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Soo Chang: Candidate Profile

Lisle Township Board (4-year Terms) (D)

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: WoodridgeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lisle Township Board (4-year Terms)Age: 55Family: Married, three childrenOccupation: Adjunct Instructor at College of DuPage North Central CollegeEducation: Master of Science in Microbiology, University of Chicago, 1981 Certificate in Secondary Science, National Louis University, 2004Civic involvement: Campaign Volunteer for President Obama and Congressman Foster Lisle Township Democratic Organization The Democratic Party of DuPage County Democratic Women of DuPage County Science Olympiad COD Regional Judge Volunteer Educator for Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day at Argonne National Laboratory Volunteer of Forest Preserve District of DuPage CountyElected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Efficiency - as an elected township official, I want to achieve the most that has direct link to township residents. I will be prepared for the monthly meetings and promise to be present at all meetings.Key Issue 2 Transparency - I hope to set up a blog page to share both my observations and thoughts on how the Lisle Township Board could better serve the resident.Key Issue 3 Communication - either through the blog page and/or publications on established media, I hope to educate the residents about Township issues and services available, based on current community needs. And I will find a way for residents to share their concerns and ideas that will increase the effectiveness of Township Board.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) Lisle Township board must be more transparent about how issues and business are discussed and decided. The only method of transparency so far is the posting of meeting minutes on Township website. While reading the minutes since Jan. 2009, I kept wondering the "why how" behind decisions. As a scientist and a teacher, sometimes I sound like a broken record, because "why how" is very important part of my lessons, especially when they reflect students own critical thinking. As an elected body of Township, it is important to communicate to residents the reasons behind decision making. When Meadow Glens Home School Association decided to raise money for new playground equipments, as the treasurer of that organization, I made sure that the event expenses were kept as low as possible. It was the very first time $10,000 was raised by that organization! 2) This transparency also needs to become more efficient. Why does it take such a long time between the date of minute approval and the posting on the Township website? This inefficiency is the first cause behind the lack of engagement by residents in Township business. 3) In addition to the postings on Township website, board members should put more effort in greater communication with residents, especially ways residents can voice their ideas and concerns. It could be a simple news column that appears regularly in local publications.In the 21st Century, with municipalities gobbling up vacant land, why are townships needed? Should they be serving a new role? If so, what?Although I am vying for a Township Trustee seat, I would like to engage in a dialogue with other nearby Townships for merger. Does DuPage County really need 10 Townships? Can the County government be better organized, reducing redundancy and cost effective? With ever-so advancing technology, our lives are getting crazier with similar increase in personal or work related demands. Even at County level, streamlining governance might ultimately lead to greater productivity, better serving residence with smaller financial needs. As the Township Trustee, I will first try to convince other board members about the benefits of efficient governance whose decisions are based on current needs, not what's been done before. As a team, we could then approach other townships so that the county could ultimately become more efficient with minimal cost to residents.What should be the primary responsibility of township government?The primary responsibility of Township government is to serve residents, especially by figuring out tax levy only after an up to date conversation on the Township need. All Township Board members should always be aware of residents' current status.In these hard economic times, can you identify some township expenses/programs that could be trimmed or eliminated to reduce the tax burden?It will be an honor to serve Lisle Township as a Trustee and if needed I would suggest that the salary for board members be reduced. I will not cut township expenses and programs that have direct economic impact on residents, nor programs that promote community spirit or further education.What specific background or experience do you bring that makes you the best qualified candidate to serve as an elected official in the township?As a science educator, I practice efficiency and transparency everyday. In order to be an efficient teacher, I must do my homework on lessons. In addition to the expected learning outcome, I always find real-life connections to lessons, so that it can be long lasting, meaningful lessons. And these lessons are always available to students before the lesson date, so they know what they are in for. Use of educational bulletin board allows me to be as transparent as possible about the contents of any course and the direction of lessons. Many people I have crossed paths in my life often mention how organized and tenacious I am. I am proud of these comments. A good example would be how I was able to convince 5 - 9 families to join a carpool for Chicago Youth Symphony. When my older 2 children joined the orchestra downtown Chicago, I was driving to the city on Saturdays and Sundays. By the end of that year, I figured out which families were doing the same. So I approached and convinced them the benefits of carpooling. For three years, I was the carpool scheduler, assigning fair shifts according to individual family'scan't do? requests. There were 9 families during the last year with 2 celli, 1 euphonium and a bassoon, which required 2 cars moving at one time. All of us have fond memories about this carpool.