restore common sense

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I grew up in a working-class household where my parents taught me the value of hard work,

fiscal responsibility, and community service early in life. These principles have shaped my life

and guided every decision. It’s why I became an educator—to help the next generation and

families succeed—and it’s a driving force behind why I’m running for Lake County Board.

I witnessed working families who were struggling to get by, making the tough decisions on

whether they buy more groceries or clothes for school. It’s a reality for so many of our

neighbors and those looking to set their family roots here in Lake County. In order to make this

a place where those working families can call home, we need leaders who prioritize making it

more affordable.

Our County Board has lost sight of serving the everyday people who make up our communities.

Instead of choosing Lake County, families, businesses, and builders are forced to go to McHenry

County or Wisconsin where they are welcomed with open arms. Lake County has become a

place only for the wealthy, and not working families and those who have long rooted family

history here.

We need a leader who will be the voice for common sense and reason, and who will go to bat

for the people who elected them to serve.

The cost of living is already too high in Lake County. Families are paying more for groceries, utilities, insurance, housing, and property taxes. County government shouldn't make it even more expensive to live here. I will work to eliminate wasteful spending and fight tax increases that cost working families.

Too often, the County Board focuses on new programs, consultants, mandates, and regulations without giving enough consideration to what those decisions ultimately cost residents.

We've seen proposals to subsidize electric vehicles for county employees. The county's Diversity Board has discussed hiring an outside consultant costing more than $100,000 a year. New residential fire-sprinkler requirements can add significant costs to constructing a home, and the County Board has adopted bird-friendly building requirements that can further increase construction costs.

Individually, government may have an argument for each new program or regulation. But families don't pay their bills individually. It all comes out of the same household budget.

Every new mandate that makes a home more expensive to build contributes to the affordability problem. Every unnecessary consultant is money that can't be spent fixing roads or providing core services. Every additional tax or fee means less money for groceries, childcare, retirement, or a child's future.

That's the standard I will bring to the County Board: before government spends another dollar or imposes another mandate, we should ask whether it addresses a core county responsibility and whether the benefit is worth the cost to residents.

I will oppose unnecessary tax increases, scrutinize outside consulting and vendor contracts, and work with businesses, builders, and local communities to identify regulations that unnecessarily increase the cost of housing and doing business in Lake County.

Instead of continually adding new programs and expenses, I want to prioritize the things residents actually depend on county government to deliver: safe and well-maintained roads, public safety, effective health and court services, responsible land use, and essential infrastructure.

Working families are already making difficult choices around their kitchen tables. County government should be doing the same thing with their tax dollars: prioritize what we need, eliminate what we don't, and stop making it more expensive to call Lake County home.

Lake County government should focus first on the basic services residents rely on every day. That means maintaining our roads and infrastructure, protecting public safety, providing effective health and court services, and making sure residents receive value for the taxes they already pay.

Too often, county government makes it harder and more expensive to live, build, and do business here by adding new mandates, regulations, and layers of bureaucracy. Builders and businesses shouldn't have to navigate unnecessary requirements that add months to a project, increase costs, and ultimately make housing and doing business in Lake County more expensive.

Good government doesn't need to be involved in everything. Before creating another program, regulation, or initiative, the County Board should ask a simple question: is this a core responsibility of county government, and does it make life better for the residents we're here to serve?

I will work to reduce unnecessary government overreach, streamline permitting and regulations, and keep our resources focused on the services that have the greatest impact on residents' everyday lives. I will also push for greater transparency so taxpayers can more easily see where their money is going and hold their elected officials accountable for how it is spent.

My priority is simple: do the basics well, spend taxpayer dollars responsibly, and make county government work better for the people who pay for it

 As someone who has a deep appreciation for the Chain O’Lakes, I know how important these bodies of water are to our community and economy, and we must protect Lake County’s beauty while remaining fiscally-responsible. One of the biggest concerns right now in our district is the dumping of sewage into the lakes. At this rate, future generations won’t be able to spend their summer months on the lake, and restaurants and businesses around the lakes that employ thousands of Lake County residents would have to close. Current incumbent Linda Pedersen has been working on solving this issue for some time now, and it’s a massive project. I will pick up where she leaves off at the end of her term and finish the work she has started.

We need to continue having leadership on the County Board from the area advocating for our community on the County Board. I will advocate to start building the infrastructure needed for a sewage plant so we can responsibly begin cleaning up our lakes and ensure our residents are living in clean, safe environments.

Please vote for me, John Muellner, for Lake County Board so I can restore common sense and make Lake County more affordable for working families by eliminating wasteful spending, refocusing our government to prioritize basic services, and protecting our county’s natural beauty in a fiscally-responsible way.