Village Free Press Candidate Questionnaire_2019

Maywood Trustees

Please submit answers (attached in a MS Word file or in the body of the email) to
thevillagefreepress@gmail.com by no later than at anytime on Feb. 21).

Name:
Age:
Preferred contact:
Previous political experience:
Previous community experience:
Occupation:
Education:

Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. Full disclosure: parts, or
all, of your answers are likely be published:

Infrastructure

• In January 2018, the board voted unanimously to establish a commission of experts and
community stakeholders that would explore the feasibility of the village tapping into a water
source in Maywood that officials say runs directly underneath the Prairie Path and flows
through to DuPage County. If such a measure is implemented, Maywood would no longer be
reliant on Melrose Park for transmitting water — a service for which the village pays Melrose
Park $1.8 million a year, according to an estimate by Maywood Village Manager Willie
Norfleet. Since its creation, however, there is no evidence that the committee has met. Do you
agree with the committee’s formation? If so, how will you ensure that the committee actually
meets regularly and do what it was created to do?

• How do you propose that the village fund much-needed infrastructure projects, such as long
overdue roadway and alley improvements, that are not eligible for alternative forms of
revenue, such as TIF funding; and county, state and/or federal grants?

Revenue

• For the last several years, the board has approved 3 to 4 percent annual levy increases —
despite staff recommending increases that are higher — in an effort to address residents’
property tax burden. A major result of these minimal levy increases, however, has been that the
village has forgone potentially millions of dollars in much-needed annual tax revenue over that
time period. That translates into the village having to make emergency purchases, such as the
acquisition of a nearly $1 million aerial ladder truck for the fire department, by taking out
 loans that only add to the village’s debt load. How would you balance the need to collect tax
revenue with legitimate concerns about residents’ property tax burden?

Finance

• What are some of your ideas for addressing Maywood’s annual deficit? It’s low credit rating?

Trust

• What are your thoughts on the level of trust that residents have in village officials to
responsibly serve their interests? Do you think that trust between residents and village officials
needs to be improved? If so, how would you work to help improve it?

• The population of Maywood has changed rather dramatically in the last 10 years, with the
village having experienced a significant infusion of Hispanic residents. For instance, the
student population of both Districts 89 and 209 are more than 50 percent Hispanic. Do you
believe that this growing demographic is adequately represented in the village? If not, what are
some of your ideas for reaching out to the Hispanic community in Maywood?

Business & Economic Development

• What is your position on the issuance of Class M liquor licenses for businesses that may want
to bring video gambling into Maywood?

• In October 2018, the board voted 5 to 2 in favor of a resolution in support of granting National
Cycle Inc. a Cook County Sustainable Emergency Relief Class 6b property tax incentive that
company officials estimated could translate into around $1.4 million in tax savings over 10
years— despite the very vocal objections to the tax break made by Manager Willie Norfleet,
who said that the company’s savings would potentially mean higher tax bills for residents.
How do you manage the need to provide property tax relief for businesses with the need to
make sure that already overburdened homeowners are not bearing even more of the property
tax burden than they need to?

• What is your understanding of Maywood’s reputation in certain industry circles (i.e., retail,
manufacturing, etc.) as a place to do business? Do you think Maywood can improve its
reputation and, if so, how?

Governance

• What is your understanding of the role and functions of the Maywood Board of Trustees?

• Do you think that the current village manager form of government is sufficient? If not, would
you support switching to a full-time mayor form of government?
• From what you can tell, is there currently a system in place that effectively evaluates the
performance of village administrators and employees? If not, do you think one needs to be
implemented?

• Do you believe that key village committees and commissions, particularly the board’s finance
committee and the village’s water commission and economic development commission, are
active and/or effective enough? If not, how might you help them become more active and
effective?

Public Safety

• Do you believe that Maywood is, generally speaking, a safe community? If so, what are some
things that make this so? If not, what are some ideas you have to make the village safer?

• Do you believe that the village is spending too little, just enough or too much money to settle
police misconduct and workman’s compensation cases? If you believe too much or too little
money, what are some of your ideas for getting those expenditures to a level you believe is
sufficient?

Miscellaneous

• If elected, what are the three things that you would do as a member of the Maywood Board of
Trustees immediately upon your swearing-in (and ‘immediately’ means within your first two
months as a board member)? Be as specific as possible.