The following questions were asked of each of the candidates by the Daily Herald Editorial Board. Below are my answers to those questions.
CANDIDATE QUESTIONS (Limit the answers to 200 words )
- What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?
Fiscal Position: Maintaining a strong financial position is paramount. While our finances are strong and well-funded, I am deeply concerned about our Village’s increasing debt levels and the impact that the debt levels may have on the overall financial health and tax burden in the future especially if there is an economic downturn. That was the primary reason that I voted against spending on the new Fire Station. Going forward, we will need to knock down these higher debt levels with as little impact as possible to our taxpayers.
Strong Basic Services: Providing strong basic services such as Police, Fire, Public Works, and Human Services is the primary reason Village Government exists and I will continue to support policies to appropriately fund these departments into the future.
Development and Re-Development: I will promote appropriate and compatible development and re-development. Properties that remain vacant or undeveloped for too long are a financial drag on the Village and can affect community desirability by prospective residents and businesses which in turn impacts property values.
Protecting our Residential Neighborhoods: Our residential neighborhoods are the backbone of the community and can be fragile. Neighborhoods are where people live. We must protect them from negative intrusions.
Economic Development and a Healthy Business Community: Economic development is key to a strong fiscal position. It is primary to help us create vitality in Mount Prospect and fund the Village functions. A healthy Residential Community goes “hand in hand” with a strong Business Community.
- What makes you the best candidate for the job?
During my 28 years on the Mount Prospect Village Board, I have built strong skills and developed deep experience in good economic times and bad. During my time on the Board, we have accomplished a great deal from economic development, flood control, downtown redevelopment, and maintaining a strong fiscal position to name only a few, all while keeping a solid sense of local community with a focus toward protecting our neighborhoods which are the backbone of our Village.
It has been a true honor to serve the people of Mount Prospect as their Trustee. I have always viewed my service on the Village Board as my way of giving back to our community. There is so much more to do and I would like to contribute to our future progress. I am running for re-election to promote growth through economic development which is key to a strong, vibrant, and financially sound community, to insure that our Village continues to provide high-quality, basic services such as Police, Fire, Public Works, and Human Services needed by the citizens every day, to insuring a transparent and open local government process, and to maintain our strong, conservative fiscal position while keeping a lid on taxes and spend wisely.
- Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing actions and decisions with your Village Board.
I have a Participatory, Consultative Leadership-style. As an elected leader in Mount Prospect, we must listen to what the people want for their local neighborhoods and for our Village-wide community. That is why we are elected. I have also proven that I am not afraid to take a contrary stand when I believe the Village Board is moving in the wrong direction. In 2007, I took a very strong stand against the “Small Triangle” downtown development where I felt the Village was providing far too much in “taxpayer” support (dollars and land). Ultimately, that project was not built. Recently, I took an opposing position relative to spending $15 million of taxpayer dollars for a new Fire Station which I felt we did not need at his time. The Village Board is about to review and take action on the proposed 8 story, 330 unit Maple Street Lofts downtown development which the local neighborhood does not support. While I support appropriate development of this parcel, I have publically expressed my concerns about the density of this project as it relates to traffic generation, traffic movements, and parking. My voting record will show that I do not go along to get along. (199 words)
- How would you describe the condition of your community’s budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services people want?
By policy and purposeful action, the Mount Prospect Village Board has always maintained a conservative approach to Village finances and maintaining a healthy Village budget which has provided us with great flexibility. As such, our Village has been able to weather the storm during economic downturns and move forward in strong economic environments. Today our financial condition is extremely strong. We have well-funded General Fund Reserves (our Village saving account) and our various accounting funds are more than adequately funded to assist us with necessary capital expenditures in the future. We have also put policies in place to more aggressively fund our future required pension payments so as not to come up short. We (I) have voted to expend the funds necessary to stay ahead of our infrastructure repairs and improvements with the goal of minimizing the funds required to be spent. If deferred, the cost of capital improvements tend to grow exponentially. Finally, we have accomplished this with a stated goal of minimizing increases in taxes. In fact, given our current strong funding situation, I proposed and found support for a 0% (no increase) in our property tax levy in the 2019 budget.
- What’s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
Mount Prospect needs a “Graduated Skilled Care Facility”. We do have living facilities focused on senior living but those facilities do not provide skilled care, when needed. As such, citizens who have lived the majority of their lives in Mount Prospect must move out of Village to find a care facility when they have a need for skilled care. Virtually all of the surrounding Villages have these types of facilities available. I would like to see a facility built in Mount Prospect which would provide a graduated level of care for its residents.
Answers to Daily Herald Questions from 2015 Campaign
- What makes you the best candidate?
I am the best candidate for Trustee because having served for a number of years I bring depth of experience and continuity to the position of Trustee. I also have an extremely firm understanding of the issues, I am active in the community and in touch with what the people of Mount Prospect want for our Village. I am a fiscal conservative who supports keeping taxes and fees as low as possible while providing high quality Village services. My voting record, over my years on the Village Board, shows that I have been consistently reflective of the citizen’s needs / wants. While I am flexible and open to change, my record shows that I have also adhered to my basic platform positions during my entire tenure on the Village Board. When people vote for me, they know that they will be electing someone who will watch their hard-earned tax dollars and will work to keep Mount Prospect a vital community with strong property values, a place where people want to live, work, and raise their family.
I am dedicated and have shown that I willing to give large amounts of my time and energy for the people of Mount Prospect. I am highly interested in keeping Mount Prospect moving forward. Finally, I am a non-partisan, independent candidate with no ties to any political party, organization, or individual and I answer to no one except the Citizens of Mount Prospect.
Serving the people of Mount Prospect as a Village Trustee has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I serve for two reasons …. for “love’ of our community and to keep Mount Prospect a great place to live, work and raise a family. I have only the best interests of our citizens in mind at all times.
I have served our community as a Village Trustee for 24 years for no reason other than to reflect the “voice” of the people, to help make Mount Prospect the kind of community that our citizen want it to be, to keep taxes low, keep costs down, to keep property values strong, to provide an open and honest form of government, all with the goal of meeting the wants and needs of our citizens.
One of my primary and ongoing objectives serving as a Village Trustee over the years has been to be the “Voice of the People”. I place a very high value on citizen input. In addition, my record shows that I consistently apply a “Common Sense” approach to decision making. These two factors will continue to be the cornerstones of my future service.
2. The settlement between the Village of Mount Prospect and Ye Old Town Inn (Tod Curtis) remains a hot topic. What is your opinion of the settlement, the years of disputes, and what lessons have been learned?
Please keep in mind that all sitting Board members are subject to the Court imposed “gag order” in the settlement agreement. As such, should a Village official now speak, it could be considered a violation of the settlement agreement and a “contempt of court” charge could occur and land that Village official and the Village itself back in front of the judge with the potential for a serious penalty to be imposed on the particular Village official and the Village. This court action would clearly hurt the Village official and the Village. Unfortunately, my opposition (outside of the sitting board members) are not subject to the “gag order” and can provide their supposition as to the negotiations which lead to the settlement agreement.
That being said, I will make the following comments in answer to the Herald’s questions regarding the YOTI lawsuit and the negotiated settlement agreement. While I personally wish I could speak freely, I am simply not at liberty, legally, to do so.
What Have We Learned: Fair, equitable, and timely building, safety, and zoning code enforcement needs to be applied at all times no matter what the circumstances or situation especially when it comes to public safety. Many years ago, all of the Busse Avenue “Small Triangle” commercial buildings were considered to be the Village’s “informal” historic downtown district. Given the age and the historic significance of these buildings, as these buildings were built by many of the founding families when the Village was young, the Village Administration, at that time, felt they should work with the owners of these buildings to encourage the owners to bring about necessary building code and life safety improvements “over time”. Years later, when certain improvements had not been made and were deemed to be immediately necessary and in the best interest and safety of the public, it made enforcement more difficult.
My position throughout the development travails of the “Small Triangle”: Recall that I (Trustee Hoefert) was vehemently opposed to the two 7 story towers, 1970’s mall-like style, under parked, highly taxpayer-supported Heimbaugh Development proposal in 2007 and spoke out strongly against that development at every turn. I was, however, in favor of the initially proposed “Entertainment District” development which would have included restaurant and sports bar type uses in the “Small Triangle”. Under that initial proposal, financial support from the Village was limited and it was envisioned that Tod Curtis’ Ye Old Town Inn would have been an anchor business in the overall entertainment offering in that entertainment district. Overall, I believed, and still do, in more of an free market, market-driven, redevelopment of the “Small Triangle” with Village oversight.
Bottom line, I believe the lawsuit was unfounded, the settlement was too high, and wasted years of potential progress in our downtown. However, had we gone to trial, I believe the Village was prepared and would have prevailed.
3. Talk about the current performance of downtown Mount Prospect and Randhurst Village and which retail district you consider the priority and why. How can each one be improved and how can the Village help them along.
Randhurst Village continues its renaissance and is gaining momentum each day with new stores and restaurants signing new leases. The redevelopment from an outdated mall type retail shopping center to a contemporary “lifestyle” retail venue is breathing new life into this key retail district of our Village. This was accomplished without “direct” tax giveaways or subsidies by the Village. While some stores and restaurants have closed, new stores and restaurants are taking their places. Relative to the Village of Mount Prospect helping Randhurst, the Village should work with IDOT to improve vehicular accessibility from Rand Road to Randhurst Village such as establishing a cutoff road from the NW bound lane of Rand Road which could feed directly into Randhurst Village without going through the stoplight at Rand and 83. As a side benefit, this cutoff road could also create a number of new retail zoned land parcels fronting on the cutoff road. We must remember that Randhurst is a privately owned enterprise and any changes that the Village might suggest do not have to be implemented unless those changes are related to code. I would, however, continue to encourage the owners to rethink and redesign internal traffic flows which have been somewhat problematic and a potential deterrent to return customers. Randhurst Village is current up for sale. While Randhurst Village is gaining momentum, I am hopeful that the new owners will put additional capital into making some key improvements which will take Randhurst Village to the next level.
MP Downtown does have a number of national tenant businesses, however, the majority of the businesses in the MP Downtown are successful, owner operated small businesses. From my viewpoint, our MP Downtown can be viewed as an environment which is right for “creative independents”, business people and entrepreneurs who require smaller, less expensive spaces to open and operate their businesses. The MP Downtown can also be viewed as somewhat of an “incubator” environment which allows a business to initially operate in a lower cost incubator environment until they gain the financial footing. Many of our start-up and small businesses would not be able to afford a high cost environment of a Randhurst Village leasing environment. We have many unique, well known businesses thriving in our downtown such as Byte Me Computers, Busse Flowers and Gifts, Capannari’s Ice Cream, Al’s Shoe Service, Busse Automotive, Sam’s Place, and Emersons Ale House to name only a few.
Prior to the recession, the MP Downtown redevelopment provided Mount Prospect with a mix of new living opportunities from traditional condominiums to loft units to row homes. In addition, a number of new retail spaces were built. Unfortunately, the recession took its toll on downtown Mount Prospect redevelopment efforts. Approved projects were stalled. New projects were essentially nonexistent. As we all know, this was the development environment across the country. With today’s improving economy and financial vitality, projects like Founder’s Row (across from the Library) and Lions Park Brownstones (on Prospect Avenue) are being completed and sold. New buildings recently approved are soon to break ground like Mount Prospect Station (on the former Tri-State Electronics site. There is a high level of interest in other development sites around the downtown like the former Sakura building site (fronting on 83) and the Parenti industrial building site (on Prospect Avenue). In addition, I am very excited that the Village is making progress with moving toward demolishing the vacant Central Plaza and redeveloping that key parcel. After a thorough but inconclusive title search by the Village to identify the owners of Central Plaza, the Village is moving forward with an environmental survey of the property with the ultimate goal of demolition in the very near future.
With the YOTI settlement complete and the economy on the uptick, now is the time to put the Village-owned parcels in the “Small Triangle” up for sale and get these properties back on the tax rolls. I am highly supportive of selling smaller parcels to different developers and encouraging the building of a variety of smaller scale, market driven, diverse design style, mixed-use type structures. I could support buildings up 4 stories with retail on the first floor and residential units above. Recall, back in the 2007, I was vehemently opposed to developing the “Small Triangle” site with a taxpayer-supported, massive monolithic-type development and continue to be against that type of development for this area. While the Village parking garage is across 83 from this site, I would preserve some of the vacant land for convenient, onsite parking.
Clearly, development activity in the MP Downtown area is gaining positive momentum. This is exciting. I believe the time is right for our Village Community Development Department should actively work actively to promote the downtown area and encourage developers to look at the opportunities in the MP Downtown. However, I believe future downtown redevelopment should occur on a market driven, independent, private development basis in accordance with our overall MP Downtown master plan and with appropriate oversight from the Village relative to our zoning, development, and building codes. As a final comment, I do not support expanding future commercial redevelopment into the single family residential neighborhoods which surround our downtown.
4. Where if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed and conversely are there areas the budget does not give enough dollars to.
The current 2015 budget is a highly responsible, extremely lean budget, with minimal increases to any of the departmental budgets. The 2015 budget will be an excellent tactical tool for balancing the financial needs and requirements of the Village during the coming year. I am very comfortable with the budget as it stands. Cutting the budget would mean elimination of some aspect of our basic services (police, fire, public works) or deferring necessary improvements to Village infrastructure. While deferring infrastructure maintenance for the short term has been done in the past, this is very costly long term solution as required maintenance improvements become considerably more expensive with time. I could, however, support deferring equipment purchases and using some of our non-life safety vehicles longer or deferring non-essential building projects such as the salt dome. At the conclusion of each and every budget process, I make it perfectly clear that I retain the prerogative to vote “for” or “against” actual expenditures as they come before the Board for approval during the year. As a “spending watchdog” I am always looking for opportunities to reduce actual spending as the year moves forward.
On a broad scale, if we were able to find and allocate additional dollars, it would in support of police, fire and public works life safety positions which were cut during the recession. In addition, as our population ages, Human Services will likely require greater funding to help our “at risk” citizens.
As a final important point, in tandem with the recent 2015 Village budget approval, the tax levy was established. This was a point of divergence from most of the Village Board for me. I felt that the 4.42% budgeted increase to the tax levy was too high and as such, I proposed a much reduced tax levy increase of 1%. This should not have been surprise to anyone as I have made my position on this subject extremely clear over the past year. Relative to setting this tax levy, given a number of funding adjustments, we could have reduced the tax levy increase to 1% without impacting ongoing Village operations nor impacting our bond rating. Many years, given rising costs, we have been unable to reduce the levy increase like I proposed. However, 2015 was a year when we could have provided “revenue gathering relief” to the taxpayers of Mount Prospect. As such, I feel “if we could have we should have”. I believe reducing the tax levy increase to 1% would have been the responsible thing to do. Unfortunately, my position was not supported by the majority of the Village Board. However, because of the discussion I raised on this issue, the actual increase to the tax levy was reduced to 2.48% from the originally proposed 4.42%.
2015 was a year when we could have provided “revenue gathering relief” to the taxpayers of Mount Prospect and as such, during the recent budget process, I proposed and spoke out for a much reduced tax levy increase of 1%. Because of the discussion I raised on this issue, the actual increase to the tax levy was reduced to 2.48% from the originally proposed 4.42%.
5. What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
I believe that the Village must continually work to keep inappropriate commercial intrusions out of our residential neighborhoods as well as improving safety in our neighborhoods. Keeping a watchful eye on our residential neighborhoods and continuing to supporting policies that bring greater levels of safety and protection to our Residential Neighborhoods. Protecting our residential neighborhoods is and has always been one of my primary concerns and key priorities as our residential neighborhoods represent the very fabric of our community.
Toward this end, I was one of the main architects of the Second Housekeeping Ordinance, which mandated restoration of single family homes that had been illegally converted to multi-family housing, the Commercial Vehicle Ordinance, that made it illegal for large commercial vehicles to be kept in residential neighborhoods, and the Home Occupation Ordinance, which eliminated obtrusive commercial activities from residential areas. I also strongly supported the Stop Sign and Speed Limit Review Program. These programs brought consistency to the placement of all stop signs and consistency to speed limits depending on the type of street throughout all of our neighborhoods. As a result, auto accidents on our neighborhood streets were literally reduced by 49%, clearly improving safety. I have also supported the ongoing Flood Control Program over the years as this program has helped to control flooding in our neighborhoods and reduce disruption and property damage for our citizens.
Looking to the future, bright lite stop signs, highly identified cross walk zones, use of traffic calming tools, pedestrian safe zones in the middle of busy thoroughfares, stepped-up enforcement of our on-site storage pod ordinances, and greater selective speed limit enforcement are just a few examples of additional things we can do improve safety and protect our neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods are delicate. The balance can shift one way or another very easily. Protecting our neighborhoods is key to maintaining a strong, safe, and highly valued total community.
6. What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?
Maintaining a Diversified Tax and Fee Revenue Base: Maintaining a diversified tax and fee base which is less impacted by economic downturns and less reliant on property taxes to run the Village is a key issue. This position helps all of our citizens, especially our seniors, stay in their homes. In addition, I have supported a partial fee based revenue structure for some Village costs which directly relates to and pays for the service or product being provided. In many cases, fees help to keep one citizen from subsidizing the activities and related costs of another citizen.
Promoting a Strong Business Community and Vital Economic Development Environment: Maintaining a healthy and vital business community and economic development environment is key to the overall financial well-being of Mount Prospect. I will continue to support policies to boost economic development and keep Mount Prospect a place where individual business owners to large corporate entities want to invest, do business, and put their risk capital to work.
Maintaining our Strong and Conservative Financial Position (Protecting our AA+ Bond Rating): We must stay vigilant to safeguarding our strong financial position. As experience shows, because of our strong financial position, the Village enjoys a “AA+” bond rating which allows the Village, when needed, to borrow at the very best municipal rates possible. We absolutely need to protect our financial position. A conservative financial stance gives the Village far greater ability to adjust to a changing economy.
Promoting Strong and Growing Property Values (Keeping MP attractive to New Residents): I believe we must also work diligently to keep Mount Prospect a vibrant, up-to-date, and contemporary community with strong and growing property values where people want to live without losing that “hometown” feel, a community of which all of our citizens can be proud.
Supporting Strong Life Safety Services and Emergency Preparedness: I have support “extremely” strong “life safety” services as this is the most important service our Village government can provide to citizens. I view “life safety” services being first and foremost among all services. When you need an ambulance, a fire truck, or a police car to come and to come quickly, there can be no compromise. I have also strongly supported being prepared for significant emergencies which could put our citizens at risk. The Emergency Command Center at Public Works is a prime example. You don’t need it until you need it and then it is critical.
Improving Traffic Flows on Major Thoroughfares: Improving traffic flows on major thoroughfares and signalization at certain key intersections need to be improved to keep traffic flowing and allow our citizens as well as people from outside our Village to move about the Village in a quick and efficient manner and with less frustration.
Remaining Attractive to Large Corporate Entities: Many large corporations have recently built or expanded multi-million dollar key facilities within Mount Prospect. Examples include the CVS Prescription Fulfillment Facility, the United Airlines Data Center, and the Walgreens Data Center.
Eliminating Kensington Business Center Vacancies: A number of the buildings in the Kensington Business Center (KBC) are vacant. To help eliminate these vacancies, I have and would support the expansion of potential uses of the KBC buildings beyond light industrial and office uses through changes to zoning within the development. I also support continued use of the Cook County Class 6B Tax Abatement Program to lower the tax rates on the KBC buildings so that the KBC buildings can be competitive with similar buildings located in counties which surrounding Cook County.
Preserving an Open and Honest Government Process: I always have and always will support an open, honest, and forthright government process in Mount Prospect, a process that is conducted “in front of the cameras” for all of our citizens to witness and comment to if they so desire. Over my time on the Board, no Village Board decisions have been “predetermined” ahead of our Village Board meetings and no “vote trading” has ever occurred. “Citizen input” on issues facing the Village Board has been encouraged, formally and informally, over the years and is highly valued, considered, and factored into each and every decision made by the Village Board.
Greater Emphasis on Diverse Citizen Involvement: Mount Prospect is a diverse community with people of many different cultures and ethnicities. While we have strong citizen participation on Village Committees and Commissions as well as strong general interest and input to the Village administration from citizens at large, I believe we need to do more to encourage greater diversity in our citizen involvement and solicit input from all corners of the Village. Diversity brings new and interesting viewpoints and makes our community healthy and strong. The Community Connections Center (CCC) in south Mount Prospect has been instrumental with this outreach effort.
Redevelopment of the DiMucci Property at SW corner of Golf and 83: The Village should work with DiMucci Development similar way to Randhurst Village to encourage redevelopment of the existing shopping center and underutilized land mass.