This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the Aurora area in the Nov. 5 election.
The election race this fall for the seat on the Kane County Board in District 10 is between Republican Laura Curtis and incumbent Democrat William Tarver.
The general election is set for Nov. 5.
Curtis, 51, of North Aurora, said in speaking with voters, issues specific to Kane County include “a lot of concerns about immigration policy, the economy and property taxes.”
“There is a real concern. People are uncomfortable about seeing panhandlers on the corner and lack of vetting for people coming in illegally and where does the county stand on this,” she said.
Regarding the economy, people are complaining about “why is a carton of eggs $7 again and why does a box of cereal cost twice what it was two years ago?” Curtis said.
Property taxes, Curtis said, are causing people to “have sticker shock when they get them and ask, ‘What’s going on?’”
“What is the main driver of the tax bill and why are mine so high?” Curtis said people are saying to her. “Why are my taxes going up? Those are real pocketbook issues that are affecting Kane County revenue. People don’t really understand how the tax bill is formulated and I encourage people to look at their bill and see all the various taxing bodies and compare year-to-year and see where the increases are coming from. Once people realize half of their line items are pensions or municipal entities you’ve never heard of they see things differently.”
If elected, Curtis said goals she’d like to work on include board meeting attendance, fiscal accountability and examining other areas of county government and offices.
“There’s a problem with a lot of people not coming to board meetings and one of the drivers of that is that these meetings are being dragged out five or six hours long,” she said. “I want to encourage the chair, whoever it is, to rein in these meetings and make sure they are more constructive. Board members need to show up prepared.”
Regarding fiscal accountability and responsibility, Curtis said she wants to see less “redundancy in government, and I don’t think we should be adding a lot of line items to our budget that can be handled by the private sector or partnering with our municipal partners.”
Curtis also advocates for looking beyond the County Board and examining other county offices and departments to “really make sure we are holding these other sectors” accountable, she said.
Tarver, 56, of Batavia, is seeking his second term on the board and said issues in the district include fiscal responsibility and balancing the budget, public health and safety, taxes and more.
“The last few years we’ve had the luxury of using ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds and that’s going away so we have to try and find a better way to balance the budget and deal with all these increased costs,” he said. “People don’t want taxes raised but many don’t understand the tax bill – that’s the number one talking point. The county isn’t the one raising taxes.”
Regarding public health, Tarver said he works as a school social worker and he has seen increases “in public funding for the public health department and behavioral health needs and dealing with the increase in opioid use.”
“The opioid crisis is part of the gun safety issue as well,” he said. “People are also concerned about safety in their schools. What’s going on in our country and these drills and trying to keep guns out of the schools, people aren’t talking about resource officers but getting more social workers and clinicians to kind of help with some of the mental health issues that students have experienced after COVID and obviously nationwide. People are bringing guns to schools and people are really worried about what we’re doing and teaching our students about hiding and fighting.”
If reelected, Tarver said he’s like to focus on energy and environmental issues, road improvements and supporting local legal and law enforcement offices.
“I still want to continue to work on energy and environmental issues. Part of the work we’ve been doing involves a climate action plan and I really want to make sure we are crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s to make sure we are providing an opportunity for future generations when it comes to providing clean air and water,” he said.
Regarding local infrastructure, specifically roads, Tarver said “I really want to make sure we are spending a lot of time on our roads and working with people in transportation.”
The number one goal, Tarver said, “is to continue supporting the work that our state’s attorney and sheriff are doing.”
“This is about protecting our community and helping to reduce recidivism when it comes to our jail system,” he said.
David Sharis is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
