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About Paras
My wife and I chose to raise our family here because Lake County offers everyone a chance to succeed. I'm running for Lake County Board to make sure it stays that way while upholding our values: protecting our environment, supporting small businesses, and keeping our property taxes from rising.
For 17 years, I have worked in healthcare in and around Lake County, including Abbott Laboratories for 10 years, to support patients with Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular conditions, and cancer. I served as a board member for the non-profit Friends for Health, a group dedicated to getting Lake County residents access to the care and medical services they need. I am also a former city planning commissioner where I focused on long-term planning, conservation, and preserving the character of our neighborhoods. Three years ago, residents of Lake Forest, Deerfield, Highland Park, and Bannockburn elected me as a Trustee for West Deerfield Township. In that capacity, I ensure that our local needs—including basic nutrition, employment, and mental health services—are fulfilled, while safeguarding our community’s tax dollars from unchecked spending.
I have an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and an A.B. in Economics from the University of Michigan. In 2007, I met my wife Shruti in Lake Forest. We now live in Highland Park and are proud parents of twins Reya and Eshaan, who recently celebrated their 8th birthday.
Come election time and each day I represent you, you can count on me to be a principled leader and to be your advocate for a fair, productive, and accountable local government.
Priorities
Fiscal Management
A primary role of the County Board is to make sure our tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively. In addition to standing firm against property tax hikes, Paras will evaluate measures to consolidate or dissolve excessive taxing districts to make sure our dollars go directly toward enhancing our everyday lives. As our County Board member, Paras will hold the line on property taxes and be your advocate for fiscal responsibility.
Infrastructure
Lake County needs a long term plan for investing in our infrastructure needs. Paras will work with our local, state, and federal governments to ensure that Lake County receives the funding we need to maintain a clean, strong, and safe infrastructure. As our County Board member, Paras will make sure our community stays safe with a multi-year plan to improve our paths, roads, and transportation investments.
Ethics and Accountability
With the leadership change in 2018, the County Board has really improved transparency and government ethics, and there's more we can do to keep moving in that direction. Paras is committed to working with our state legislators to rein in the amount of excessive campaign contributions being funneled into our local elections. Local government should be accountable to you! As our County Board member, Paras will never solicit or accept contributions from county employees or anyone seeking favors from our local government.
Environment
Environmental protection starts here at home. Our district enjoys a beautiful array of Open Lands and nature preserves, and Paras will ensure that the work of hundreds of local volunteers to restore and maintain these lands is protected. Paras will also fight for greater investments in stormwater management projects in response to the persistent and unprecedented flooding in our district. Paras knows that the consequences of climate change are affecting our district, and that we must follow the science. There's a lot we can do to combat climate change at a local level—Paras is committed to moving Lake County toward 100% clean energy. As our County Board member, Paras will help make Lake County greener and cleaner. And that is why the Sierra Club - the most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States - has endorsed Paras to be our next County Board member.
Jobs and Business Retention
Recently, some of our local businesses have faced new challenges. It's especially important to support and stand with our small business owners. As your Lake County Board member, Paras will work with employers and the local chambers of commerce to support, attract, and retain businesses of all sizes in our community.
Racial Equity
In Lake County, one out of every four African Americans lives in poverty – significantly more than other communities. African American residents make up less than 10% of the county population but represent a far larger percentage of those arrested and jailed. The Lake County board must act to address these long-standing inequities. Achieving this means working to rebuild confidence in our criminal justice system, supporting economic growth and small businesses, prioritizing the quality of life of these residents by addressing excessive pollution, lack of green spaces, school funding, and affordable housing, and addressing all bias in hiring and career advancement. Prioritizing the compounded impact of these racial injustices will be at the center of policy and budgeting issues that I address as your next Lake County Board member.
Our District
Lake County Board's 12th district includes most of Lake Forest, all of Knollwood, and parts of Deerfield, Highland Park, and Bannockburn.
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