By Judy Kanel
I was honored to be present at the Kane County Board meeting Tuesday, May 12. The resolution that piqued my interest was the same topic that is being discussed and possibly voted on in regard to Res: #120-175. After a well-thought out presentation from Rich Nagel, editor of Kane County Connects urging transparency, Board member Theresa Barreiro put forth a motion to table the original resolution and it was legally passed.
Kane County Connects is a newsletter put out from the County that discusses what is happening in our County. That is what they did successfully until the landscape changed. Now we are in a new day dealing with a Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) that is sweeping our County in ways that would have been unthinkable a year ago. Kane County Connects has been for many residents, a trusted source of information.
The numbers of COVID-19 cases: Active, recovery and deaths all are under the microscope of the utmost importance. Barbara Jeffers, director of the Kane County Health Department reports on active cases. Rob Russell, Kane County Coroner reports on deaths regarding COVID-19. And then Nagel reports in the Kane County Connects. Why shouldn’t our citizens have all forms of reporting? Kane County Connects is the newsletter that citizens can get all their information. Fox Valley Board chairman Chris Lauzen would prefer that coroner Russell stop with reporting his numbers, that Nagel would stop reporting these numbers in the Kane County Connects.
The argument is that the Health Department does not have the same numbers that is erroneous and demeaning to the departments as well as our citizens who do have, despite Lauzen’s belief, the ability to disseminate information. To tell the coroner to keep the death data on his website alone is insulting. Our citizens have come to rely on the Kane County Connects, especially during these times. Our need for daily information is not only crucial but comforting that the County has their best interests at heart.
All over this Nation county health departments must adjust their numbers repeatedly. Let us have our County be exemplary. Coroner Russell’s reports should be reported on daily in real time. They should be allowed to be printed in Kane County Connects and the Kane Health Department can take these numbers and address their weekly data. There is nothing wrong with that. But to have a chairman to consistently take umbrage at the Coroner’s duty and now Kane County Connects, is not only censuring information, but is wrong to have him control everything!