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Sean Smith: Candidate Profile

Huntley fire protection

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: HuntleyWebsite: http://www.smithforhuntleyfire.comOffice sought: Huntley fire protectionAge: 38Family: Married 12 years to my wife Leslie Threadgill-Smith, 2 children 6 and 4Occupation: I am currently employed by a major public safety software vendor that provides software applications for law enforcement.Education: Associates in Art, Morraine Valley Community College, 1992Bachelor's in Law Enforcement Administration with Minor in Computer Science from Western Illinois University, 1994Project Management Professional (PMP)Emergency Number Professional (ENP)Civic involvement: Huntley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) CoordinatorBoy Scouts of AmericaElected offices held: AFSCME Local 2258, Chief StewardHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 My number one campaign issue is the improvement of 911 services to the residents of the Huntley Fire Protection District. The 911 servics currently provided need to be improved to eliminate 911 call transfers which in turn improve response times to 911 calls.Key Issue 2 Currently Huntley Fire Protection District Trustees are being payed over $300 per meeting. The combined annual cost for trustees to attend meetings of the Huntley Fire Protection District is $20,000. A single trustee will receive $24,000 from the Huntley Fire Protection District to attend meetings during a single term in office. I feel these funds would be better spent on additional part time staff or continuing education for the existing staff.Key Issue 3 The Huntley Fire Protection District is currently in good fiscal health. As Trustee I will work to ensure the fiscal health of the Huntley Fire Protection District remains stong.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am the best candidate for the job because of my 14 years experience in the public safety industry. In addition to my years of experience I have attended almost every meeting of the Huntley Fire Protection District since October 2008. I am also a certified expert in the field of emergency communications and E911.Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?For my entire professional career I have had a passion for working within the public safety industry. I feel as a member of the public safety community I have a responsability to bring to the community my expertise and what I have learned throughout my career. The issue that motivates me the most is the improvements to our current 911 system.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest fire safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.The biggest concern my friends and neighbors have expressed is the response time to 911 calls from the Huntley Fire Protection District. Being an expert in the field of emergency communications I have expressed my opinion multiple times to the Huntley Fire Protection District and the Trustees. In order to improve 911 services we need to eliminate the transfer of 911 calls to Seecom that delays the currently 911 response by the Huntley Fire Protection District. An intergovernmental agreement need to be executed between the Village of Huntley and the Huntley Fire Protection District to elimiate the fractured 911 services provided to the residents of Huntley.In these tight economic times, 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?One of my campaign issues is to reduce or eliminate the Trustee compensation. Each Trustee is paid over $300 per meeting. Eliminating Trustee compensation would reduce the budget by $20,000 per year. This savings could be better spent on part time staff for the new fire station and continuing education for existing staff.Would you support sharing/pooling resources (i.e. printing, vehicles) with other local governments (school districts, village, etc.)? If so, what areas would you consider combining or merging to save money or improve efficiencyI would support the sharing / pooling resources with other local governments. In particluar I would support the group purchasing of equipment and services with other local government agencies for improved savings.