Jeanne Kearby: Avon Township Trustee Candidate

Name: Jeanne Kearby

Age: 58

Family: Married with four sons and two grandchildren

Education: BA in Education and Social Science, MA in Curriculum and Instruction, CAS (Certificate of Advanced Study in educational Leadership), Ed.D. Doctorate in Education

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices: Grayslake High School Dist. 127 School Board (eight years)

Other Community Involvement: Past Local President, Phi Delta Kappa, Lake County Women in Action, WINGS, Round Lake Area Exchange Club, local PTAs and PTOs as a parent, teacher and administrator

Position Sought: Avon Township Trustee

Campaign E-Mail: avonstrong@aol.com

Campaign Committee: Avon Strong

Campaign Website: AvonStrong.org

Campaign Facebook: Candidate did not respond.

Campaign Twitter: Candidate did not respond.

Why are you running?

In my years of community service as a public school teacher and school leader, I have seen what a group of informed and committed people can do to improve their community. I want to be able to serve this community by helping many others find an avenue to give back to their community. I believe that local government is best served as a nonpartisan race by those without desire to make this service a stepping stone towards a career in politics.

In what ways would Avon Township benefit from your service?

Avon Township benefits from my ability to bring many varied voices to consensus and a vision of possibilities. I also bring experience in building, managing and accounting for budgets with local, state and federal funding sources including the writing and management of grants. I am a creative problem solver with the interpersonal skills to bridge personal or political divides.

What is the biggest challenge the township faces and what should be done to address it?

The biggest challenge I see is to manage the tremendous needs we have in this area. Currently, the lack of information of what Avon Township can do is hurting our ability to help those with the greatest needs. Before we can attack the priorities of the Township we need to reengage the public into the planning and goals of the Township. This is not just the vision of 8 individuals. This a fundamental obligation in order to meet what our citizens want to see in our Township. Some will be built and carried through by us, but others will be a joint effort by other entities that have this as a focus. This is not just about giving money, it is about getting your hands dirty and being a part of a solution.

What do you think the Township does well?

What Township does well are the responsibilities as directed by Illinois Statutes. You want emergency and general assistance to be as close to the issues as possible. When it is directed farther out such as state or federal responsibilities, the administration costs go up, system abuse rises and those without connections can get further lost in the system. You want the ability of area services to also be a part of the solution and that happens more effectively and with more empathy when it is your hometown and your neighbor.

What should be some of the Township’s priorities over the next several years?

There are several priorities for the next several years. 1. Communication: Developing avenues for two-way communications with citizens and area social service and service departments within non-profit groups to determine needs and coordinate service. This includes better communication and advertising of what Township does and the services offered. 2. Building relationships with municipalities to maximize our mutual benefits and to build strong coalitions to lobby for needed services. 3. Develop policies and procedures for the Township that will give a code of expectations that are aligned with the statutes, but also addresses how we hire, fire and prioritize how we utilize our tax dollars. 4. We are in a crisis need of a strategic plan that addresses fiscal limitations and our general assistance mandates. This needs to be done with all Township communities and standing committees representing different segments of our population.

What else would you like the voters to know?

Avon Strong spent a lot of time to find candidates for the slate that brought added value to the ticket. We wanted to be a snapshot of the communities in the township. Geographically, we represent the Township by having candidates from various areas of the county and are stronger because of this representation. Politically, we represent the township with independents, republican and democratic ideals and are stronger because of this diversity. Economically, we represent different socio-economic backgrounds and are stronger in our experience to meet the needs of our communities. Our unity is our greatest strength. We are united in our commitment to the potential and responsibilities of Avon Township. We are visionaries in the need to define a new role of Township government under changing needs within its boundaries.