The two Democratic candidates for Will County Board District 3 tout their longtime public service while the two Republican candidates said they want to actively fight high taxes and implement change.
The four candidates are vying for two seats in District 3, which includes Frankfort, Crete, Monee, Park Forest, Steger and University Park.
Democrat Sherry Newquist, the only incumbent, said she is proud of her experience on the board, especially as a member of the committee which quickly released the first round of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds in a bipartisan manner. She also said she is proud to have worked on a bipartisan basis to bring a COVID-19 vaccine clinic to eastern Will County.
“I prefer to work with people and come to a consensus,” Newquist said. “We are strongest if we are able to work together.”
Democrat Michael Flanagan has been a firefighter for 31 years. He said his experience includes public safety, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, finances and working in the public sector.
“I don’t want to be a politician as much as a public servant,” Flanagan said.
Republican Dan Butler said he feels the Will County Board did not respect people’s wishes during the redistricting process when they voted along party lines to reduce the size of the board. He said he felt the newly drawn maps were done to consolidate power for Democratic candidates.
“The biggest thing for me is honesty, integrity and transparency,” Butler said. “It’s all about doing the right thing for people. I would like to be someone who is approachable, who is there for all people and is compassionate.”
Republican George Macias said his strength is as a businessman, being fiscally responsible and stretching funds. He said he plans to vote based on what residents in his district want, regardless of party.
“I’m just someone trying to make a difference,” Macias said.
Top issues
Newquist said she wants to work to broaden the Will Ride program for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities. She said she also wants to work to expand broadband access in her district.
As vice chair of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, she works on countywide transportation projects such as creating a truck route on Monee-Manhattan Road and expanding Laraway Road. As a member of the Diversity Committee, the group is studying whether hiring practices are reflective of the community as a whole, Newquist said.
Flanagan said he agreed improving public transportation is necessary for senior citizens and individuals with special needs. A father to a son with Down syndrome, Flanagan said the county should also work toward improving job opportunities for residents with disabilities.
Flanagan also wants to improve access to high speed internet in rural areas. He noted some senior citizens face a conundrum because they need access to public transportation to attend a doctor’s appointment, but if they don’t have public transportation they need internet access to have a virtual doctor’s visit. The county should also look into social programs for seniors and those with disabilities, who have been significantly affected and isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Butler said Will County faces high taxes and inflation. He said the board should not pass the maximum levy allowed and said funds should be spent more wisely. He said he supports lessening restrictions to help businesses, rejuvenate business districts and make it easier for private businesses to start.
Butler said he is also concerned with crime and wants to ensure the Will County sheriff’s office has the training, equipment and resources it needs.
Macias said his main issues include poor drainage and flooding concerns, land use and individual property rights and high taxes. He said residents often face restrictions from the county Land Use Department when trying to build on their property and wants to help ease residents’ frustrations. He said he is concerned with high property taxes, noting some residents are on a fixed income or are in a single-income family.
Macias said semi truck traffic is a huge issue, saying trucks travel down side roads not designed for their weight.
Gas tax
The candidates differ in their views on the county’s 4-cent per gallon gas tax, which became effective Feb. 1, 2020, and goes toward infrastructure improvements. Proponents say that it is also paid for by motorists who live out of state or outside Will County.
The gas tax brought in about $15.9 million in 2021 and helps support the Department of Transportation’s fiscal year 2022-2027 Transportation Improvement Program, according to the county.
Newquist said the gas tax helps improve safety.
“These are not just cosmetic projects,” Newquist said. “They improve the safety of our roads. It is bringing much needed additional revenue to fund and in some cases move up in the timeline when we can complete these projects.”
Flanagan said the tax should stay in place so there’s a funding mechanism for road improvements.
Macias said repealing the tax or threatening to repeal the tax will force the county to examine the transportation budget closely and ensure the roads are being repaired properly and not done on a piecemeal basis. He said he wants to make sure contractors are not taking advantage of the county.
Butler said that he doesn’t have a firm position on the gas tax because he doesn’t have all the numbers. However, Butler said he recognizes that people are struggling to fill their tanks and people are upset about their taxes. He said taxes should be kept down when inflation is high.
Other taxes
Newquist said she is proud the board in September allocated $500,000 of the $2.6 million it has received from the local use tax on recreational cannabis to the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center, which handles reports of sexual and physical abuse, sexual exploitation, pornography and neglect in children.
She said she believes the cannabis tax should help provide services to the areas greatly impacted by drugs and is open to hearing more information on how the money should be used.
Newquist is also in favor of asking residents their views on funding mental health via the mental health referendum on the November ballot. The question asks whether to levy a tax of 0.05% of a property’s equalized assessed value to fund services for mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse disorders, amounting to about $50 a year for a home worth $300,000, county officials said.
“It gives residents a chance to weigh in whether or not we should prioritize it,” Newquist said.
Flanagan said he would like the cannabis tax to go into restoring damage done to areas most affected by cannabis and the opioid epidemic, including helping residents and businesses and improving housing stock.
Flanagan said he supports asking residents about the mental health referendum so that they are in charge of how this money should be allocated.
Butler said he supports using the cannabis tax funds to make mental health more accessible to residents. He does not support the mental health tax referendum, but prefers to fund mental health resources within the Health Department budget.
Macias said the cannabis fund could be divided into investing in roads, revitalizing empty or vacant buildings or refurbishing the facades of businesses to make Will County a place to visit.
He said he supports the mental health tax because more people need mental health services after the pandemic, but said the tax should be evaluated after a couple of years to ensure that it is going toward the services it is supposed to provide and not wasted.
Sherry Newquist
Party: Democrat
Age: 66
Hometown: Steger
Education: MBA from University of Chicago
Occupation: Director of operations for a tech startup company
Experience: Will County Board member from 2019-present; vice chair of the Public Works and Transportation Committee; member of the Diversity and Inclusion, and Legislative and Judicial committees; Steger village trustee 2001-2005; Steger-Chicago Heights library trustee 1999-2003; Democratic committeewoman
Michael Flanagan
Party: Democrat
Age: 53
Hometown: Green Garden Township
Education: Bachelor of Science in fire service management, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; bachelor’s business administration in public accounting from Loyola University, Chicago
Occupation: Captain of the Calumet City Fire Department
Experience: Precinct committeeman 2020-present; Will County Historic Preservation Commission member, 2020-present; was union president, secretary-treasurer and trustee.
Daniel Butler
Party: Republican
Age: 57
Hometown: Frankfort
Education: Graduate, Homewood-Flossmoor High School; some college
Occupation: Entrepreneur, owner of a general contractor business, a martial arts studio owner and cabinet distributorship owner
Experience: Committeeman 2014-present; chair of the Lincoln-Way Area Freedom Coalition
George Macias
Party: Republican
Age: 41
Hometown: Monee
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business from Colorado Tech University
Occupation: CEO of MDI Security
Experience: Served on several security boards
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.