Bill Johnston: 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: LombardWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lombard Village Board District 4 Age: 61Family: Married 30 years to Patricia Argentati . 3 children .Occupation: Retired, after 22 years as Regional Sales Manager for a multi-state printing company. And franchiseEducation: Florissant Valley Community college; University of Houston (3 years); First aid,health and safety for coaches; NFHS Fundamentals of coaching.Civic involvement: 14 years as a volunteer soccer coach,Lombard Park District, coaching 41 teams. Recipient of " Character Counts" coaches award from the Lombard Park District board. Sacred Heart Parish building,design and campaign committee, raising $1.6 million for Parish improvement and building of Parish Center.Elected offices held: 1985 Vice President (Carol Stream Youth Soccer Association ). 10 years Sacred Heart Parish Council , President .Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?What makes you the best candidate for the job? I have been an active Lombard resident for 31 years. I have raised my family in this community and want to ensure that Lombard continues to be a great place for future generations. I come into this election with an open mind and have no set agendas or alliances but instead ready to learn and listen to my constituents and do what is best for the district and the village as a whole.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.The portion of the property taxes which goes to the village is minimal as compared to the portions which go to schools, the township, and the county. While fiscal responsibility is a must, we also need sufficient capital resources to fund future infrastructure upgrades and to fund everyday maintenance. Keeping the rates in line is key but so is making sure the village budgets are utilizing resources effectively and most efficiently. Sales taxes are a significant revenue source for the village given that Lombard is a retail and dining destination. Keeping the rates in check with neighboring areas keeps us competitive, but the special service areas also provide needed cash flow for designated areas and drive future improvement. Those improvements drive the growth that keeps Lombard on the map.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?Lombard's public safety is always at the forefront and a top priority for keeping Lombard a great place to live, work, shop, and more. Lombard police and fire department continue, to do a great job and fully utilizes the resources available to them. As times evolve their leadership assures that proper training, equipment, facilities, and more are in place. There is always room for improvement and one area would be on traffic enforcement and accident prevention in high traffic areas such as Roosevelt Road, Butterfield Road, and North Avenue corridors.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?This is a tough question as there are always key capital projects in need of funding as well as ongoing need for additional resources across village departments. One way to stretch the budget is to ensure no waste and no duplication in efforts as well as look for alternative and/or complementary funding sources via state and federal programs as well as via public/private partnership similar to how the downtown pedestrian underpass was funded. One key area of ongoing concern of many residents is flooding and storm water management. Dollars need to be allocated to finding viable solutions and implementing them in a timely and cost effective manner.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Improved parking and traffic/pedestrian flow in the downtown area. With the forthcoming pedestrian underpass and improved commuter experience Lombard will fast be the premier station on the Metra west line. Making sure those commuters can park easily and safely access the train platforms is a key element of downtowns continued improvement. The increased pedestrian traffic can help drive further downtown redevelopment and business growth especially along the East St. Charles Road corridor.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?. The development of downtown Lombard. . Growth of the Village of Lombard as a whole. . Making Lombard a great place for future generations .Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Alan Mulally,CEO Ford Motor Company. Ford was the only American car company, that did not need a bailout during the Recession .What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?. Be open-minded. . Learn from your mistakes. . Always help others.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?To have spent more time with my Dad, Robert T. Johnston.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Communication / speech Was my foundation in sales and management.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Integrity, honor,and pride. Three principles no one can can take away from you.