Three candidates are vying for the seat from the southeastern corner of the county, left vacant by Republican Rosemary Kurtz, who is retiring. The district covers Grafton Township, most of Algonquin Township and a chunk of Nunda Township.
Republican Michael Tryon, the County Board chairman, is facing Democrat Paula Yensen, a Lake in the Hills trustee, and Libertarian Jim Young, a financial consultant.
“What’s happening in the state that is hard for every Illinoisan to take is that we’re financially bankrupt,” said Tryon, 49, a Crystal Lake environmental consultant. “It’s not because we’re undertaxed. It’s because we overspend.”
Yensen, 55, moved from Ohio to Lake in the Hills in 1995. Before that she lived in Michigan.
She cited environmental protection and social service issues–such as mental health, substance abuse prevention and children’s issues–as her top priorities.
As one who moved into the county in the last 10 years, a trend that has made it one of the state’s fastest-growing, she senses a change in the political climate that traditionally has elected Republicans–an “old boys network” she puts Tryon among.
“It’s not working in McHenry County,” she said.
Young, 60, is making his third attempt at the seat. Four years ago his petition was invalidated, and he didn’t get on the ballot. In 2002 he placed third but had a respectable showing for a third-party candidate.
He has pledged that he will resign if he ever votes for a tax increase, and urges less government and fewer taxes.
For example, he said: “The schools have enough money to operate. They’re just doing it wrong.”