Candidates Criticize Economics Disclosure Form

Although the Alliance For Land, Agriculture and Water's proposed economic transparency ordinance hasn't been adopted yet, two thirds of candidates for McHenry County offices and Board seats have voluntarily filled out the group's disclosure form. Only 3 of the 8 county office seekers submitted the form but 20 of 27 board candidates did.

Notable among the non-filing officer seekers were Sheriff Keith Nygren and County Board Chairman Ken Koehler.  Nygren's three homes and Koehler's land holding where Metra plans a new commuter station have figured in the Sheriff's and District 2 Board battles.  Nygren did not return a call Monday seeking comment.  Koehler did but was gone again by the time FEN was able to check voicemail.

FEN spoke with three of the seven board candidates who haven't submitted the ALAW form.

District 1 incumbent Anna May Miller said she hadn't submitted the form because it asks for more than she knows without research.  "They're asking for a bunch of information that I'm trying to put together," she said.

"It talks about the property interests of family members," Miller said.  "I know what my daughters own and my sons own but I don't know the property ID numbers. And I'm not sure about brothers and sisters.  My husband has both."

"If they just wanted to know what I own that would have been simple," said Miller.

Dave Frederick, looking to take a District 5 seat on the Board, said, "I feel that it's very poorly written.  I've left messages three times with (ALAW)."

"I own 25 acres between Woodstock and Crystal Lake and I don't think they'll ever be developed." said Frederick.

Frederick said he thought ALAW's form would just discourage participation in local government.  "It's really hard to get someone to run for (office)," he said.

District 6 incumbent Dan Ryan said he was trying to keep an open mind on ALAW's proposed ordinance but thought the disclosure form was both intrusive and probably redundant.  "In the state of Illinois you can put real estate into a land trust," he said.  "It may not have to do with the government.  Whose business is that?"

Anyway, said Ryan, "We all have to file a state disclosure form. You fill it out when you run for office. It's there already. I filed it with Kathy Schultz."

An examination of the 23 disclosure forms submitted so far reveals little about the candidates' economic interests.  A relatively impecunious bunch, most said they had nothing to report in the areas ALAW wants to know about.