Jim Panopoulos: 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: Carol StreamWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Carol Stream fire protectionAge: 48Family: Married for 22 years with two children.Occupation: Owner and operator of a small business located within the district. Own and manage commercial properties.Education: Bachelor of Science in Finance, Northern Illinois University, 1985Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Carol Stream Fire Protection District Board Member 2005 - PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Public safety and service is paramount in the fire service industry and we must maintain the level of service that the citizens have come to expect. The men and women of the Carol Stream Fire Protection District are very well trained and capable of responding to all of our needs. That being said, I am very proud of the dedicated men and women that have chosen to serve and protect us.Key Issue 2 As a candidate, I believe we need to be fiscally responsible. We need to challenge our administration to review and reassess our budget line by line. We need to replenish our Capital Fund so we will have the funds to maintain our buildings and purchase new equipment when needed. In today's economy, keeping the tax rate and expenses down for our constituents should prove to be challenging.Key Issue 3 Pensions laws are imposed on us by the State of Illinois. We have been contributing more than a million dollars a year to this pension and we may need to accelerate the contribution amount to be fully funded. Hopefully, now that the stock market is rebounding this may lessen our contributions.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have always asked tough questions regarding expenditures and voted against many new initiatives that have cost the district thousands of dollars. It is not in my character to vote the popular vote. However, I can work together with others toward a common goal.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?First of all, giving back to the community where I live and work is very rewarding. I believe in being fiscally responsible and we need to cut spending. I am running because I believe I have made a difference by challenging the administration regarding spending.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 friends that I have talked to, that have needed the Fire District for an emergency, have expressed a very pleasant experience. I have spoken with a number of people who have mentioned that our Firefighter/Paramedics demonstrate a high level of professionalism. No one has ever complained to me about the level of service rendered or mentioned a fire safety concern.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?I did not vote in favor of this last budget because I felt there were many areas in which the budget could have been cut. One of the areas in the budget that needed to be trimmed was overtime, which was over $500,000 last year. In my opinion, we should have budgeted more funds towards the capital account, which would provide for future capital expenditures.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 efficiencyPooling resources is an excellent idea. However, we have to be careful because the other taxing bodies usually have different borders and boundaries than we do. Therefore, we could be potentially spending one persons tax dollars to benefit others that live out of the district.