WEBVTT
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Twenty twenty six election questionnaire Chris Lowsen, Kane County Treasurer,
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00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:16.519
Written by Marcus Jackson. This article is being read by
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00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:23.480
an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. The name
4
00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:29.760
Chris Lousen. What office are you seeking reelection to Kane
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00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:35.000
County treasure What is your political party? The candidate did
6
00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:37.840
not answer. What is your current age? Seventy three, occupation
7
00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:43.119
and employer treasure Kane County. What offices, if any, have
8
00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:47.079
you previously held? Illinois State Senator nineteen ninety three, twenty twelve,
9
00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:50.320
Kine County Board Chairman twenty twelve, twenty twenty, Kane County
10
00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:53.960
Treasurer twenty twenty two, Present city Lifelong, Aurora at Kane
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County Resident campaign website www. Dot al Loousen dot com.
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Education Duke University, Bachelor of Arts in English and Management
13
00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:07.480
Science with honors, Harvard Business School, Masters of Business Administration,
14
00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:10.799
Certified Public Accountants CPA through testing by University of Illinois.
15
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Community Involvement, Public office service mayal status immediate family, happily
16
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married to Sarah for forty five years, four sons, married,
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with families, eight grandchildren. I enjoy working for you as
18
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County Treasurer. Our team has demonstrated that we produce excellent
19
00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:33.959
results together. The promises I made when I was elected
20
00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:37.680
Treasurer have been kept and expectations exceeded. County interest income
21
00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.840
has been increased from roughly two dollars m budgeted twenty
22
00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:44.400
twenty three to more than twenty million dollars annually. We
23
00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:47.760
sympathetically and effectively collect one point six billion dollars in
24
00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:51.640
annual property taxes without incident. We save taxpayers over six
25
00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:54.959
hundred thousand dollars by replacing the county's operating bank contract
26
00:01:55.000 --> 00:02:00.000
that hadn't gone out for competitive bid for twenty two years.
27
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:03.120
Result we have delivered is backed by audited financial statements
28
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:06.840
anyone can review. Monthly accounting of investments, income and collections
29
00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:10.120
are completely transparent because they're reconciled to the penny and
30
00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.719
are published monthly on county website under Finance Committee Reports.
31
00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:18.199
I am running for a final term as Treasurer to
32
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complete this work and to manage an important transition. Four
33
00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:25.240
members of our staff, with a combined one hundred and
34
00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:28.800
thirteen years of experience, will be retiring in the coming years.
35
00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:32.080
Their replacements must be recruited trained and brought to full
36
00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:37.680
speed to ensure continuity and reliability in this office. This
37
00:02:37.719 --> 00:02:40.520
is not an easy task. The consequences of failure would
38
00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:43.800
be crippling to county operations. I have the proven experience, systems,
39
00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.960
and discipline to ensure the Treasurer's Office remain stable, professional,
40
00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:52.919
and highly qualified for an entire next generation. Maintain record setting,
41
00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:57.479
national award winning returns on county investments. I am committed
42
00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:01.840
to managing Kane County's investments carefully and responsibly to maximize
43
00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:09.039
returns while protecting principal and adequate liquidity. Through disciplined investment strategies,
44
00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:11.919
the Treasurer's office has already earned tens of millions more
45
00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:16.240
than projected an interest income, strengthening county finances without mandatory
46
00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:19.800
increases in the tax burden on families. Strong reserves that
47
00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:22.360
were built while I served as elected County Board chairman
48
00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:25.599
helped keep county property taxes stable and protected the county
49
00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:32.719
during economic uncertainty, improve services for taxpayers, sympathetically and effectively
50
00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:35.479
collect one tower six B from one dining nine thousand
51
00:03:35.479 --> 00:03:39.360
plus property taxpayers and distribute those funds to two hundred
52
00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:45.439
and seventy local taxing districts. Good financial management should make
53
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government work better for people. As treasure I support best
54
00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:56.879
practices that one return unclaimed county and state property to
55
00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:02.439
its rightful owners. Two, maximize the available taxpayer exemptions and deductions.
56
00:04:04.360 --> 00:04:11.280
Three reduce financial losses from vacant or underutilized properties. Peter
57
00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:16.439
Blot promote financial literacy and understanding across Kane County. Serve
58
00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:20.879
as spending watchdog. Taxpayers deserve to know where their money
59
00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:25.600
goes and how it is managed. As Treasurer, I work
60
00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:29.399
to ensure transparency, accountability, and clear reporting so residents, schools,
61
00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:31.920
and local government can trust that public funds are handled
62
00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:36.240
properly and distributed accurately. I am firmly anti tax increases
63
00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:42.040
one yes, two no. Three. It is important to understand
64
00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:44.879
that the Treasure's office is a net positive contributor to
65
00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:48.000
the county budget, not a net expense. In addition to
66
00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:50.439
millions and millions of interest income earned during the past
67
00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:53.279
three and a half years, we annually generate hundreds of
68
00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:59.120
thousands in more revenue than expenses. Four. Significant deficiencies have
69
00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:03.560
been corrected in the past three and a half years. Yes,
70
00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:06.120
interest rates were lower, However they did nothing about a
71
00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:09.079
county staff member buying lower paying, tax free municipal bonds
72
00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:11.680
when we don't pay taxes as a government at the
73
00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:13.959
truff of low interest rates. They locked us into low
74
00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:16.839
rates by buying longer term three four year maturity bonds
75
00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:19.920
and allowed three brokerage firms to pluck us for commissions
76
00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:22.920
and executions like a Christmas goose under the suitability standards
77
00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:28.839
in state statutes. Instead, I immediately initiated a Request for
78
00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:33.560
Proposals RFP to replace these brokers with expert specialists who
79
00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:38.000
manage investments under the much higher fiduciary standard and charge
80
00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:40.920
a flat fee of one tannel one penny per year.
81
00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:46.360
The results have been a record setting national award winning
82
00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:51.360
tenfold improvements, totaling of seventy thousand dollars more interest income
83
00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:55.920
for county taxpayers. I must add for the record that
84
00:05:55.959 --> 00:05:59.959
the Chronicles coverage of these efforts bordered on scandalously inaccurate
85
00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:03.040
and potentially self serving, with the headline first American Bank
86
00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:05.720
fires Kane County false and with at least one of
87
00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:09.040
the Chronicle's own banks being the replaced First American Bank
88
00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:14.120
possible bias. A pie chart showing to what agencies. Each
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00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:18.199
taxpayer's taxes go telephone numbers to the people who have
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00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:24.519
decided increases decreases, postal tracking for outgoing bills and incoming payments,
91
00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:31.879
transition to electronic transmissions email paperless option. It has made
92
00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:35.079
necessary for me to correct the public record far more
93
00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:38.120
often than I would have preferred, based on the accurate
94
00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:41.920
information contained in the county's annual audit and comprehensive financial
95
00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:45.519
reports admitted to the State of Illinois under the penalty
96
00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:50.680
of perjury. Examples of material misstatements made to the public
97
00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:53.079
from board members to the public without correction were no
98
00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:55.319
property tax increased for FY twenty one and f Y
99
00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:58.560
twenty two false, no new tax revenues to the county
100
00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.000
for ten years despite millions of more tax revenue from
101
00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.000
State of Illinois, significantly understated expense increases shown to the
102
00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.399
public when the preliminary budgets have been put on display, etc.
103
00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:12.279
It is any organization's treasurer's responsibility to speak up and
104
00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:17.399
at least try to correct inaccurate financial information given to constituents, taxpayers, shareholders,
105
00:07:17.480 --> 00:07:22.720
and or clients regarding interest earned and returned on investment.
106
00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:25.240
I published monthly on the Kine County website under the
107
00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:28.680
Finance Committee, reports every penny of every investment instrument and
108
00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:32.079
every penny of every earnings on those investments, so it
109
00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:36.720
is not possible to be more transparent. However, I am
110
00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:41.480
working on a new and improved property tax bill, which
111
00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:43.759
will include a pie chart on the face of every
112
00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:47.639
taxpayer's bill showing where their money goes, and telephone numbers
113
00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:52.240
for those policymakers who decide how much to tax. I
114
00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:55.279
have run as a staunch fiscal conservative in the Republican
115
00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:59.279
Party since nineteen ninety two. Kine County taxpayers are taxed
116
00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:02.879
too much. You can spend the money that you earn
117
00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:07.360
and save better than government can spend that money. I
118
00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:10.120
have built a reputation for independent thought and respect for
119
00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:14.160
conscientious Democrat colleagues. There has been no change in political
120
00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:15.879
affiliation during my service.
1
00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.880
Twenty twenty six election questionnaire Chris Lowsen, Kane County Treasurer,
2
00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:16.519
Written by Marcus Jackson. This article is being read by
3
00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:23.480
an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. The name
4
00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:29.760
Chris Lousen. What office are you seeking reelection to Kane
5
00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:35.000
County treasure What is your political party? The candidate did
6
00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:37.840
not answer. What is your current age? Seventy three, occupation
7
00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:43.119
and employer treasure Kane County. What offices, if any, have
8
00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:47.079
you previously held? Illinois State Senator nineteen ninety three, twenty twelve,
9
00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:50.320
Kine County Board Chairman twenty twelve, twenty twenty, Kane County
10
00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:53.960
Treasurer twenty twenty two, Present city Lifelong, Aurora at Kane
11
00:00:54.000 --> 00:01:00.520
County Resident campaign website www. Dot al Loousen dot com.
12
00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:03.719
Education Duke University, Bachelor of Arts in English and Management
13
00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:07.480
Science with honors, Harvard Business School, Masters of Business Administration,
14
00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:10.799
Certified Public Accountants CPA through testing by University of Illinois.
15
00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:17.519
Community Involvement, Public office service mayal status immediate family, happily
16
00:01:17.560 --> 00:01:20.640
married to Sarah for forty five years, four sons, married,
17
00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:25.599
with families, eight grandchildren. I enjoy working for you as
18
00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:29.200
County Treasurer. Our team has demonstrated that we produce excellent
19
00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:33.959
results together. The promises I made when I was elected
20
00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:37.680
Treasurer have been kept and expectations exceeded. County interest income
21
00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.840
has been increased from roughly two dollars m budgeted twenty
22
00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:44.400
twenty three to more than twenty million dollars annually. We
23
00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:47.760
sympathetically and effectively collect one point six billion dollars in
24
00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:51.640
annual property taxes without incident. We save taxpayers over six
25
00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:54.959
hundred thousand dollars by replacing the county's operating bank contract
26
00:01:55.000 --> 00:02:00.000
that hadn't gone out for competitive bid for twenty two years.
27
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:03.120
Result we have delivered is backed by audited financial statements
28
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:06.840
anyone can review. Monthly accounting of investments, income and collections
29
00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:10.120
are completely transparent because they're reconciled to the penny and
30
00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.719
are published monthly on county website under Finance Committee Reports.
31
00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:18.199
I am running for a final term as Treasurer to
32
00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:22.599
complete this work and to manage an important transition. Four
33
00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:25.240
members of our staff, with a combined one hundred and
34
00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:28.800
thirteen years of experience, will be retiring in the coming years.
35
00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:32.080
Their replacements must be recruited trained and brought to full
36
00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:37.680
speed to ensure continuity and reliability in this office. This
37
00:02:37.719 --> 00:02:40.520
is not an easy task. The consequences of failure would
38
00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:43.800
be crippling to county operations. I have the proven experience, systems,
39
00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.960
and discipline to ensure the Treasurer's Office remain stable, professional,
40
00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:52.919
and highly qualified for an entire next generation. Maintain record setting,
41
00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:57.479
national award winning returns on county investments. I am committed
42
00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:01.840
to managing Kane County's investments carefully and responsibly to maximize
43
00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:09.039
returns while protecting principal and adequate liquidity. Through disciplined investment strategies,
44
00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:11.919
the Treasurer's office has already earned tens of millions more
45
00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:16.240
than projected an interest income, strengthening county finances without mandatory
46
00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:19.800
increases in the tax burden on families. Strong reserves that
47
00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:22.360
were built while I served as elected County Board chairman
48
00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:25.599
helped keep county property taxes stable and protected the county
49
00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:32.719
during economic uncertainty, improve services for taxpayers, sympathetically and effectively
50
00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:35.479
collect one tower six B from one dining nine thousand
51
00:03:35.479 --> 00:03:39.360
plus property taxpayers and distribute those funds to two hundred
52
00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:45.439
and seventy local taxing districts. Good financial management should make
53
00:03:45.479 --> 00:03:50.439
government work better for people. As treasure I support best
54
00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:56.879
practices that one return unclaimed county and state property to
55
00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:02.439
its rightful owners. Two, maximize the available taxpayer exemptions and deductions.
56
00:04:04.360 --> 00:04:11.280
Three reduce financial losses from vacant or underutilized properties. Peter
57
00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:16.439
Blot promote financial literacy and understanding across Kane County. Serve
58
00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:20.879
as spending watchdog. Taxpayers deserve to know where their money
59
00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:25.600
goes and how it is managed. As Treasurer, I work
60
00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:29.399
to ensure transparency, accountability, and clear reporting so residents, schools,
61
00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:31.920
and local government can trust that public funds are handled
62
00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:36.240
properly and distributed accurately. I am firmly anti tax increases
63
00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:42.040
one yes, two no. Three. It is important to understand
64
00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:44.879
that the Treasure's office is a net positive contributor to
65
00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:48.000
the county budget, not a net expense. In addition to
66
00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:50.439
millions and millions of interest income earned during the past
67
00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:53.279
three and a half years, we annually generate hundreds of
68
00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:59.120
thousands in more revenue than expenses. Four. Significant deficiencies have
69
00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:03.560
been corrected in the past three and a half years. Yes,
70
00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:06.120
interest rates were lower, However they did nothing about a
71
00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:09.079
county staff member buying lower paying, tax free municipal bonds
72
00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:11.680
when we don't pay taxes as a government at the
73
00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:13.959
truff of low interest rates. They locked us into low
74
00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:16.839
rates by buying longer term three four year maturity bonds
75
00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:19.920
and allowed three brokerage firms to pluck us for commissions
76
00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:22.920
and executions like a Christmas goose under the suitability standards
77
00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:28.839
in state statutes. Instead, I immediately initiated a Request for
78
00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:33.560
Proposals RFP to replace these brokers with expert specialists who
79
00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:38.000
manage investments under the much higher fiduciary standard and charge
80
00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:40.920
a flat fee of one tannel one penny per year.
81
00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:46.360
The results have been a record setting national award winning
82
00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:51.360
tenfold improvements, totaling of seventy thousand dollars more interest income
83
00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:55.920
for county taxpayers. I must add for the record that
84
00:05:55.959 --> 00:05:59.959
the Chronicles coverage of these efforts bordered on scandalously inaccurate
85
00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:03.040
and potentially self serving, with the headline first American Bank
86
00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:05.720
fires Kane County false and with at least one of
87
00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:09.040
the Chronicle's own banks being the replaced First American Bank
88
00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:14.120
possible bias. A pie chart showing to what agencies. Each
89
00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:18.199
taxpayer's taxes go telephone numbers to the people who have
90
00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:24.519
decided increases decreases, postal tracking for outgoing bills and incoming payments,
91
00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:31.879
transition to electronic transmissions email paperless option. It has made
92
00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:35.079
necessary for me to correct the public record far more
93
00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:38.120
often than I would have preferred, based on the accurate
94
00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:41.920
information contained in the county's annual audit and comprehensive financial
95
00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:45.519
reports admitted to the State of Illinois under the penalty
96
00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:50.680
of perjury. Examples of material misstatements made to the public
97
00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:53.079
from board members to the public without correction were no
98
00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:55.319
property tax increased for FY twenty one and f Y
99
00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:58.560
twenty two false, no new tax revenues to the county
100
00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:01.000
for ten years despite millions of more tax revenue from
101
00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.000
State of Illinois, significantly understated expense increases shown to the
102
00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.399
public when the preliminary budgets have been put on display, etc.
103
00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:12.279
It is any organization's treasurer's responsibility to speak up and
104
00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:17.399
at least try to correct inaccurate financial information given to constituents, taxpayers, shareholders,
105
00:07:17.480 --> 00:07:22.720
and or clients regarding interest earned and returned on investment.
106
00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:25.240
I published monthly on the Kine County website under the
107
00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:28.680
Finance Committee, reports every penny of every investment instrument and
108
00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:32.079
every penny of every earnings on those investments, so it
109
00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:36.720
is not possible to be more transparent. However, I am
110
00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:41.480
working on a new and improved property tax bill, which
111
00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:43.759
will include a pie chart on the face of every
112
00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:47.639
taxpayer's bill showing where their money goes, and telephone numbers
113
00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:52.240
for those policymakers who decide how much to tax. I
114
00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:55.279
have run as a staunch fiscal conservative in the Republican
115
00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:59.279
Party since nineteen ninety two. Kine County taxpayers are taxed
116
00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:02.879
too much. You can spend the money that you earn
117
00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:07.360
and save better than government can spend that money. I
118
00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:10.120
have built a reputation for independent thought and respect for
119
00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:14.160
conscientious Democrat colleagues. There has been no change in political
120
00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:15.879
affiliation during my service.
