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Full Name: Donna Kurtz
What office are you seeking? McHenry County Treasurer
What offices, if any, have you previously held? Previous elected offices are as follows:
Elected as a McHenry County College Trustee from 2005 to 2010. Served as chairman (2006-2007). Elected as McHenry County Board Member from 2010 to 2018. Served as Chairman of Human Services and Vice- Chairman of Finance Committee (2013- 2015).
City: Crystal Lake, IL
Occupation: Independent consultant focusing on financial, IT, and marketing requirements.
Education: BA from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL MBA from the University of Illinois in Springfield, IL. Over this two-year period served in the prestigious Government Public Internship Program (GPSI) as an Auditor for the Illinois State Auditor General.
Previously licensed as a Financial Advisor with a Series 7 designation, as well as licensed and certified in other areas in the financial services industry.
Campaign Website: www.donnakurtz.com
What would be your top three priorities over the next four years?
As McHenry County Treasurer my priorities for the office are as follows:
Work with staff, community, County government, and local units of government in McHenry County to ensure the efficient and economical delivery of services, keep decision-makers informed of considerations impacting taxes, and streamline the Treasurer’s Office to control costs.
Provide structured outreach programs so all McHenry County taxpayers are aware of tax savings they may be entitled to receive.
Protect the integrity of McHenry County’s investments, while seeking the maximum return to help keep property taxes down.
Taxes are a top concern raised by voters locally. What do you do within your position to address residents’ tax burden?
Although the Treasurer’s position does not have the legal authority to directly cut taxes or overall County spending, that is the job of the County Board, there are areas that I will address as Treasurer to improve our county tax environment. This includes:
1. On an ongoing basis I will work with the community, staff, and other elected offices (especially local units of government) to collaborate, optimize, and streamline the Treasurer’s Office to control costs and improve services.
2. I will establish structured outreach programs for all McHenry County taxpayers to ensure that the most financially vulnerable are aware of the tax savings they may be entitled to receive. This can help to keep grandparents in McHenry County to be near their families. It can also provide stability to our tax base so long-time residents on fixed incomes can remain in McHenry County.
3. I will collaborate and communicate with County government officials, both employees and elected officials, to keep decision-makers informed of considerations impacting taxes faced by McHenry County taxpayers.
4. I will effectively manage the risk to protect the integrity of McHenry County’s investments while seeking the maximum return to help keep property taxes low.
If you could redo or reverse any one decision made by the county treasurer in the last four years, what would it be and why?
The current County Treasurer has built an effective team of professionals who consistently deliver high quality services to our taxpayers, local units of government, and County Government. In addition, the Treasurer has developed a robust County Investment Policy that follows the Illinois Public Funds Investment Act (Statute 30 ILCS 235). My objective as Treasurer will be to build upon this strong foundation, and to assess the viability of increasing Illinois specific investments to the County’s investment portfolio as appropriate.
What do you bring to the table that your opponents do not?
Unlike my opponents I bring a genuine record of professional financial management experience, and public service as a fiscal conservative.
Professional & Elected Experience
My first exposure to the government sector was as an Auditor for the Office of the Illinois Auditor General while working on my MBA. Years later I was elected as a McHenry County College Trustee, and then as a McHenry County Board Member. Through these experiences I learned much about government budgeting, tax levies, cutting costs; and the importance of speaking up to serve the public at large.
In the private sector I have over three decades as a corporate manager and a licensed financial advisor. As a licensed Financial Advisor, I managed millions of dollars in investments. As a corporate manager and leader, I managed multi-million-dollar budgets with large teams and staff. In my most recent consulting assignment I worked as a consultant in the banking industry.
Fiscal Conservative
In my government service I have a record as a true fiscal conservative. My practice has been to control spending and reduce costs since this is the first step to responsibly reduce the tax burdens we face.
As an elected official I have focused on representing the best interests of McHenry County taxpayers. This includes successfully challenging numerous spending initiatives to avoid tens of millions in unnecessary capital expenditures, as well as on-going tens of millions in support and maintenance costs. Secondly, I have fought to ensure that tax dollars address the needs that our County faces.
In summary, my mission as McHenry County Treasurer will be to continue appraising the financial value of every resource and dollar managed to create value for the people of McHenry County. I respectfully ask the voters for their support to become their next County Treasurer.