District 2 Dems focus on Kane board spending

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Updated: March 24, 2012 11:25PM

“No new taxes” started as a Republican catchphrase, but both candidates in the Democratic primary for the open Kane County Board District 2 seat are making it a focus of their campaigns.

“People want to spend money on things we don’t really need, and it just makes taxes go up. I want to get in there and ask why,” said Arthur Velasquez.

“Keeping taxes low affects all the ‘quality of life’ issues. It encourages business growth and creates jobs,” said Theresa Barreiro.

Both Velasquez and Barreiro said they have spent years helping working-class people vote: Barreiro as a precinct committeeman in Aurora and Velasquez as a representative of the International Carpenters Union.

Both also have spent decades working on the sidelines of politics. Barreiro grew up campaigning and fund-raising for her mother, who served on the Kane County Board for nearly 20 years in the 1970s and ’80s. Velasquez’s 40 years as a union official involved him in promoting workers’ rights issues.

And both said that current County Board member James Mitchell’s decision not to run prompted them to throw their hats into the ring for the district, which includes parts of Aurora and North Aurora.

“I love politics. This is something I was raised with. You can’t have a voice if you don’t participate in government,” Barreiro said.

“Since the gentleman is not going to run again, several people have taken the opportunity to get on the board,” noted Velasquez. “We need someone who can replace his (Mitchell’s) leadership role.”

If elected, Velasquez wants to root out what he describes as a “bloated, top-heavy county government loaded with high-priced consultants.”

“So many things the county does is for the benefit of the people. Unfortunately, the economic situation doesn’t let the county do as much as it could,” he said. “The way the county runs alarms me because it’s using so much money on consultants that could be spent on helping residents.”

Barreiro would like to make county government more open to residents by moving some board meetings to evenings.

“The meetings are always held during the day when the public can’t attend because they’re at work. That makes it harder for voters to keep track of what the board is doing,” she said.

She also wants to raise circuit court fees to pay for a proposed $12 million judicial computer system.

“Obviously we need to upgrade the system, but I don’t think we should use RTA (Regional Transportation Authority) sales taxes to pay for it. It’s not right to make commuters pay for improved court services,” she said.

Velasquez wants to rein in the Forest Preserve District’s campaign to buy open space.

“We have an inflated cost of land right now because home values are down. We don’t have to pay that price,” he argued. “If we wait, the price of the land will come down.”

Barreiro said she won’t have concrete ideas on how to improve life in Kane County until she actually gets into office.

“My door will be open to residents. I’m open to all suggestions,” she pledged.