Nancy Shepherdson: 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: Deer ParkWebsite: http://www.elareform.orgOffice sought: Ela Township Board (4-year Terms)Age: 57Family: Married for almost 30 years.Occupation: Business owner providing editorial services to clients for 27 years and award-winning writer.Education: BA Economics, University of Illinois MA Economics, University of Michigan MBA, Marketing and Finance, Northwestern UniversityCivic involvement: Volunteer for Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce, Lake Zurich Rotary Club, Save-a-Pet Animal ShelterElected offices held: None.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The most important issue facing Ela Township voters is excess taxation. Township officials currently budget considerably more money than they actually need to spend each year so they can maximize taxes collected. These reserve funds are then spent on large capital expenditures. For example, almost $2.5 million was spent for the township hall on Rt. 22 that houses only the offices of the supervisor, assessor, clerk and social worker. I believe much more care should be spent planning the township's budgets so that taxes are not artificially inflated.Key Issue 2 My number two issue is realigning expenditures to the real needs of Ela Township residents. I have heard many stories of people in need approaching the township for help, only to be sent away to a church or county facility. One of the township's duties, by law, is to provide aid to those in need. We need to help people who are hurting and not send them someplace else. In addition, I believe that we should preserve successful, but small, existing senior (Ela 55 Plus) and youth services, while expanding their reach to more people including shut-in seniors, the disabled, and families. Local teens, especially, need a safe, inviting place to go so they can stay out of trouble.Key Issue 3 Finally, I want to be part of a 100% open and transparent township government. All financial information should be posted on the township website as soon as possible, including prior years? information not now available. (Only two years are posted.) Township meetings should also be conducted in a way that allows voters to understand what's being voted on. My goal would be to create a complete open door administration and encourage public participation in township government. Far too few people know what townships do or how they spend tax dollars. I want to change that.Questions Answers Name the three most important goals or objectives this board should tackle in the coming term. Prioritize them, and briefly discuss why you believe each to be critical, and how the board should go about addressing them.I believe that the three most important goals for the township to strive for in the coming term are, in priority order: 1) creating a sound budget based on community needs and sound financial projections, 2) determining which new programs for youth, seniors, the disabled, shut-ins and families are needed and 3) enhancing the office of the social worker so that more people can be helped directly. These goals are all critical and interrelated. With the wealth of business experience the Ela Tax Reform Party brings to the table, we can analyze the needs of the community and create a budget that meets those needs without over-taxation. Most residents of Ela Township get no services at all except their annual tax assessment. At current tax rates, services to Ela Township residents seniors, the disabled, youth and families, can be enhanced without any sort of tax increase. It might even be possible to decrease the rate. I would also like to see the office of the social worker expanded, if possible, so that people are not turned away when they need services.In the 21st Century, with municipalities gobbling up vacant land, why are townships needed? Should they be serving a new role? If so, what?Many people have said that townships could be abolished if property assessment were taken over by Lake County and if the towns annexed more of the unincorporated areas so that the township had to manage less than than 16 miles of roads it currently does. Churches and the county could take over the township's services to the needy, since they do a lot of that now. But under current state law, townships are here to stay. So, the best idea is to use township tax dollars more wisely to enhance services to residents of the township. The new community center, for instance, could become a trusted place for after-school programs for youth and after-work programs for adults. Now that we have the place, it should be a hive of activity, but it is often empty. The township could also more strongly reach out to shut-in seniors who need help with activities of daily living.What should be the primary responsibility of township government?The primary responsibilities of township government are those set by state law: property assessment, maintenance of roads and bridges and aid to the needy. Anything more than that is completely at the discretion of township government. Township government in Ela has done some good things, like provide activities for healthy seniors and start a Homework Club for young people. But so many more people are left out, while the township buys, rents, and builds properties at the cost of millions of dollars that could be spent on programs that benefit people or returned to the taxpayers in the form of lower tax rates.In these hard economic times, can you identify some township expenses/programs that could be trimmed or eliminated to reduce the tax burden?The township paid $1.5 million for a 25-year lease for several rooms at the YMCA that formerly housed the senior center. Since senior programs have moved to the old post office, this lease should be examined to determine whether termination is possible. The township also pays rent to the YMCA for use of rooms for youth programs, which seems excessive on top of the lease. Other things that could be trimmed are reimbursements for Medicare payments by and for the benefit of elected officials, as well as cell phones for elected officials. In fact, there are sure to be many similar expenses that can be trimmed but it is difficult to tell, in many cases, what township money is currently being spent on, even though two years of expenses are now being posted online.What specific background or experience do you bring that makes you the best qualified candidate to serve as an elected official in the township?I have owned my own business for more than 25 years, after a short career as a bank trust officer. I am a magazine, web and book writer who has profiled successful business executives at the largest companies as well as successful mom-and-pop entrepreneurs. My latest book, Built on Values: Creating an Enviable Culture that Outperforms the Competition, was written with one of the co-founders of JetBlue Airways. The idea is that you can use the behaviors and values of your best employees to build an excellent company. Or an excellent township government. The experience of learning from the best in business, along with an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Northwestern University, has shown me how to run a successful enterprise. I am also an experienced contract negotiator. Perhaps most importantly, I am an idea person: I am always looking for better ways to do things. The status quo is not always bad, but it should be looked at regularly to see if there are ways to make improvements. You often find that you can do things better, for less money, if you take the time to consider the alternatives.