Ly looks to unseat incumbent Republican

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Four candidates at seeking three seats on the Grundy County Board from District 2. Democrat Jeremy Ly of Minooka is challenging Republican incumbents John Almer, Don Neushwander Sr., and Ron Severson.

John Almer, 66, 1800 Charles St., has served on the county board for eight years. He is retired after 28 years in management with ComEd/Exelon. Since 2000, he has served as precinct committeeman from Saratoga 3, and also represented District 2 on the Grundy County Board. He was a Saratoga Township official for about 28 years, including trustee from 1973 to 1981, and township supervisor from 1981 to 2001. He has a bachelor's degree from Lewis University in business administration. Almer and his family have lived in Morris and Grundy County since 1969. “I have been honored to represent the people of Saratoga Township and Grundy County in various capacities as an elected official continuously since 1973,” Almer said. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Almer is a life member of the United States Submarine Veterans and Morris VFW Post 6049. He is also a member and past commander of Morris American Legion Post 294. He is chairman of the Illinois Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development Council, which covers Grundy, Will, Kankakee, Kendall and Ford counties. Almer is a member and past chairman of the Morris Community Foundation Community Works Advisory Board, Land Use and Protection Committee. He is secretary of the Grundy County United Way Board of Directors and a member of the Will County Children's Advocacy Advisory Board. A member of Immaculate Conception Church, he is currently an extraordinary minister and coordinator. He previously was a member of the Parish Council and chairman of the Religious Education Committee. Almer also volunteers at Morris Hospital. He and his wife, Barbara, have three adult children.

Q. What should be done to secure additional funding to construct an Interstate 80 interchange at Brisbin Road in Grundy County? A. The county should continue to pursue the release of state funds that were previously allocated to the Brisbin Road interchange. These state of Illinois funds are crucial as matching funds for the federal dollars that have been allocated for the project. If re-elected, I will continue to make every effort to support a bi-partisan effort with all the stakeholders in Grundy County, including municipalities, business, industry and individuals to ensure that funding is secured.

Q. Should Grundy County take action to preserve open spaces within its borders and, if so, how should it proceed? A. Grundy County should continue its efforts to find ways to preserve open space. The county is presently working on a Unified Development Code that,among other issues, will address clustering and open space relating to rural subdivisions. Additionally, the county should continue to look for ways to protect its streams and rivers. If our natural resources are not protected now, they could be lost to over-development and pollution forever.

Q. What, if anything, should Grundy County do to control rising taxes? A. The county should do everything it can to control its own budget by keeping expenditures and taxes as low as possible. Additionally, the county must continue its efforts to bring new business and industry into the county, while making every effort to retain those businesses that are already here. With additional tax monies from new business and industry, the tax burden on the county's residents could be reduced.

Q. What, if anything, should Grundy County do to promote the continued economic growth of the area? A. The county has been, and should continue to, support and work with the Grundy Economic Development Council and similar organizations that promote Grundy County to perspective developers and businesses. Completion of the Brisbin Road interchange would open hundreds of acres for manufacturing/commercial development, providing an economic boost to Grundy County in terms of jobs, sales taxes and real estate tax revenues that would provide much-needed income to our schools and tax relief to our residents.

Jeremy J. Ly, 23, is an elementary school teacher, currently teaching fourth grade. He is the son of Kathleen and Quay Ly of Minooka and has two sisters, Jennifer Ly, 20, working for Disney College Internship program, and Stephanie Ly, 15, freshman at Minooka Community High School. He is a parishioner of St. Ann's Catholic Church, Channahon; an alumni of Teach For America; and an AmeriCorps volunteer. “As a lifelong area resident, graduate of Minooka Community High School and Illinois State University, and fourth-grade teacher, I decided to seek a county board seat to ensure that Grundy County remains a strong place to grow up and raise a family,” he said. Ly said a younger voice and fresh, new, leadership is needed on the county board. “I've watched our communities boom and we need to make sure our county plans for and works with our various towns to have smart growth.” Q. What should be done to secure additional funding to construct an I-80 interchange at Brisbin Road in Grundy County. A. We need to make sure that we are working with all levels of government - local, state, and federal - in addition to working with the private sector. I am optimistic that we may fare better in garnering federal funds in the next administration, regardless of who wins the presidency, than we have under the current administration. On the state level, the shake-up in Springfield with the retirement of the Senate president may break the log jam and make way for a capital construction plan. The interchange is a vital component in Grundy County's future and long-term development plan.

Q. Should Grundy County take action to preserve open space within its borders and if so, how should we proceed? A. As Grundy County rapidly develops, it is in our best interests to consider how to preserve open space. I realize a forest preserve district has been discussed for Grundy County, however a forest preserve district will create an additional taxing body on your property tax bill and the taxpayers cannot afford another taxing body. Grundy County should work with its different municipalities to come up with a plan to set aside land for parks and open lands. The different towns should and can set aside open spaces in their communities that will only add to the beauty of their town and preserve open spaces for Grundy in turn. We do not need another government mandate that would force us to pay more taxes.

Q. What, if anything, should Grundy County do to control rising taxes? A. As a county board member, I will use my vote to hold the line on taxes and fees. The middle class is suffering from over taxation throughout our state. We cannot do what Cook County did and pile on increasing local taxes. In order to prevent more taxes, we must limit the need for more tax revenue by being responsible with taxpayer money and control our spending. Elected officials need to remember it is your money and not theirs. Q. What if anything, should Grundy County do to promote the continued economic development of the area? A. We need to work with our public-private partnerships and survey the needs of each town specifically in Grundy County. Once we work with the current private and public partnerships, we can put into place a marketing plan to attract the businesses we need to bring jobs to the area and utilize our talented and educated work force here in Grundy County. We need, and the state needs, a capital construction plan passed and signed, which both State Rep. Careen Gordon and State Sen. Gary Dahl have voted for.

Don Neushwander Sr., 78, 1985 Nelson Road, has served on the Grundy County Board for 19 years. Retired, he worked 32 years at Caterpillar in Joliet. He is the father of three adult children. As chairman of the Highway Committee, he is helping to oversee the reconstruction of the highway department buildings and replacement of the truck fleet, which were lost in the devastating fire of Dec. 6, 2007. “We also continue to seek funding for five-lane traffic on Ridge Road,” he said.

Q. What should be done to secure additional funding to construct an I-80 interchange at Brisbin Road in Grundy County. A. I plan to continue to work with state and federal representatives to get the Brisbin Road interchange with Interstate 80 constructed. This will create new jobs and increase tax revenue for the county and open up the land for future industrial and commercial sites.

Q. Should Grundy County take action to preserve open space within its borders and if so, how should we proceed? A. We should do whatever we can to preserve open space for future generations. It would have to be financed through a county-wide referendum to allow the taxpayers to have the choice.

Q. What, if anything, should Grundy County do to control rising taxes? A. Stabilizing tax rates depends on what other taxing districts do. The county only represents 10 to 15 percent of the entire tax rate. The county has no control over the decisions of other taxing districts on their levy, which determines their tax rate. To stabilize the county's portion of the tax rate, we must make sure unnecessary spending does not happen. Our core services like sheriff's protection, highways and court services must operate efficiently. We must also work on projects like the current contract between Dresden Nuclear Power Station and the county, which ensures incremental increases year after year, bringing new revenues to the county.

Q. What if anything, should Grundy County do to promote the continued economic development of the area? A. I plan to continue to support the Grundy Economic Development Council to attract new business and industry to the county. We must also make every effort to keep our present business and industry. I am firmly against any new landfills in Grundy County.

Ron Severson, 60, 2770 W. Gore Road, is a farmer and operates a agriculture radio network. He was elected to the county board in 2002, and was unopposed for re-election in 2004. Severson and his wife, Lois, have two sons. He is a member of the VFW, First Christian Church, Grundy County Farm Bureau, Illinois Polled Hereford and American Herefod Associations.

Q. What should be done to secure additional funding to construct an I-80 interchange at Brisbin Road in Grundy County. A. It is a federal highway and they should get it done. One thing that should not be done is ask Grundy County taxpayers to pay towards the project.

Q. Should Grundy County take action to preserve open space within its borders and if so, how should we proceed? A. Yes. There are two ways. Give voters a chance to vote on developing a conservation district and work with mayors in Grundy County to see if there could be a boundary agreement that would work.

Q. What, if anything, should Grundy County do to control rising taxes? A. Not as much as you would think. Look at your tax bill. The Grundy County portion would probably be less than 10 percent. Labor and insurance costs continue to rise.

Q. What if anything, should Grundy County do to promote the continued economic development of the area? A. We have already approved the first economic development area. I am not in favor of bidding against other counties for companies.