Election 2024 Questionnaire: Zach Bachmann, Kendall County Board District 2

Name: Zach Bachmann

Party: Democrat

What in your professional experience best qualifies you for a seat on the Kendall County Board?

I am a technologist by trade. In my professional career, I have worked on everything from mixed reality interfaces for astronauts to commerce websites for international businesses. I regularly collaborate with diverse casts to deliver solutions to complex problems, and I love being a team player. As a sitting board member, I can say that my professional experience has been uniquely useful for many of the initiatives I am leading, such as relaying the incredibly technical details of our incoming broadband infrastructure project to other board members and the public, as well as building bipartisan solutions, such as Kendall County's first ever public recognition of pride month this past June.

Why are you the better candidate?

I am passionate about public service, and very driven to fight hard and secure real solutions to the challenges our community faces. Serving on the county board is the honor of my life, and the successes of my first term were unprecedented. As Highway Chairman, I doubled the amount of annual funding we contribute to the Kendall County Transporation Alternatives Program (KC-TAP), where our highway department works with municipalities, townships, and park districts to make our space more walkable and ADA-compliant. I also implemented an internal intersection and roadway safety improvement program, where our highway department takes a critical look at the most dangerous intersections and roads in our community and does something about them, with a strong emphasis on taking in feedback from the public. When I ran in 2022, I campaigned on expanding affordable internet access in our county, something that hits home for thousands of our neighbors, and under my leadership, we are solving this in a way that meets our community's needs. In 2 years, I formed the Connect Kendall County Commission (CKCC) and led our team through successful request for proposal, bid selection, and grant application processes, where ultimately I secured $15 Million in public funding for our community-owned, open-access broadband network, that will function as a complete infrastructure upgrade for Kendall County. At the end of the day, elected office is a job, and we should expect our representatives to deliver for you and your family. I've worked harder and delivered more than anyone else on this board as a 26-year-old freshman member, and I'm just getting started.

What do you think are the three biggest challenges Kendall County will face during the next term and what solutions would you propose?

I believe the biggest challenges the county will be facing the next term are property taxes, mental health services, and the need for infrastructure upgrades to address our rapid growth. The solutions I propose are:

Property Taxes: Property taxes are personal, and affect every homeowner in Kendall, including myself. To address this issue, we need to foster strong economic development to offload the pressure of property taxes. To accomplish this, I am leading a broadband infrastructure project that will place this key resource in economic corridors to be the internet provider for incoming businesses and industry.

Mental Health Services: It is no secret that we are in the midst of a mental health crisis. To address this issue, I believe we should continue and expand our support of the Kendall County Health Department and the 708 Mental Health Board. Additionally, we should collaborate with our school districts and municipalities to understand the problems they face and do what we can to work together to bring our residents, especially children, the resources they need.

Infrastructure Upgrades: As you may have heard, Kendall County has grown rapidly since the year 2000. That growth is catching up to us and in some cases, our existing infrastructure is getting pushed to its limit. To address this, we need a strategic vision for our future at the county level. We need to actually implement a strategic plan for infrastructure expansion to meet our growth as it is now and incorporate data into our plans for the future so we can be proactive rather than reactive. From bringing in a much-needed broadband network to supporting critical road expansions such as Ridge Road, as your representative I will continue to champion the change needed for the future of Kendall County.

Why do you want a seat on the board? What goals would you like to accomplish during your term?

I am seeking re-election to build on the accomplishments of my first term, to see through the completion of important projects that I am leading, to continue to push for meaningful infrastructure upgrades, and because I love this job. When re-elected, I will continue to lead the Connect Kendall County project, where in early 2025, we expect to begin the construction of the most significant infrastructure build Kendall County has seen since the roll-out of electricity. I will continue to be active in our strategic planning, in our facility and building upgrades, in our roadway expansion projects (e.g. Ridge Road expansion), in our modernization of our HR department, and in our plans for shared services with townships and municipalities to best use our resources to serve the people we collectively represent. Additionally, I will continue to fight for more transparent practices, the adoption of new and impactful technologies, and interdepartmental collaboration.

Do you believe you can serve your constituents in a bipartisan manner? Why or why not?

Absolutely! I believe that once the votes are in, the county board should function as a unified team, playing to the strengths of our different backgrounds and qualifications, to best serve the community we represent. As the fastest-growing county in Illinois, Kendall faces unique challenges now and in the days ahead, and as such, we need a board that is forward-thinking and driven to meet those challenges with holistic, sustainable solutions, where we build a better future for our residents and improve their quality of life through our services. In my time on the board, I have forged respectful relationships with every board member, and I have worked hard to keep every member up to date on all the initiatives I lead. This is reflected in the posts assigned to me, where as a freshman member, republican leadership on the board made me, a progressive democrat, the Chairman of Highway, and the Chairman of the Connect Kendall County Commission. Further, every initiative I have brought to the board for a vote has received unanimous approval, which is something I am very proud of.

As Kendall County continues to grow in population, what is the best way to address the additional traffic caused by the growth? How can the Kendall County Board prepare the county's infrastructure and help municipalities do the same?

We need strategic planning for our roadways and their needed upgrades. As your Highway Chairman, I am excited about the county's 5-year highway plan that is addressing this important issue, but there is more we can do. When re-elected, I plan on working with our highway department to target roadways that are hit the hardest by our rapid growth, such as Rte 30 and Wolf's crossing, and work with the other operating entities (e.g. municipalities, the state, and townships) to begin a professional traffic study to identify in quantitative terms the significance of the problem we face. With that data in hand, it will be much easier to craft a lasting solution to the problem and secure the funding necessary to get the projects off the ground. For roadway expansions to be done right, they require strong collaboration between parties and smart planning. From there, we can continue to use this formula to succeed with our new partnerships.