Andrew Migdal: 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: Fox River GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Fox River Grove Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 42Family: MarriedOccupation: Director of OperationsEducation: Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Northwestern University, 2004Civic 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 Revitalizing the village's central business district.Key Issue 2 Developing our parks for our residents, and to help attract people to our town.Key Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?My family has owned AD Specialty Sewing, which is located in the central business district, for the past thirty-five years. I now manage the business, so I have a vested interest in growing and developing the downtown area. I would like to accomplish this while preserving the small town atmosphere that I love about Fox River Grove.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.I think the local sales tax is just right. Bills rarely get reduced, so the longer they stay the same, the better. I think that people are aware of sales tax rates, and if those people can shop where the rates are lower, they will. We just need to bring more businesses into town to create more sales tax revenue.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.With the town being older, there are some areas without sidewalks, and people sometimes have to walk on the street. While most of the side streets do not have a lot of traffic, there is a safety risk when people or young children are forced to walk on any street. The simple answer is to build sidewalks, but nothing is ever that simple. The village would have to account for that money in the budget. Therefore, either something that was already in the budget would be removed, or taxes would have to be increased.In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Unfortunately, I do not think that our village's current budget can be trimmed at this time. The police pension fund is currently underfunded. There are some roads in town that need major repair, and the new public works building is still being built. Even with these major expenses weighing on the current budget, I think that the parks could draw people into town, and they should receive more money.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?In the village's comprehensive plan from 2007 there was a suggestion of connecting the parks with a bike path or jogging trail. I think that with two parks along the river that some sort of scenic path would be an asset for the town.