Richard Flynn: 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: AlgonquinWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Algonquin Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 29Family: Married - we are expecting our first child in AugustOccupation: Business manager- chase bank - Lake Zurich. I am a trusted business advisor. My expertise is in business cash flow. I work with businesses that have revenues from $500,000 - $30,000,000. I help with everything from simple accounts to complex cash manaEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Committee chair for top cats business club. Member of rolling thunder bringing the POW MIA mission to light. Making sure that we never forget our troops.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 My number one mission is to get the residents involved in the community. I think that we are missing a big opportunity by not getting the residents opinions on what is taking place in the community. We need to get more information out to the people that pay the boards salary. Lets look at innovative ideas like having a polling section on the website where people can vote on big changes to the community. For instance were the neighborhoods around the new Windsor square apartments asked their opinions on the new development. It is a huge decision to put in a 220 unit complex and it may be the correct thing to do but did we ask. Can we have a booth at local events where the trustees would be available for questions. We need elected residents not politicians.Key Issue 2 We need to preserve the small town ambience, develop and progress while maintaining a balanced budget. In this difficult economic environment we need to make sure we are not burdening future generation. We need to make sure the downtown area is a primary focus, Downtown is the image people see when they think of Algonquin. Once route 31 is turned over to the village of Algonquin a plan needs to be in place to draw people to the downtown to generate the extra revenue needed to maintain the downtown area. We need to come up with a plan to draw in more small businesses. Small businesses are the core of our economy and we need to make sure we have a plan in place to attract them.Key Issue 3 We should start to look at creative ways to save money. We should offer incentives to departments for ending the fiscal year under budget. We should look for new innovations or technologies that could save the village money over time. We could look at new lighting technology for all the lights the village is responsible for. Not only will that save on electricity but with new technology the bulbs have a much longer life span lasting years longer. We need to continue to look for additional ways to partner with other communities to get volume discounts. one idea is to have a progressive tax rate for new businesses to attract them to Algonquin. We need to be looking to the future when we are making decisions and we need to get creative. The old way of thinking will not work in the new economy.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I help businesses everyday with all their business needs. I am a trusted business advisor. I am someone who is always looking for creative solutions. I will be an elected resident that will always be working for the people.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.The local businesses are the core of our economy. Being that I work with local business I know exactly where the taxes fit in their cash flow. While the tax rate is an important factor. It is not the most important factor we should be looking at. We have businesses like the Algonquin commons going bankrupt we need to look at ways to draw in more businesses to fill vacant stores and help to attract people to those business to keep them open. We need to look at a progressive tax rate for new business. We should look for other creative incentives to attract new business as well.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.While a few items have come up, one that could be easily solved is marking on the bike path. The local residents fear that if they get hurt on the bike path and needed to call for help on their cell phones, how do they describe where they are. While the village does not have complete control over this we could certainly provide the labor to quickly get this done. People are also concerned about the increased number of vacant houses. We need to make sure that the police department has a list of these houses and patrols them daily. Traffic safety is still a big concern. I don't believe that the bypass is going to solve this concern. I think further studies and remedies need to be looked at to solve this problem.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?While we always need to prioritize the budget we need to do it without compromising safety. Fire and police need to always be a priority. At the end of the day this is a business that the people should have input in because they all own a piece of it. Lets start to think outside of the box to look for savings. Lets offer department heads incentive to come in under budget. Lets get new business in Algonquin to raise revenue. Lets get the riverside building generating revenue. Riverside is the building by Port Edwards. If they are not going to get the apartments built and rented soon lets turn it into a commercial building or medical center. While I don't think that the building should have been built I do believe that we need to start making tax revenue on it as soon as possible.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Lets get the community involved and be elected residents. The community should have input on the way their money is being spent.