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Robert Smith: Candidate Profile

Algonquin Village Board (4-year Terms) (Independent)

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: 52Family: Married with two Daughters and one grandchildOccupation: Midwest Regional Manager for International Freight ForwarderEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: current member of Algonquin Lions past member of Algonquin JayCeesElected offices held: Algonquin Village Trustee 1993 to presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Continue to work to keep Algonquin a safe and healthy community to live and raise your family. I will continue to listen to our residents and let them know they have a voice in the Village of Algonquin.Key Issue 2 Continue to keep our proporty taxes down by further developing our retail and commercial base along with supporting our local business.Key Issue 3 continued support for our Recreation Departmetn mantaining our parks and open space.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have had the privilege of representing the people of Algonquin for going on 20 years. With the retirement of our Village Manager Bill Ganick I feel that my years of experance and leadership will be beneficial to our new Village Manager and the Residents. Algonquin is a sound and well run community that we can all take pride in. i am grateful to be a part of the development of our community and know that I still have alot to offer the people of Algonquin.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.Taxes can never be to low. Our sales tax rate is one of the lowest in the area. It has also helped us lower Proporty Taxes and our Utlity Tax. I will always work to keep our taxes down to help our residents.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.One of the biggest safety concerns is traffic and speeding on our neighborhood streets. We have worked very hard over the years to make improvements in our roadways. The Western Bipass is under construction. We are working with both McHenry and Kane Counties for improvements to Randall Road. Our Police department is continuously working to find ways to reduce speeding both by inforcement and education.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?The Village of Algonquin has opporated with a balanced budget for years. We have always prioritized our spending. We go over the budget item by item making sure that the highest needs are taken care of first. We do not overspend and keep a strong reserve for any unforeseen issues.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I beleave that communication is one of the keys to a strong community. The Village Board has always been open to the residents and the business. We have set up our meetings so that public comments and qustions are at the start of the meeting showing that public concerns are our top priority. Going forward I would like to work on ways to improve on this. I would like to see us having more informal meetings with the community.