The following is an open letter to Kane County Board members.

This letter will serve to set the record straight regarding allegations wielded against my family and me from our newly elected County Board chairman, Chris Lauzen, and his associates (Feb. 9, Kane County Chronicle). Mr. Lauzen is using these allegations as an attempt to draw your attention away from the real issues affecting this County Board. Never, at any time, has my family, or myself, attempted to gain influence from my position on the Kane County Board.

In 1996, the executive director of the Kane County Forest Preserve District approached the Kenyon family about a parcel of land we owned near South Elgin. The mature oak trees, wet lands and open field would be preserved for generations, if owned by the forest preserve. It was under these conditions that the Kenyon family agreed to sell the land. Then, as the student population of District U-46 outgrew the high schools in the area, the school district looked for land near South Elgin. The parcel that the school district was interested in was large enough, and the Kenyon family was approached by the school board. We were willing to sell that land so that South Elgin children could have their own school. Construction began in 2001. Once started, the district realized that it would need access for sewer and water. The Kenyon family was approached once again for the easement. The easement was freely given to U-46 at no cost. With the new high school and added traffic, a stoplight at Route 25 was needed and the state made it happen. Additional road widening was needed, and again the Kenyon family was asked to cooperate. We did so willingly. A developer bought the land for the state, based upon their previous sale.