Suzanne Blohm: 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: 48Family: I am married (21 years) with three children and have been a FRG resident for 18 1/2 years.Occupation: Registered NurseEducation: B.S. Microbiology, University of Illinois, 1987 M.S. Biology, University of Illinois, 1990 A.D. Nursing, Harper College, 2006Civic involvement: Village Trustee 1997-2003 and 2010-present Volunteer Coach for 2 yearsElected offices held: Village Trustee, Fox River Grove, 2010-present Village Trustee, Fox River Grove, 1997-2003Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 My Number 1 campaign issue is economic development. The goal of economic development is to enhance the quality of life for our residents. We need to focus our efforts on maintaining our current businesses and attracting new businesses. Our new train station and the creation of a TIF district are great first steps to accomplish these goals. I would like to make Fox River Grove a destination for shoppers as well as improve the quality of living for our residents. I believe we need to invest in our downtown area "streetscape" (sidewalks, lighting, green space, etc). We may not recoup this investment in a strictly financial sense, but it will make Fox River Grove welcoming and a community we can be proud of.Key Issue 2 My number 2 campaign issue is long-term financial planning for the Village. Fox River Grove has always operated under tight budgetary constraints and has been diligent about keeping expenditures low while providing quality services to our residents. We have done an excellent job of balancing the budget on a yearly basis while also maintaining reserves. We now need to concentrate on long-term planning that invests our reserves back into the community. Our plan must not deplete our reserves completely and we must be able to continue to add to the reserves at a reasonable rate.Key Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?As a taxpayer, resident, and parent I share the same struggles and concerns as others in our community. I am committed to continuing initiatives that strengthen our revenues and control expenditures, while maintaining quality services for our residents. During my current term, I have shown my commitment to our residents by rebating property taxes in the form of a free vehicle sticker in 2012 and by abating property taxes in 2013. My previous experiences as a Trustee, Finance Committee Chairperson and Budget Officer demonstrate proof of my capabilities. I consider it an honor and privilege to serve the Village residents as a Trustee.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.Fox River Grove is mainly a residential community, with virtually no industrial tax base. As such, the Village relies heavily on residential property taxes. In order to lessen the property tax burden for our residents? we need to generate more sales tax revenues. I supported the referendum to increase the sales tax because it would have provided the Village with a revenue source that was committed solely to downtown redevelopment without sacrificing services elsewhere. Even with the increase, Fox River Grove would have had a lower sales tax rate than most of our neighbors. Unfortunately, it did not pass. We now need to concentrate our efforts on creating new sources of sales tax revenues as well as continuing to grow our current retail base. I believe the creation of the TIF district is a step in the right direction for this to occur. It provides a mechanism for businesses and the Village to recoup their investment in our community. It will help with both business retention as well as attracting new businesses without taking resources away from other vital services.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.The biggest public safety concern our residents face, currently, is the expansion of our Wastewater treatment facility and relocation of our Public Works facility. The need for a new Public Works facility is two-fold. It is being driven by both the outdated conditions of our current facilities and the need to expand our Wastewater treatment facility to meet new IEPA guidelines. When the new guidelines are dictated, we will have a limited amount of time to comply. Theideal? Public Works facility would include a storage facility, office space, salt storage, and vehicle repair bays all in one location. The initial estimates of this type of facility were not realistic for our Village's budget. The current proposed solution is to build the facility in stages that will be more manageable from a budgetary perspective. We also need to continue to explore consolidation of services and outsourcing of services before committing considerable resources to a new facility.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?Fox River Grove has always operated under tight budgetary constraints and has been diligent about keeping expenditures low while providing quality services to our residents. In terms of revenue sources, we need to concentrate on business retention to maintain our current level of sales tax revenue and on economic development in order to generate new sources of sales tax revenue. The current concern, that we can't control, is State funding. Municipalities, like tax payers are shouldering the burden of the State's financial woes. There are limited areas that would allow our budget to be cut, without reducing services. Fox River Grove has and continues to prioritize its budget, both short and long term. Village roads and parks are two areas that require yearly investments. Traditionally these types of capital expenditures are trimmed to allow revenues to balance with expenditures. This year's budget will include a plan for both short term and long term funding sources for both parks and roads.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?My goal for economic development is to make Fox River Grove a destination for shoppers as well as improve the quality of living for our residents. I believe we need to invest in our downtown areastreetscape? (sidewalks, lighting, green space, etc). We may not recoup this investment in a strictly financial sense, but it will make Fox River Grove welcoming and a community we can be proud of.