RR STAR Candidate Questionnaire

The RR Star requires voter to compare two candidates.  To date neither Mrs. Giesecke nor Mr. Larson have completed the survey.  Mrs. Giesecke was selected to be the second candidate only because two candidates are required to retrieve Bill Pysson’s responses.  To see if the two Republican candidates now have submitted their surveys go to:  http://e-rockford.com/voterguide/

Boone County Board District 1 Choose 2

Choose two candidates from below to compare.

• 

  Sherry Giesecke (Rep)

• 

  Raymond Larson (Rep)

• Bill Pysson (Dem) retired

Bill Pysson (Dem) retired

Sherry Giesecke (Rep)

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Biographical Information

Age 65

Occupation Former teacher, bank auditor, veterans claims examiner, Viet-Nam era veteran.

Family Married Margaret Osbakken (1981); Daughter, Mary Anne, living and working in Chicago. Son, Michael, working in Seattle, WA.

Campaign Address 9592 Denver Drive
Belvidere, Illinois

Campaign Phone (815) 544-5115

Website http://boonecountywatch.blogspot.com/

Email bill.pysson@gmail.com

Education/degrees earned BA in Education, MA in Economics, MBA in Finance

Why are you running for Boone County Board?

Bill Pysson I seek re-election to the Boone County Board because there are many improvements still needed for our county government. The accounting function is criticized each year by our external auditors for not having written procedures. Documentation of vehicle usage, citizen’s complaints and animal kennel occupancy are rudimentary if not, non-existent. Government is a series of checks and balances—the county board controls funding to the elected officials however thorough questioning of their budgets and financial actions does not always occur. The county board makes decisions with too few comparisons regarding costs of our county’s functions versus comparable counties. Revenues have not returned to pre-2008 levels; costs are escalating particularly in the policing and public safety areas. More questions need to be asked for county government to improve.

Friends and neighbors, both Democrats and Republicans, have asked me to run again.

Sherry Giesecke Candidate response is not yet available.

Why should voters vote for you?

Bill Pysson I have a track record of questioning, investigating and taking a stand on issues. I have taken actions to improve county government. The following is a partial list of my accomplishments: Required bidding for county owned farmland. Regular updating of changes in the county code are now available on the county’s website. Staff answering Freedom of Information Requests now have completed the state mandated training. Employees supervised by the County Administrator now have annual written reviews. For the first time in seven years a physical inventory of all county property was taken and a perpetual inventory is being devised. Public disclosure of employee salaries and benefits is made by name rather than position. Voluntary and paid positions in county government are being posted on the county website. I needed help from fellow board members to accomplish these improvements and sometimes there were major obstacles from leadership.There is much more to do. VOTE FOR BILL PYSSON

Sherry Giesecke Candidate response is not yet available.

Do you support larger property setback rules that would allow for wind turbine development in Boone County? Why or why not?

Bill Pysson The wording of the question confuses the issue. The current ordinance only sets the "minimum of minimum" setbacks. Under the ordinance each wind turbine will require a special use permit which will take into account the unique geographic conditions of each turbine and its effect on the health and welfare of our citizens. Each turbine will have individual positioning which under most conditions will greatly exceed the ordinance's minimum setbacks. For more than two years anti-wind forces have attempted to change the stated minimums to much larger setbacks which would effectively outlawed wind turbines in Boone County. I voted "NO" to these larger setbacks. Our current ordinance is designed to use the special use process to insure safe positioning of turbines. Such positioning can occur only when an actual application is received. My position is nearly identical to the recommendation of the professional staff of the Boone County Planning and Zoning Department.