Politics & Government

Election 2012: Pat Carey

Pat Carey, a former Grayslake mayor who currently serves Lake County Board District 11, will be running against Grayslake Village Trustee Jeff Werfel for the newly-drawn District 6 seat in the November 2012 election.

Name: Pat Carey

Position sought: Lake County Board District 6

Party: Democratic

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Resides in: Grayslake

Campaign contact information

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Website: www.patcareyforlakecounty.com

E-mail: pat@patcareyforlakecounty.com

Phone: (847) 223-1438

Age: 65

Family: Married to Daryl Radebaugh for 36 years. I have two sons, Carey and Michael Radebaugh, and one granddaughter, Marie-Amelie.

Education: Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Loyola University

Occupation:

Corporate technology management for 20 years
Municipal economic development and marketing for two years
Full-time County Board Member and Forest Preserve Commissioner since 2008

Previously elected or appointed positions:

Lake County Board Member (District 11): 2008 to present
-Vice-Chair, Revenue, Records & Legislation Committee
-Member, Law and Judicial Committee
-Member, Planning, Building and Zoning Committee
-Member, Ethics Committee
-Member, Lake County Partners Board of Governors
-Director, Solid Waste Agency of Lake County
-Director, Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency
-Lake County Board Representative, SWALCO Recycling Task Force

Forest Preserve Commissioner: 2008 to present
-Vice-Chair, Finance Committee
-Past Chair, Facilities Committee
-Member, Planning and Restoration Committee

Member, Lake County Community Partners for Sustainability: 2009 to present

Mayor, Village of Grayslake : 1993-2001
-Chair, Lake County Council of Mayors
-Vice-Chair, CLCJAWA
-Officer, Lake County Municipal League

Trustee, Village of Grayslake : 1989-1993
-Trustee, Lake Forest Hospital Board : 2004-2009
-Vice-President, Grayslake Parks Foundation : 2002-2006
-Member, Sierra Club : 2001 to present
-Member, Conserve Lake County : 1996 to present
-Lifetime Member, Grayslake Historical Society

 

What are your top 3 priorities if elected to the Lake County Board?
 
The economy (jobs and taxes), transportation and the environment.

Jobs

I believe the biggest issue facing most people today is the economy, evidenced by fewer jobs and high taxes. A healthy economy is important to our quality of life. Employment opportunities allow everyone to meet the needs of their families.

I currently serve on the Board of Lake County Partners, the economic development arm of the county. As a former economic development professional, I know what it takes to recruit and retain businesses, and through Lake County Partners, I work with municipalities and Lake County corporations to retain existing and bring new jobs to the county. We have achieved some successes in recent years, including the FedEx and Cornerstone projects in Grayslake. I have supported the use of incentives when they result in a positive benefit to the community in new jobs and increased tax base, but only if they also demonstrate a financial benefit to our schools and other taxing bodies.  

Taxes

While increased economic development can help to lessen the property tax burden on residents, we also need to control spending to keep the county‘s tax burden as low as possible. I have voted in favor of more than $17 million in cuts in the County Budget between 2009 and 2012. I refused a raise voted on by Members prior to my joining the Board and donated the amount of the raise back to the County. I serve as vice-chair of the Forest Preserve Finance Committee, where I have been a strong voice for fiscally conservative policies that have resulted in reduced expenditures, decreasing our operating budget by 5.5 percent in the 2011-12 fiscal year, and that have also kept our tax rate as low as possible.

Transportation
 
One of the key issues affecting our quality of life in Lake County is traffic congestion, and central Lake County is particularly hard hit. In the past three years, I have supported several key road projects including the proposed Route 120 bypass and the expansion of Route 21. These projects will bring great benefit to our part of the county.

When the board adopted a resolution supporting the Route 53 extension, I offered a successful amendment that added language solidifying the county’s position that any proposed Route 53 project would not only solve the traffic problems in the proposed corridor, but also minimize impact on the environment, include a transit component, and operate effectively with the proposed Route 120 bypass.

At this time, we need to focus on getting a decision on the Route 53 project, so that we can plan for both that north/south improvement, as well as the much needed east/west relief that will come from the Route 120 Bypass. 
 
However, while we wait on a decision on Route 120 and Route 53, we need to continue to work aggressively with the State to improve our local roads and intersections wherever possible. I have voted in support of the expansion of Washington Street through Grayslake, Hainesville and Round Lake Park, as well as the intersection improvement at Rollins Road and Route 83. I am also working with Lake County DOT and IDOT to focus on necessary improvements to the Hainesville Road and Route 120 intersection. 

Environment: The Greening of Lake County
 
My commitment to the environment underlies everything I do. In the past three years, I brought a strong environmental focus to my work on the Lake County Board, supporting increased recycling, reasonable alternative energy regulations, and sustainable approaches to county operations. I led the fight against including incineration in the county’s 2009 Solid Waste Plan, instead shifting the focus to increasing recycling. I served on the SWALCO Recycling Task Force, which recently completed a year and half of work, resulting in a plan to increase Lake County’s recycling rate from 38 percent to 60 percent.   We are now beginning work within the county and with all municipalities to implement the plan.
 
As a member of the Community Partners for Sustainability, organized through the College of Lake County, I have worked with others to focus on sustainable agriculture, sustainable development, green economic development and other initiatives. Sustainability is of key importance throughout Lake County, not only to government, but also to our schools, to our businesses and to our residents.  I believe the county needs to be a leader in this area, working with the College of Lake County and other entities to promote sustainability projects that reduce costs, add jobs, and protect our environment for our children and grandchildren.
 
What would you do to help unemployed people throughout the county?
 
I see three primary barriers facing our unemployed residents: Lack of jobs, lack of training for available jobs, and lack of transportation options to get to jobs.  

In another question below I outline my thoughts on our economic development strategy to bring new jobs to Lake County, as well as promote job growth at existing businesses.
 
As a Lake County Board member over the past four years, I have supported many workforce development programs and through my work with Lake County Partners I support creative partnerships between corporations and our educational institutions, such as CLC, to tailor job training programs to specific industry needs.
 
While some unemployed residents may find an available job, it may be in a location that is difficult or impossible for them to reach. I will continue to support the work of the Lake County Coordinated Transportation Services Committee’s (LCCTSC) in making ride service available to residents in the county that do not have access to cars and where bus or rail service is not available to meet their needs. 
 
Where do you stand on Route 53? If in favor, what can be done to help facilitate the extension into Lake County? If against, what can be done to help relieve traffic congestion?
 
When the county board adopted a resolution supporting the Route 53 extension, I offered a successful amendment that added language solidifying the county’s position that any proposed Route 53 project would not only solve the traffic problems in the proposed corridor, but also minimize impact on the environment, include a transit component, and operate effectively with the proposed Route 120 bypass.

I support the consensus proposal that came out of the Route 53 Blue Ribbon Commission and which was recently presented to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA). I will support the project if it meets the transportation and environmental goals outlined in the report and I look forward to ISTHA’s review and comments.   
 
While we wait on a decision on Route 120 and Route 53, I will continue to work aggressively with Lake County DOT and the State to improve our local roads and intersections. I have voted in support of the expansion of Washington Street through Grayslake, Hainesville, and Round Lake Park, as well as in support of the intersection improvement at Rollins Road and Route 83. And I am working with Hainesville to push for improvements to the Hainesville Road and Route 120 intersection. 

How would you attract more business and economic development to the county?

A healthy economy is important to our quality of life and I believe the county board has a leadership role to play in promoting economic growth throughout the county. I serve on the board of Lake County Partners, the economic development arm of the county.

As a former economic development professional, I know what it takes to recruit and retain businesses, and through Lake County Partners, I work with municipalities and Lake County corporations to retain existing and bring new jobs to the county. 

Specific areas where the county has an impact on the business climate include:

Transportation: I will continue my support for road and transit improvements.

Regulatory: I have supported and will continue to support streamlining permitting processes and ensuring that regulations do not inhibit business growth.

Incentives: I support their use when they result in a positive benefit to the community in new jobs and increased tax base, while providing long-term financial benefit to our schools and other taxing bodies. 

I am currently involved, as a director of Lake County Partners, in development of a Community Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). After completion of the CEDS plan, we will use this to launch new marketing, attraction and retention efforts in the county.

While we are always on the lookout to bring new business and jobs to the county, much of our growth comes from the successes and expansion of our existing businesses.  I will continue to work closely with small business owners in my district and look forward to getting more actively involved in retention efforts as outlined in the CEDS plan. 
 
You are running against someone whom you know well, and you both have experience on the Grayslake Village Board. How does that impact your race for this position?

It really does not impact the race, as far as I am concerned. This is my fifth campaign for local office and I have always run on my own record and my own qualifications, no matter whom I run against. I have a record of 16 years of public service at the local level, twelve of those years being with the Village of Grayslake. I am proud to run on that record, in particular on my accomplishments as Mayor for eight years and as a Lake County Board member and Forest Preserve Commissioner these past four years.   
 
I will note that, as a trustee, one’s focus is almost solely on the municipality you serve.  As mayor you begin to become much more involved in regional issues, as I did during my eight years as Grayslake's mayor. It is this regional focus and experience that has been of value to me at the county board and which I have built upon over the past four years.

Why should voters elect you? What makes you most qualified?

My experience and my leadership ability qualify me to serve my constituents on the county and forest preserve boards. I have demonstrated, as mayor and as a county official, that I can make progress in addressing the tough issues facing us today: traffic congestion, high property taxes, lack of jobs, and environmental concerns.

I have also shown that I will do what I say I will. I have kept my promises made in 2008: prioritizing fiscal responsibility, bringing clarity to the property assessment and appeal process, advocating for the environment, and supporting small and large businesses in the county to create jobs. 
 
Through a non-partisan approach, I have become a strong effective voice on the county and forest preserve boards, acting as vice-chair of two committees, serving as the county’s designate on the SWALCO and CLCJAWA boards, and acting as one of the county’s representatives on Lake County Partners. I have developed relationships with non-profits, educational institutions, municipalities, and corporations that enable me to be effective in working on many diverse issues. 
 
I am an effective voice for my constituents on the county and forest preserve boards, as well as in working with CLCJAWA, SWALCO, Lake County Partners, and CLC’s Community Partners for Sustainability. This ability to be effective and get things done is grounded in my mayoral experience and honed by my having spent the last four years working on these issues and understanding how they affect all of Lake County. 
 
Accomplishments during your current term on the county board:
 
Job creation

-Voted in support of the FedEx project in Grayslake which will bring hundreds of new jobs to central Lake County.

-Voted for the Cornerstone Development Plan in Grayslake which will bring jobs and commercial development to the Grayslake area in the years ahead. 

-Supported the use of incentives when they result in a positive benefit to the community in new jobs and increased tax base, but only if they also demonstrate a financial benefit to our schools and other taxing bodies. 

-Served as a Director on the Lake County Partners Board, where my economic development background enables me to engage in strategic planning for business retention and attraction.  

Roads 

-Voted for allocation of $21M for the widening of Route 21.

-Voted in support of the boulevard option for the proposed Route 120 bypass.

-Successfully amended a county board resolution supporting Route 53, adding language highlighting environmental concerns and supporting addition of a transit component to the roadway.   

-Voted in favor of the widening of Washington Street through Grayslake, Hainesville and Round Lake Park, including improvements to the railroad crossing.

-Voted in favor of the Rollins Road and Route 83 intersection improvement. 

Environment

-Led the fight against including incineration in the County’s 2009 Solid Waste Plan, instead shifting the focus to increasing recycling.

-Served on the SWALCO Recycling Task Force, created to develop a plan to increase Lake County’s recycling rate from 38 percent to 60 percent. 

-Voted in support of wind energy regulations that will allow reasonably sized turbines to be installed in our community to benefit residents and businesses alike.

-Served as a member of the College of Lake County’s Community Partners for Sustainability, where I work with public and private entities throughout Lake County to identify partnerships that will promote sustainability. 

-Represented the County & Forest Preserve on a CMAP project to look at local sustainable agriculture in the county.

-Voted for continued acquisition of lands by the forest preserve, as well as development of strategic trail connections, utilizing the funds approved by the voters in the 2008 referendum.

-Monitored the status of Countryside Landfill since November 2009, when significant odor issues first surfaced. Provided communication to affected residents and voiced strong support for any and all enforcement actions available to the county and SWALCO. I opposed the landfill’s request to the IEPA for increased air emissions.

Property Taxes

-Called for creation of, and served on, an Advisory Council to look at the Board of Review procedures, resulting in significant changes to ensure a smoother appeal process for the taxpayer.

-Worked closely with the Citizens Action Project to promote better understanding of the assessment and appeal processes.

-Voted for balanced budgets with significant reductions in spending at both the county and the forest preserve, maintaining our tax rates as low as possible.

-Refused a raise voted on by members prior to my joining the board and donated the amount of the raise back to the County. 

-Served as vice-chair of the forest preserve finance committee, where I have been a strong voice for fiscally conservative policies. 
 
 


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