.
Paying one’s fair share isn’t only right, it’s also what built this country up into the world’s greatest economy. We’ve come a tragically long way from the good ol’ days of the 1950s where the corporate tax was 50% (now 21%) and the top individual rate was 42%. Today, the top 1% hold an equal amount of wealth as the bottom 90% while 14 million American kids are going to sleep tonight hungry.
Threatening our longtime friends and allies wins no wars. Loyalty is strength. Mutual respect is honor. Acting otherwise invites conflict, and we will all suffer for it while China, Russia, and other bad actors will benefit in the ashes of our policy mistakes.
Our current Gross National Debt (as of February 11th, 2026) is $39 trillion, or $118,500 per person. $2.2 trillion of it was added over 2025. This trajectory is unsustainable, and an unacceptable legacy to leave to future generations. Cutting costs and paying one’s fair share of taxes are both needed to dig us out of this sinkhole.
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