Six of the seven Republicans vying for four Nunda Township trustee seats lobbed charges at one another while touting their own achievements during a recent forum leading up to the primary election on Tuesday.
Incumbents William Boltz, Mike Shorten and Karen Tynis were joined by challengers Debra Heath and Rob and Tim Parrish. Incumbent Ed Dvorak did not attend the event.
Boltz was appointed in 2014 to replace outgoing trustee Ed Gill. The board, Boltz said, had tried its “darnedest to reduce out expenses,” announcing that the township currently had $200,000 in the bank.
Shorten praised Assessor Mark Dzemske, who is running for re-election, lauding his success in cutting the budget by 18 percent. McHenry County representatives stated via a blog, however, that the figure might have been disproportionately high due to a deputy assessor’s position remaining unfilled.
Tynis was appointed to replace Tom Palmer in May 2016. In response to a query about possible consolidation of townships, she said more proof of cost savings was necessary before moving forward. Boltz concurred with Tynis, saying that Nunda Township was working fine independently.
Heath is known for coordinating a weekly food pantry at Township Hall through a local church, according to the McHenry County Blog, and spoke highly of her desire to support the community.
Tim Parrish is a Republican precinct committeeman. On his “For A Better Nunda” campaign site, he credits his upbringing for leading him to public service. His platform centers on cutting “wasteful spending habits” and finding ways to return tax savings to local residents. He praised Shorten for fighting tax hikes, saying, “There’s a sickness in local government in McHenry County … They do just enough to make it seem that they’re doing just enough.”
Rob Parrish, who ran for township highway commissioner in 2013, is a third-generation contractor with family business Parrish Paving and touts his many years of experience in residential, commercial and municipal infrastructure projects for his strong foundation in project management, budgeting and engineering.
“I want … every office to run as efficiently as the assessor’s,” he said.
Most of the candidates were against consolidation and cutting services.
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