Gail Hinkle: 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: WheatonWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Milton Township Clerk (4-year Term)Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married, two children, 5.5 grandchildrenOccupation: Clerk of Milton TownshipEducation: BS Degree in Education, Western Illinois UniversityCivic involvement: Member of the Wheaton Cemetery Association,member of the DAR, Daughters of the American Revolution, member of the Milton Township Republican Central Committee, member of the CERT Team from Milton TownshipElected offices held: Encumbant Milton Township Clerk since 2008Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Township government is more relevant and cost effective than ever before to the taxpayers.Key Issue 2 Unity, cooperation and common goals performed by the Board of Trustees and the Township Officials.Key Issue 3 The affirmation and educating the public about the relevance of Township government.Questions Answers Name the three most important goals or objectives this board should tackle in the coming term. Prioritize them, and briefly discuss why you believe each to be critical, and how the board should go about addressing them.#1-Continue to remain fiscally responsible while doing more for less. The Township needs to modernize, upgrade and reorganize the budget and productivity for all offices. #2-Continue to develope and maintain the premiere voluntary public safety team in the state of Illinois, CERT-(Community Emergency Response Team). Milton Township plans to implement a series of intergovernmental agreements expanding the CERT program to all townships in DuPage County. #3- Meeting the needs of those least capable of supporting themselves. This may include low-come families, the elderly, our youth and the mentally challenged among us. We need to incorporate the multiple talents from within our new Board of Trustees in seeking funding to support the programs with private funding as well as public dollars.In the 21st Century, with municipalities gobbling up vacant land, why are townships needed? Should they be serving a new role? If so, what?Townships should always remain flexable and tailored to tax payer needs.The smaller governments, townships included, are more efficient with tax dollars. Township officials are very easy to access. Township government provides quality services at low costs to the taxpayers. Just what we all want.What should be the primary responsibility of township government?One responsibility is to maintain and improve our 85 miles of roads connecting city, county and state right of ways. Another primary responsibility is to fairly and impartially assess the values of all real estate property.In these hard economic times, can you identify some township expenses/programs that could be trimmed or eliminated to reduce the tax burden?At Milton Township, we are always looking for ways to reduce expenses and will continue to do so. As the Freedom of Information Officer for the Township,I find the Freedom of Information Act to be an expensive burden. Another way to reduce expenses, is to engage in sharing "best practices" in all our offices, like the Assessor's offices, throughout DuPage County.What specific background or experience do you bring that makes you the best qualified candidate to serve as an elected official in the township?The office of Clerk is a non-budgetary, non-policy making clerical position. Prior to being elected to the position of Clerk, I served as Deputy Clerk for seven years.For the past five years,as Clerk, I have faithfully brought to the township integrity, fiscal responsibility and a commitment to serve the taxpayers. The primary responsibility of the Clerk is to maintain, preserve and protect the records of the township.