McHenry Times

Head of the McHenry County GOP was discouraged with school board race results following the April 4 election. 

Sandra Salgado, McHenry County Republican Party chairman, told the McHenry Times she was not surprised by the outcome of the race results, especially since many Illinois teachers union-backed candidates were involved. 

"That just motivates us Republicans to work harder next time," Salgado said. 

According to the McHenry County Blog, Illinois teacher union-backed candidates won four of six open seats on the McHenry Grade School District 15 board, including Patrick Miller, Matthew Stauner, Amanda Geyer and Kimberly Qualls.

Mark Jaeger and Eric Sivertsen, candidates on the taxpayer slate, also were elected.

Salgado said despite the election outcome, the county is making positive moves for the future, which the GOP applauds. 

“The county is moving in the right direction by getting involved at all levels of government to discuss and be transparent with tax dollars," she said. "We have had the luxury of being stagnant for too long and the taxing bodies have not only caught us, but far exceed what is acceptable."

This year, McHenry County citizens showed they want to be involved in elections and the future of the county, she said. "This revolt of sorts will continue into the 2018 election.

Voter turnout was low, as often occurs in municipal elections, but some contested races brought voters out in higher numbers than previous elections, she said. In McHenry County, there were 221,003 registered voters, but only 33,151 votes were cast. The total voter turnout was 15 percent, the county reported.

For the future, Salgado believes the Republican Party “has done an outstanding job of educating our citizens on the swollen tax burden present in this county.”

Salgado has been a resident of McHenry County since she was a toddler living with her parents. She currently has an administrative position in Lake County where she manages a $70 million budget and manages payroll and human resources for 580 employees, according to the McHenry County GOP website.