Election

Dan Kordik, DuPage County Board 2022 Primary Election Questionnaire

Election 2024
DuPage County Board candidate Dan Kordik

Full Name: Dan Kordik

What office are you seeking? DuPage County Board Member -- District 2

What offices, if any, have you previously held? Villa Park Elementary School District 45 Board of Education Member (1988-1995), First elected as Republican Precinct Committeeman in 1994 and served continuously since then including a term as Chairman of the York Township Republicans, York Township Clerk (2005-2021).

City: Oak Brook

Occupation: Attorney/Small Business Owner/Founder of Kordik Law Firm in Elmhurst

Education: Law Degree from the University of Illinois College of Law

Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Passed CPA Exam Graduate of Elmhurst Public Schools and York High School

Campaign Website: www.VoteKordik.com

What steps should DuPage County health and sheriff’s departments take to prevent opioid addiction and overdose?

The DuPage Narcan Program is a collaborative effort between not only the health and sheriff’s department, but also with the Coroner, State’s Attorney and chiefs of police. The County should continue to increase access to evidence- based care, education and training for first responders and the community in general. Community trainings stopped due to pandemic concerns, but should resume.

What is your opinion of the county board’s actions and initiatives since Democrats assumed control of the board two years ago?

Based upon my own observations, I am concerned that the Democrats elected to the County Board have demonstrated a more Chicago/Cook County philosophy on crime and government. The County Board’s Legislative Committee should fight to repeal the so called Safe-T Act which eliminated cash bail and will hamstring the DuPage County Sheriff in his inmate reform initiatives since with no cash bail, arrestees will have to be let back out on the street with no opportunity to obtain the help they need. Voter integrity is at the foundation of our democracy. The Democrats on the Board were wrong to deny a request to fund the auditor’s request for a vote recount when clear errors in the vote counting process were found drawing the election result into serious question. Governmental spending has increased since the Democrats assumed control of the board trending to a philosophy of more government involvement instead of less government involvement. I cringe at the thought of DuPage County becoming more like Chicago and Cook County. My parents moved to DuPage County in 1962 to escape from Chicago’s crime and poor schools for better opportunities for themselves and their children. We don’t need to go backwards and turn DuPage County into a Cook County West.

Do you support the merger of additional county offices/departments?

Yes particularly where such mergers eliminate duplication of services that can be more efficiently and cost-effectively run after such mergers

What are your overall thoughts of the sheriff’s department’s job performance?

The Sheriff’s Department and the DuPage County Sheriff are a model not only for our State and Counties, but for our nation. In addition to the reform initiatives set forth above, the Sheriff’s de-escalation tactics when responding to crimes or situations in progress is exemplary. During Sheriff Mendrick’s tenure, there has not been a single complaint of excessive use of force by Sheriff’s officers. I give the Sheriff and his Department the highest possible rating.

The county sheriff has taken several initiatives to help reform inmates (tattoo removal services, gardening classes, job placement). What other initiatives would you like to see in an effort to reform inmates?

I would support additional initiatives sought by the Sheriff as he sees fit to request based upon the successes he has already had with the aforementioned.

DuPage County recently provided the DuPageFoundation$10.6 million for a grant program designed to support nonprofit organizations that address food and housing insecurity, mental health and substance use issues. Discuss the county’s role to further tackle these issues.

I support County’s assistance for the specific uses referenced. With regard to mental health issues, several townships have sought to create their own mental health departments greatly increasing their tax rates. I oppose the establishment of township mental health departments creating more government and significant corresponding tax increases associated therewith, and believe that the issue is best addressed at the County and State level.

Assess the DuPage County Health Department’s actions to combat COVID-19.

While it is easy to pass judgment after the fact, I will not second guess the Department’s actions in what was a constantly evolving situation. Moving forward however, as a County, I would oppose any further shutdowns of businesses and our lives. We have learned a lot about COVID19 and need to learn to live with it addressing the inevitable new variants as they come.

What changes, if any, need to be made related to the pandemic?

No more mass government mandated shutdowns of businesses and therefore no more government bailout payments caused by government in the first place by imposing shutdowns and moratoriums.

What actions can the DuPage County Board take to minimize the tax burden on residents while not sacrificing services?

In this post worst of the pandemic time period, the Board needs to guard against providing new services without the elimination of other less necessary services. I oppose

How would you encourage economic and employment growth within DuPage County?

Allow the free market system of supply and demand to operate free from the the disruption of government mandated mass shutdowns of businesses, foster an economic system that makes it more beneficial for workers to work instead of not work, provide excellent schools and educational opportunities recognizing the rights of parents to have input into their children’s curriculum and education, and encouraging more students who may not necessarily be college bound to go into the trades.

Do you think there is a local crime problem? If so, what needs to be done about it?

Yes, but more than half of those in the DuPage County Jail for car-jacking and violent crimes are from Chicago and Cook County. What needs to be done is to give law enforcement and the State’s Attorney’s Office the tools to arrest, incarcerate, rehabilitate and prosecute, affording all due and fair legal process. The State needs to repeal “no cash bond” and needs to maintain qualified immunity for police officers. The Cook County State’s Attorney needs to do a better job in prosecuting crime to keep it from spreading here. Further, local businesses must be encouraged to report and pursue prosecution of crimes which requirement can be made enforceable through ordinance or licensing, as opposed to not wanting to be bothered by the inconvenience of a prosecution. As a County Board Member, I will make public safety my number one budget priority.

What local road and bridge projects should be a priority to get done in the county?

Given the long-term planning and study that goes into such projects which also take regional needs into such consideration , I would not substitute my judgment for those of our engineers and planning professionals but would welcome public input.

Do you support decreasing local property taxes? If so, how would the county make up the difference?

Yes. Greater revenues being generated by sales taxes with rising prices, inflation not seen in 40 years, and real estate values all going up significantly, could allow decreasing local property taxes at this time. The County could make up the difference with the increased revenues being generated by the above.

Do you support stronger county government ethics laws? What measures do you support?

The DuPage County Ethics Ordinance enacted in 2012 is a strong ordinance. I support continued enforcement and encourage the County Auditor to root out any unethical acts and behavior.

What are your thoughts on the Illinois Freedom of Information Act?

I wholeheartedly agree with the concept that citizens are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of their government and that access to public records promotes accountability and transparency in government. As the York Township Clerk, I served as the FOIA Officer for the Township from 2005-2021 and never had a single complaint made to the Attorney General’s Office regarding a FOIA request or response.

Please state your plan to maintain government transparency.

DuPage County does an excellent job to maintain government transparency. I plan to continue to make the County’s “checkbook” and compensation of employees available online. However, one area of improvement that I plan to make is to make it easier for the public to search how a particular board member voted on a particular agenda issue. Try searching on the County’s website for the roll call vote when the County Board voted to double the County gasoline tax rate--a better search engine is needed.

What would you push for as a member of county government to boost local businesses?

Back in the 80′s, I turned down higher offers of employment from law firms in Chicago to work instead in my native DuPage County. When I started my own business in 1994, I consciously chose to open my own law firm in Elmhurst in DuPage County. As an active member of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce, and drawing upon my over quarter century of operating my own DuPage County business, I would boost local businesses not with government subsidies, but by opposing government mandates and shutdowns, and allowing business to grow under the free market system.

Should government employees and officials be allowed to sign non- disclosure agreements with private businesses?

While I recognize that private businesses have legitimate proprietary, trade secret, inventive, and a competitive business need to maintain confidentiality in good faith negotiations with governmental entities, such agreements go against the principles of transparency and government accountability. There should be a requirement that after a certain time period has passed, that any such non- disclosure agreement be made public.

Would you push for or against government officials and employees being allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements with private businesses?

It would depend upon the nature of the business and agreement. See prior answer.