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Ed Young: Candidate Profile

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

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: LisleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lisle Township Board (4-year Terms)Age: 63Family: Married, two grown children 4 grandchildrenOccupation: CPAEducation: MBACivic involvement: Village of Lisle Trustee 12 yearss Former Republican Precinct CommitteemanElected offices held: Village of Lisle TrusteeHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Efficiency of government. The Township delivers a vast array of services as does the County and municipalities. Many of these services overlap as do the supporting functions. Multiple delivery systems, by their nature, are inefficient, provide opportunity for errors in reporting and require significant additional resources to ensure they are properly controlled. The taxpayers are entitled to a system of coordinated government whereby necessary services provided by government are rendered at the level which is most efficient and cost effective. Although independence of the various level of government must be respected, consolidation of many functions needs to be explored. With my municipal background, I will lead the initiatives to provide consolidation of services and support functions that will result in reduction in costs and increased control benefiting all of Lisle Township taxpayers.Key Issue 2 Pension Funding and Reform Township employees participate in the Illinois Municipal retirement Fund (IMRF) where benefits are governed by the Illinois General Assembly. The contributions made by the employees are also set by State Statute and are currently at 4.5 % of covered compensation. Per the March 2012 Township Annual Report the Townships Regular Pension plan was only funded at a 49.5% funded. First the Township has to drastically improve the funding status of the plan. Second, and more importantly, the Township must work with other townships, municipalities, DuPage County and other interested parties to have the State enact meaningful pension reform. A cornerstone of any reform must be to have the benefits determined at the level of government responsible for funding the pensions.Key Issue 3 Storm Water Management DuPage County has an effective ordinance to ensure future development does not adversely impact the surrounding areas from a storm water perspective. However, there are many areas within the County that continue to suffer adverse storm water effects. In addition, many of the protections built in the past are not maintained to today's standards and are in need of significant repairs. The County, working with the municipalities and townships need to develop detailed project and funding plans.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.As discussed above, I believe that efficiency in government, pension funding and reform, and storm water management issues are priorities that the next township Board must face. Always at the forefront is the concern that the taxpayers? dollars are being spent wisely and efficiently. We must instill a mindset that before any monies are expended we must ensure the program is necessary and being run efficiently. The pension issue is more of an education problem as I don't believe that the general public understands some of the complexities of the pension system or how far out of line the public sector pension programs have evolved. It's not just a problem of funding but richness of benefits must be addressed.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 still perform needed services that are not performed at other levels of government?general assistance, assessor's services as well as serving the unincorporated areas of the Township. However, given that the State of Illinois has more units of local government than any other state, studies should be conducted to determine if particular services are in fact needed and being rendered in the most efficient manner at the appropriate level. I believe all levels of government could be streamlined with a central service area for support services. Such a service would bring a new level of efficiency to Illinois Government.What should be the primary responsibility of township government?Township Government remains necessary to address the needs of the unincorporated areas as well as providing certain services to all residents residing within the Township?assessor and general assistance.In these hard economic times, can you identify some township expenses/programs that could be trimmed or eliminated to reduce the tax burden?The property tax levy for General Township Government was reduced by 50% this year which resulted in a reduction in reserves. On an ongoing basis I do not believe any programs can be eliminated but costs may be reduced by consolidation of services.What specific background or experience do you bring that makes you the best qualified candidate to serve as an elected official in the township?I am a CPA with over 25 years in auditing as well as being a Trustee in the Village of Lisle for the past 12 years. Experience in accounting, auditing and government make me exceptionally qualified to be a Lisle Township Trustee. My auditing background will bring a strong financial and control perspective to all Board actions. Not only will I insist that the cost of all activities be known before approval but I will ensure that all programs will be appropriately controlled from a financial as well as from a reporting perspective, before implementation.