Kane County Board chairman to seek state Senate post

Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay formally announced her plans today to run for the Illinois State Senate next year.

At a midday kickoff in West Dundee, McConnaughay said she will seek the Republican nomination for the 33rd District, a newly drawn district that will not have an incumbent within its boundaries.

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She said she planned on bringing lessons she learned in a 20-year career in local politics to Springfield, and said she hoped to be a positive voice for limited, responsible government in tough economic times.

“There aren’t enough people who talk about what can be,” McConnaughay said later Wednesday in a phone interview.

Pension reform, reduced borrowing and consolidating duplicative areas of government will be major areas of emphasis, she said.

“I’ll fight every day for smaller and smarter state government,” she said.

The St. Charles resident was elected to the Kane County Board in 1992. She was elected chairman in 2004 and won re-election in 2008. Like most units of government, Kane County has been forced to reduce spending over the last several years, but McConnaughay said the county is on firm financial footing.

“I feel very confident this is a good time to pass of the reins to new ideas and energy,” said McConnaughay, who said she will fulfill her term as chairman, which expires in January 2013.