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James Boyce: Candidate Profile

Downers Grove 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: WestmontWebsite: http://downersgrovetownship.org/Office sought: Downers Grove Township Board (4-year Terms)Age: 36Family: Candidate did not respond.Occupation: Security Receiving Clerk for a digital imaging center.Education: Bachelor of Arts, Columbia College Chicago, 2004 Associate of Arts, Morton College, 1996Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 As Trustee I will bring a fresh set of eyes to the issues that face our township, and find a commonsense consensus that benefits all township residents. I am not tied to the status quo and feel that all options to make the use of township funds more efficient and effective should be on the table.Key Issue 2 As Trustee I will vote to bring forward the review of current programs and services in order to determine the cost effectiveness and efficiency of each to see where we can trim cost from the budget in order to lighten the tax burden of all township residents.Key Issue 3 As Trustee I will find it my duty to vote in the best interest of all township residents. This would include having a more open bidding process for township projects and the more efficient spending of township funds for the purchase of equipment.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. Moving forward we need to provide accurate and timely property assessments. In order to do this we need to ensure that the Assessor's office has the proper funding and staffing. 2. The board needs to adopt a zero based budgeting practice instead of automatically using last year's budget as a starting point. This should allow for a starting point in finding ways to trim or alter inefficient and ineffective programs from the budget. 3. We should collaborate with other government entities and agencies in order to determine township needs and avoid the duplication of services by multiple entities. This should help to curb the wasting of tax dollars and lead to a more cost efficient use of township services.In the 21st Century, with municipalities gobbling up vacant land, why are townships needed? Should they be serving a new role? If so, what?Currently Illinois requires townships, so until that time which they are no longer statutorily required, township government should be streamlined to provide only the basic services mandated. Those services could include social services which are no longer provided by individual municipalities.What should be the primary responsibility of township government?The primary responsibility of township government should be to properly manage the township assets and resources, maintain and repair roads in unincorporated areas, and provide accurate property assessments.In these hard economic times, can you identify some township expenses/programs that could be trimmed or eliminated to reduce the tax burden?All township programs and services provided should be reviewed for cost efficiency and effectiveness. After finding inefficiency and/or ineffectiveness, they could then be altered to be more efficient and effective or completely eliminated. Either action should result in a reduction of tax burden.What specific background or experience do you bring that makes you the best qualified candidate to serve as an elected official in the township?Throughout my life I've been the one to bring people and ideas together. There can always be a way to find consensus that will benefit all involved, and I am the one to do that. I'm not bound to old ideas or the status quo, and am willing to listen to all ideas with an open mind. My goal is to serve for the benefit of all residents of Downers Grove Township.