Vincent Ackerman: Candidate Profile

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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: BloomingdaleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Bloomingdale Village Board Age: 40Family: Married to Suzanne, two childrenOccupation: Sr. Product ManagerEducation: Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IowaCivic involvement: Bloomingdale Mayoral Advisory Committee (2014 - current) Bloomingdale Intergovernmental Group (2011 - current) Bloomingdale Baseball and Softball Association Coach and Board Member (2009 - current) CCSD93 Facilities Committee (2012-2014) CCSD93 Student Mentor (2011-current)Elected offices held: Community Consolidated School District 93 Board of Education Member (2011 - current)Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Since becoming a resident of Bloomingdale eight years ago, I have built many meaningful relationships with fellow elected officials, residents, employees and business owners in the village. I will be able to leverage these relationships to get stakeholder input and encourage intergovernmental partnerships that can benefit the taxpayers of the village. As a current Board of Education member in CCSD93, I will step into this position with a strong understanding of how local government operates and how the board must be mindful when making decisions that spend the taxpayers money.What is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales and property taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.I believe the current tax levels assessed by the village are acceptable. The village needs to continue to widen its tax base in order to lessen the overall tax burden to its taxpayers.Rate the efficiency of your town's police and fire coverage. Are the departments well prepared for the next decade? What, if anything, should be changed? Do you have specific public safety concerns?The Bloomingdale Police Department and the Bloomingdale Fire Protection District provide exceptional coverage for our community and are continually evolving to meet the needs of the future. We must continue to support our police department and provide it with the tools to continue their high level of service to the community.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Bloomingdale has done an excellent job of working within its means and prioritizing the projects that will bring the most benefit to the community. As a board, we must continue to scrutinize our spend and ensure it is necessary and a wise use of taxpayer dollars.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?We should explore the use of intergovernmental alliances to reduce overall expenses incurred by the local taxing bodies. This would ultimately lead to reducing the overall tax burden. There may be opportunities by increasing buying power to negotiate lower costs for services and products.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Candidate did not respond.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Richard Branson - He follows his passions, takes chances, does good deeds for others and strongly believes in himself, his businesses and employees.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?I learned in order to achieve success, you must be willing to work hard and learn from your mistakes.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would not want a do over as I have learned from my experiences. They have made me the person I am today.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite courses were engineering courses that allowed me to become an expert problem solver, breaking down large problems into smaller, manageable chunks.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Everyone has something to offer. Even on the best sports team, every person has a role and contributes to the success of the team.