Arlene A. Juracek: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: Mount ProspectWebsite: http://www.arlenefortrustee.comOffice sought: Mount Prospect Village boardAge: 60Family: Married, 3 children Husband - Edward Juracek 3 Adult Children - Grant, Andrea and RobertOccupation: Retired Electric Utility Executive and Registered Professional EngineerEducation: Masters of Management, Northwestern University 1976Bachelor of Science Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering,Illinois Institute of Technology 1972Civic involvement: 1.Mount Prospect Historical Society Board2.Garden Club of Mount Prospect3.Timberlake Playhouse Board4.Community Member of the Jane Addams Hull House Association Program Committee and former member of the Board of Trustees5.Co-Chair Armour College of Engineering Advisory Board, IIT6.Leadership Greater Chicago FellowElected offices held: Mount Prospect Village Trustee, elected in 2007 - presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 AffordabilityGiven the state of the overall economy and the lack of consumer confidence, it is important that we do our best to ensure Mount Prospect remains an affordable place to live. This means holding the line on taxes and fees paid to the Village by our residents and businesses, and also encouraging a business climate in the Village that brings a solid commercial and industrial tax base to ease the burden on residential taxpayers. We have a legacy of fiscally conservative oversight and management and a diverse economy, so we have been better able to weather the economic storms than have many of our neighbors. We are eagerly looking forward to the opening of Randhurst and the economic benefits it will bring. However, the next few years will still be economically challenging and a focus on affordability will be required to see us through. I will continue to challenge Village Staff to focus on efficient and effective delivery of core services, and to streamline processes and manpower to relieve pressure on tax revenues. While difficult, we must find a way to keep the tax levy increase to zero for at least one more year.Key Issue 2 AccountabilityThe only way to achieve the goal of affordability is to hold ourselves, as a Village Board, accountable for our actions, and hold Village Staff accountable for delivering quality services efficiently, cost-effectively, compassionately, respectfully and professionally. My experience as a corporate executive has provided me with the management tools and thought processes to insist on accountability. Our form of government facilitates this since it is a strong Village Manager form of government and we know precisely where the buck stops. I highly respect our Staff, yet even the best must be held accountable for outcomes, and for being accessible and approachable by the Board/residents/ businesses. While we hold regular sessions with Staff to evaluate strategy and progress towards strategic and tactical goals, I would like to see a more formalized employee goal-setting and evaluation process in place. Finally, we are accountable to our citizens and I encourage our citizens to take advantage of opportunities such as the monthly Coffee with Council and our ""Citizens to be Heard"" portion of our Village Board meeting agendas to ensure we are aware of our citizens' concerns.Key Issue 3 Maintain a ""small town"" quality of lifeThis includes a feeling of safety and trust that comes from an appropriate level and focus among our law enforcement and fire/paramedic personnel, maintaining an attractive and inviting downtown and local shopping opportunities, ensuring Village staff are accessible and involved in the civic life of the Village, and ensuring co-operation among various taxing bodies such as the Village, the Library, the Park Districts and the Schools. I want to bring closure this year to one particular issue - feral cats - that has been particularly troublesome for the quality of life in some of our neighborhoods. We came close to closure in 2010 and there is no reason we can't finally refine our ordinances in 2011 to deal with this nuisance humanely. I also support our Police Department's shift towards its Gang Intelligence unit to better ensure public safety.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?My extensive career, civic and personal experiences have provided me many opportunities to gain a well-rounded skill set and insight essential to being the best trustee possible. Running an electric utility is remarkably similar to running a municipality - whether it be addressing legal and regulatory issues, working with local/state and federal legislators, a need to be responsive to customers, engineering to build and maintain the needed infrastructure, or managing people to get the job done. As an executive I was held to goals and outcomes that required a focus on moving beyond aspirations to action. As a member of a social service agency board I learned the challenges of serving underserved communities, studied socio-economic issues that affect various segments of our population, and experienced the frustrations of the State's inability to pay its bills. As a member of various boards and commissions I learned to participate in and lead group-decision-making. As a witness and policy-maker in multi-party regulatory and legislative proceedings I learned the value of ""getting to yes"" - to lead consensus building. As a member and Chair of the Mount Prospect Zoning Board I got to know the Village, its staff and its ordinances fairly well. Most importantly, I have 4 years of experience as a Village Trustee and I have achieved a measurable level of success in this and other venues that should instill confidence in the voters in my ability to be an effective civic leader.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Mount Prospect's total sales tax levels are comparable to those of its neighbors, yet sales tax levels overall are high in Cook County, placing Mount Prospect businesses at some disadvantage to competitors outside the county. It is important that Mount Prospect not place further undue burden on local sales tax levels. At the same time, local sales tax revenues are an important component of revenues that relieve the pressure on property taxes, so I am looking forward to increased revenues once Randhurst Village fully opens for business. Additionally, State and County tax levels must be re-examined in conjunction with a total examination of spending and revenue levels. I am heartened by the examination County President Preckwinkle is making of County spending and taxing levels, and I would hope that the State immediately follow suit.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.While Mount Prospect is seen as a relatively safe place to live and work, friends and neighbors are concerned about the number of fraudulent schemes being perpetrated on senior citizens such as the ""grandma scam"" and the impersonating of contractors and utility workers by those whose real motive is burglary. As a corollary, the instances of gang activity reported in the press are causing these same folks to be constantly looking over their shoulders. The recently established Crimestoppers Organization in Mount Prospect has a very real potential to assist with stopping criminal behavior, especially if it can create a very visible presence and ensure residents they can freely and safely report suspicions and tips. I strongly encourage support of this voluntary community-based organization to assist law enforcement and to get the word out to residents on how to protect against being a victim of crime.In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?As a member of the current Mount Prospect Village Board, I gave direction to Staff to propose a budget for 2011 that held the property tax levy to a zero-per cent increase. The staff succeeded in closing a $3 million budget gap without a tax increase and that included the elimination of 32 funded positions. Staff did a masterful job of identifying positions to eliminate and services to delete and streamline, from a budget that was already lean. 80% of our operating costs are personnel. It would appear at this time that any future cuts would need to come at the expense of providing core services to our Village residents and businesses. Understandably, cuts to public safety, public works and human services cannot be lightly made, and only after a thorough vetting of all the alternatives and consequences. Conversely, as revenues and the economy improve, these services, especially police and fire services, will be examined for restoration. Additionally, our general fund reserves must be gradually rebuilt to their target 25% level if we are to survive unexpected events and economic cycles. I support creating a flexible organization that can nimbly respond to changing resources and public need. Finally, public safety pension contributions are one the largest drivers of cost increases and I fully support the efforts of the legislature and our colleagues at the Northwest Municipal Conference and the Illinois Municipal League to reform public pensions to provide fair benefits commensurate with private sector pensions and at reasonable costs to taxpayers.What#146;s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I would like to see the village, perhaps through our Community Relations Commission, initiate some outreach programs to increase the civic awareness and involvement of more segments of our Village. It seems that only a very small percentage of our residents and business owners are actively engaged. The Community Connections Center is in the beginning stages of being a channel for that involvement by the community on the southern end of the Village. Ultimately, more diversity in those who choose civic involvement and community leadership means more widespread knowledge about the Village, increased personal investment in the health and safety of the community, and a shared set of goals to make Mount Prospect a better place to live and work.