Rosa Carmona: 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: BensenvilleWebsite: http://www.bensenvillefirst.comOffice sought: Bensenville Village Clerk (4-year Term)Age: 41Family: Divorced with 3 children, Kassy (18), Nichole(15), Dimas (6).Occupation: Office Manager for a dental laboratory in Elmhurst, IL.Education: General Education Development, State of IL licensed cosmotologistCivic involvement: Neighborhood Watch for the past 3 years, Girl Scouts assistant for troop #1358, REP Program certified, Youth mentor.Elected offices held: N/AHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 My number one campaign issue is making the village clerks office accessible to the community as well as to the village employees. Being able to respond in a timely manner.Key Issue 2 My second campaign issue would be to bring the business licensing process back to the village clerks office.Key Issue 3 My third campaign issue to address would be, making sure all residents regardless of race and nationality, have the same equal access to all facets of village government.Questions Answers Some communities have contracted out for certain services, such as snowplowing, to save money. What innovative methods would you propose to reduce your office's budget? Explain your answer.In regards to certain services being outsourced, I do not necessarily agree that privitization (outsourcing) is the key to saving money for the community. I plan on weighing all options on the issue. I would also be looking into analyzing the salaries of village officials to ensure they are in line with neighboring communities of similar size.The state's revised Freedom of Information Act guidelines renewed focus on open government. Name one specific step you would take if elected to increase government transparency in your office.One specific step that I would take if elected, would be to make sure all financial matters are up to date and accessible. To ensure all record keeping on all matters are in compliance with state statutes.Do you believe the village clerk should be an elected or appointed position? Please explain your answer.I believe the village clerk should be an elected position because it allows the community to excercise their right to vote.What steps would you take as village clerk to improve and increase the flow of information to residents?The steps that I would take to improve and increase the flow of information would be to introduce a bilingual newsletter. I would also like to try to work with the IT department to get more billingual pages on the website.If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for village clerk? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.I am a newcomer; I am running because I feel the current administration is lacking the vision to move Bensenville forward.