Geneva resident Walter Lindwall seeks Democratic nomination for County Board Dist. 11

Geneva resident Walter Lindwall is seeking the Democratic nomination for County Board District 11 in a contested primary June 28.

He is vying with Geneva resident and former Geneva District 304 school board member and substitute teacher Leslie Juby. The primary winner will face the winner of the GOP primary, Brian Jones or Jonathan Bretz.

Lindwall’s previous elected experience is Democratic Precinct Committeeman in Geneva Township and he is currently employed as a teacher’s aide and debate coach, according to his candidate questionnaire.

Lindwall does not support decreasing local taxes, citing the need to fill vacancies and improve services, as the county has a budget surplus, he wrote.

He also supports the Kane County State’s Attorney and Sheriff’s pre-arrest diversion program, as it helps nonviolent offenders to get assistance – in housing, addiction or mental health support.

Lindwall supports strong government ethics laws as “essential to maintaining transparency and the public trust.” He recommended looking at other counties and municipalities for comparison.

To boost local business, Lindwall wrote that the county should push for intergovernmental cooperation between municipalities by launching a task force to promote tourism and economic development.

How Kane County can attract and keep employees, Lindwall wrote that the county should improve their wages and benefits.

“I have committed to working alongside AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) members in improving their contracts and helping fulfill these roles,” Lindwall wrote.

Lindwall would not support an increase in the county’s gas tax and should rely on other ways to increase revenue if needed.

If he were to support a 0.25% or 0.50% retail tax on non-essential purchases, Lindwall wrote that he would need more information on what goods and services would be targeted.

“I believe there here is a way to target services that primarily affect more affluent members of our community, but barring that, most sales taxes are regressive in nature and only serve to burden most citizens,” Lindwall wrote.

If there was additional revenue, he would support it going to social services or investments in electric vehicles, he wrote.

Regarding government transparency, Lindwall wrote that he would improve the county’s communication with its residents, such as the County Clerk’s Office’s website.

Lindwall wrote that he did not support public officials being able to sign non-disclosure agreements with private businesses because it creates “a large amount of uncertainty in the public’s expectations and introduce(s) uncertainty into an elected official’s motivations.”

As to whether he agrees with the county paying the college tuition of a public employee, Lindwall wrote that continuing education benefits are essential for qualified staff and and to improve employees’ skills, “which in turn lead to direct benefits for county residents.”