Bill McLeod: 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: Hoffman EstatesWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Hoffman Estates Village President (4-year Term)Age: 63Family: Married, eight stepchildren, ninth grandchild due in March.Occupation: Full time Mayor; retired business owner. Owned it for 34 years.Education: High School - St. George High School, Evanston, IL, graduated 1967. Attended DePaul University.Civic involvement: President of the Northwest Municipal Conference; Member of US Conference of Mayors Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Advanced Manufacturing Group; Member of National League of Cities Steering Committee for Transportation; WINGS Leadership Board Member; Roosevelt University Advisory Board Member; Schaumburg District 54 Educational Foundation Board Member; Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Member; Former Vice President of NW Suburban Boy Scout Council Executive Board; Committee Member of Village Fourth of July, Celtic Fest Committees. Former President of Castleford Hearthstone Homeowners Association; former member of the Greater Chicagoland Parents of the Hearing Impaired; Former Village Trustee for 20 yearsElected offices held: Hoffman Estates Village Trustee - 1980 to 2001. Acting Mayor 2000-2001.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Providing high quality services at an affordable cost with a continuing emphasis on sustainabilityKey Issue 2 Retain the businesses we have and attract new quality businessesKey Issue 3 Quality of life issues. We need to continue to work together with the surrounding communities to provide families with cultural events that are reflective of the multi-ethnic community we are.Questions Answers Which areas of the village are you making it a priority to develop in the next four years and with what type of businesses specifically?As Mayor, every area of the community is a priority. In the southern area of the Village, shopping centers have just been renovated. We need to fill the open storefronts. Our northern area has vacant stores; I am working hard to fill those. The western area has hundreds of acres to be developed. I will continue to work on the entertainment district. A hardware store is a top priority - anywhere in our Village!! The proposed National Veterans Museum will be a transformational institution to have in our community. It would have tremendous moral and financial impact.Are there changes you would propose regarding the multi-village Fourth of July celebration at the Sears Centre?Yes. Traffic control needs to be improved. We are actively seeking sponsorships now that our first year proved we can bring in huge crowds. After working out the bugs, I want to invite other neighboring communities to join us to make this a truly regional fest. The New Orleans Jazz Festival started on a street corner.Is the Sears Centre performing up to residents' expectations? If yes, do you support any changes going forward. If no, what specifically should the village be doing (or stop doing) to improve it?Yes - especially for the local businesses. The Village hired Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of Comcast, to manage the Arena. An aggressive young manager is doing an excellent job of watching the bottom line while promoting the arena. The Village was successful in attracting the Big10 Womens Basketball Tournament - to prove we can handle these nationwide events. If you ask any local restaurant about their business increase before and after an arena event, you recognize the impact of this Arena. The Village, the Arena and Business have a partnership and a stake in the success of the Sears Centre Arena.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of the village's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Just right. We are competitive with the surrounding Cook County communities. The bigger problem is the disparity between the Cook County sales and property taxes and those in our surrounding counties.What are the village's biggest public safety concerns? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.Unfortunately, everything is financial. We have the finest Police and Fire forces. I simply have to figure out a way to continue to afford them. Hoffman Estates was recently designated one of the top 100 safest communities in the US.