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Natalie Cappetta: Candidate Profile

Oak Brook Village President

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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:BioQA Bio City: Oak BrookWebsite: www.natalieforoakbrook.comOffice sought: Oak Brook Village President Age: 49Family: The daughter of Fred and Donna Cappetta of Oak Brook, the oldest of their 4 children, divorced and not remarried, no children.Occupation: AttorneyEducation: BBA from Benedictine University in Management and Organizational Behavior JD from The John Marshall Law SchoolCivic involvement: Member of the Oak Brook Zoning Board of Appeals Member of the Oak Brook Planned Unit Development Commission Former Board Member of the Fullersburg Woods Area AssociationElected offices held: None. This is my first run for public office.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I grew up in Oak Brook and saw it develop from a small town with a single shopping center to a regional commercial center with tens of thousands of visitors and travelers each day. The original goal of the founders of Oak Brook was to keep the suburban residential charm of the village. The expansion of population and commerce has made that increasingly difficult. I believe my knowledge of the past character of our village gives me a perspective to preserve our charm while accommodating our commercial economy. My background and perspective are unique to me and not shared by my opponents.How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services that people want?For the moment, our finances are in a stable condition, but only stable. At the slightest downturn of our revenue, which is made up of mostly of sales tax revenue, we could be facing problems. Our $37 million unfunded pension liability continues to grow, regardless of what our sales tax revenue does. We have to address our spending and the possibilities of saving so that the slightest downturn of revenue will not affect our ability to provide the superior and valuable services our residents are entitled to receive. We should study cost saving opportunities including outsourcing and combining operations wherever possible.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Oak Brook, under the current administration, tries to "go it alone" far too often. We need to examine ways we can cut expenses, while still providing exceptional services. There are duplicative services that exist throughout our region e.g., administrative services, which could be combined. There are numerous examples throughout DuPage County where government leaders have worked to combine and streamline services and save money. Under my leadership, I would do likewise. We do not contribute enough to our unfunded pension liability even though we have had an increase in our sales tax revenue from the Oakbrook Center. There is no reason to withhold contributions especially when we can do better. That is not good for our employees or the Village. Making the minimum payment due on any debt, as with credit cards, results in increased debt, interest and time.Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your village board or city council.I lead by example and hard work. I believe a Village President has to forge a consensus among Trustees by leading them to beneficial results. I am not suggesting leadership that dictates what others should do in the legislative process which has no place in a municipality like Oak Brook. There is however an absolute need to lead. Without leadership, consensus may be achieved on matters that do not benefit the Village. Consensus without leadership is wasteful and dangerous.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?In addition to outsourcing and combining efforts with other governmental bodies, another issue not discussed by others is the need to reevaluate traffic flow throughout the village. One example is 31st Street at Jorie Blvd. During low traffic times this traffic light needlessly stops traffic along 31st Street. There are other examples of traffic lights that should be evaluated to help the flow of traffic throughout Oak Brook. Addressing traffic flow issues, that are within the Village's control, would help our residents, as well as enhance the ability of our commercial districts to thrive. For traffic issues that are not in our control we should make a strong effort to work with those agencies to improve our traffic flow. I am confident we can make many improvements.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Planning and zoning are very important to me because Oak Brook is reaching its first stage of redevelopment after approximately 50 years of almost continuous development. A location as desirable as Oak Brook will always draw investors, business owners and retailers as long as we operate our government responsibly. Planning and zoning ordinances should be updated to maintain our cultural charm and uniqueness. As we begin to get requests for tear downs and redevelopment of certain areas and buildings, we need the changes to comply with our Comprehensive Plan â#128;#148; but first we have to update the Plan for the first time in almost 25 years. The Village's recent announcement to update its ordinances after my entry into the race is one example of what should have been done 4 years ago.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bruce Rauner, will spend a few years of his life and 10% of his net worth to eliminate the systemic corruption in all Illinois government.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To be up front and honest with people. I dislike politicians who beat around the bush and refuse to give a straight answer.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I wouldn't. Every mistake or error in life is an opportunity to grow. Everyone will make mistakes, but learning from those mistakes makes us stronger.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?English was my favorite, but not my best. 6th grade English was hard, but taught me that hard work can result in success.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?They should find what they like to do and pursue it. When you like what you do, working is fun and success naturally follows.