1. Why did you decide to run for trustee? I was first asked by Mayor Cross to fill a vacant two-year term. As the end of that term came closer, I decided to run again as we were making progress on many fronts, and I wanted to continue to be a change agent for our community. During my tenure, the Board has made significant accomplishments:
I am now running for my 3rd term because, while I’m proud of our accomplishments, I still believe there is more to be done.
2. Have you held public office before? No, this is my only experience as a public official. I have no aspirations for any additional offices.
3. What is your background? I have worked primarily in manufacturing for my entire professional career. I graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked for ITW Deltar for 25 years, My last position was as General Manager. Since 2011 I have been employed at Brennan Equipment as the Operations Manager where I am responsible for manufacturing of all our products.
4. What community involvement, organization, affiliations, or club memberships do you have? I have participated in numerous local events and worked with Habitat for Humanity.
5. What characteristics, qualifications, or experience do you feel you possess to be a trustee? I have lived in Peotone for over 30 years. My wife and I raised 3 daughters who attended Peotone School district and have gone on to very successful careers. I believe I understand what our community can provide with the resources we have right here. My strong background in business helps me to understand the complex nature of running a government entity. There is a learning curve to being a member of local government. Being a Trustee requires patience, the ability to listen objectively, and a willingness to work toward common goals. Local government is different than running a business. The village is responsible to maintain the town’s infrastructure and public safety. To pay for this is not as simple as just “raising taxes.” Developing the sources of revenue while satisfying the priorities of the residents is not always easy. I believe both my professional experience and Village Trustee experience provide the knowledge required to be an effective representative.
6. How can the village board improve? As a member of the current board, I like to think that we have a good mix of people, with most segments of our community represented. We need to continue to listen to all sides of any issues and determine the best course for the village as a whole, not just a few. I think good communication is key to the success of any organization. I would like to see more community involvement – attending meetings, serving on committees, becoming proactive proponents rather than reactive critics. Input from residents throughout any process, starting with the beginning, is vital to helping the board make sound, productive decisions that best represent the needs of the community.
7. What are important issues you’d like to address and how will you address them? One of the biggest challenges we are facing is the issue of code enforcement and comprehensive planning. The village has not had a code enforcement officer/village planner for several years. This has resulted in numerous instances of code violations not being corrected. We recently hired a 3rd party code enforcement company to help with these issues. Honestly this has not gone well and I don’t agree with some of the areas this company has focused on (garbage cans, and trailers). I think it is time for the village to invest in a full–time code officer. This will allow us to prioritize where we start enforcement such as vacant, unsafe buildings and businesses that are not being “good neighbors.”
The second challenge we face is balancing the budget without additional property tax increases. The village is responsible for public safety, streets, and public works. The village’s portion of residential property tax bills is very small. To pay for all these services, the village needs to develop sources of revenue where permitted by law. This why we need to focus on retail development where the sales taxes are crucial to village’s finances.
8. Do you support the downtown streetscape plan in its current state and if not, what would you change? I have been on this committee from the beginning and was very excited at the prospect of a downtown area that would attract not only our residents but people from other communities that would spend time and money in Peotone. From the initial feedback, it seemed many others felt the same way. A lot of time and thought was put into the design, however once plans and costs starting coming together, it seems that people no longer felt the change was needed. Any significant change downtown will be a major investment. I am still in support of revitalizing the downtown area, and even though we have secured a $2.5 million grant to pay for many of the improvements, we need the downtown business owners and community come to agreement as to what they want. Some people think this is a “done deal.” I can assure you it is not. For example, we received strong feedback on the issue of parallel parking. As such it was dropped. I encourage the residents to participate in the redevelopment process so any improvements can reflect the desires of the community.
9. Raising chickens in village limits has been a topic of discussion. What are your thoughts? Chickens are permitted in many communities. Those in favor of it have been very vocal in their support. Those opposed to chickens have not been as vocal on Facebook. But privately I have received numerous requests from residents to not allow chickens for a variety of reasons (odor, noise, diseases). The board will need to gather much more data on what this could mean for the community as a whole before deciding.