Carol Blackwood: 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: Arlington HeightsWebsite: N/A - Facebook Page "Carol Blackwood for Village Trustee"Office sought: Arlington Heights Village Board Age: 65Family: Married to John Blackwood for 44 years. Daughter - Stephanie and Son-Ken. Two granddaughters.Occupation: Banker - Senior Vice President at Village Bank Trust, a WINTRUST Community BankEducation: Studied at the University of Washington, School of Communication in Seattle.Civic involvement: -Past President and Board Member of Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce -Past Chairman and Member of Arlington Heights Plan Commission -Current Arlington Heights Village Trustee -Current Board Member Meet Chicago Northwest -Past President of Wellness Place Cancer Resource Center -Recipient of 2008 Community Service Award from Illinoi Park and Recreation Assoc. and Arlington Heights Park District for involvement with the Arlington Heights Senior Center. -PTO Committee Chair - Edgar Allen Poe School -Arlington Heights Youth AssociationElected offices held: - Current Arlington Heights Village Trustee - Past Chairman and Member of the Arlington Heights Plan Commission - Past Chairman and Member of the Arlington Heights Chamber of CommerceQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Being a 34-year resident who has lived and always worked within the community I believe that I have a unique and balanced perspective of what is important to families and businesses alike and most importantly how they are mutually inter-related. I believe that if you have a strong and vibrant local economy, the quality of life and the amenities that lend themselves to that quality proposition (quality schools, parks, library and jobs) seem to come together in synergy for residents. Local government supports that proposition as well. I have served as Past-President and Board Member of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce. I have been involved in local government for 22 years serving as Past Chairman and Member of the Arlington Heights Plan Commission and Village Trustee. I am a current Board Member of Meet Chicago Northwest. In a residential volunteer capacity I have received the 2008 Community Service Award from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association in conjunction with the Arlington Heights Park District for my involvement with the Arlington Heights Senior Center. I am a Past Chairman of Wellness Place Cancer Resource Center and have been involved in Parent Teacher Organizations in School District 21 and the Arlington Heights Youth Association.Tell us your vision for Metropolis. Specifically, touch on your vision for programming, how it should be financed, and what role the village should play in supporting and/or running it. Or conversely, if your vision calls for it to be eliminated, explain why and what the village should do with the property.Metropolis is a key component of the downtown landscape that provides an entertainment compliment to local restaurants. MPAC, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization is the governing body for Metroplis Theater and the School of Performing Arts. This organization should be actively nurturing and financially developing the community for the benefit of the Metropolis Theater to assure its continued viability together with the assistance of patrons who support professional theatrical productions. I am of the opinion that programming for Metropolis Theater needs to be relevant, timely and interesting enough to generate traffic into the theater and assure that performances are well attended and not cancelled for lack of interest. Arguably the primary goal of MPAC and the theater is self-sustainablility. Potentially a choice of either professional management or a partnership with the Village could be acceptable. However, there would need to be stop-gap measures in place to include a mutually agreed upon, budgeted subsidy from the Arts and Entertainment fund with strong financial oversight by the Village and the MPAC Board. Additionally, a robust and viable business plan with action steps and specific time frames with key performance indicators would be needed to measure progress and assure fiscal responsibility. I would support the continuation of the School of Performing Arts as it plays an important role in re-enforcing the value of the Arts with youth. What I cannot accept or support is the continued financial mismanagement of the theater followed by the subsequent request for Village bail-out funding now or going forward.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?There is always room in a budget for trimming-the payables that the Village processes on a regular basis are significant, however if incentives that support cost-cuts in non essential areas could be instituted and be reviewed systematically on a line-item basis, I suspect that small increments of savings would surface that would lead to larger savings over time. Initiatives such as this stimulate employees to focus on what is important and be more creative with what they have available. While the current staff has done a remarkable job in reducing overall expenditures, more could be accomplished through the daily review process by department heads and deck those successes against established performance goals. Municipalities often need to be reminded that their primary responsibility is to assure the health and safety of residents and the budget should be (and is) designed to support that focus. Looking forward into the future five years out, additional funding may need to be considered and/or allocated to the Capital Improvements Program to upgrade or replace significant parts of the Village infrastructure that may be antiquated or in disrepair. Improvements will be based on long range projected needs to minimize future maintenance, replacement and capital costs and to be reviewed annually.Is the village's present level of local sales tax just right, too low or too high? Are there untapped sources of more municipal revenue?The Village relies on sales tax revenue for General Fund expenditures. Sales tax currently represents roughly 20% of the fund and is expected to decline as online internet sales increase and become more mainstream. The present level of sales tax is appropriate when compared to that of other adjacent communities. However it is important to note that creative planning and budgeting needs to be addressed to manage future expenses. Fee income, while not a popular option, may need to be seriously considered in specific situations to fill the gap. Attracting and retaining businesses locally and encouraging residents to buy in their locale with these businesses are key components in solving potential sales tax concerns.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?We need to redevelop the current Village website so that it evolves into THE primary media center for local businesses and residents. People in our community view the Village as the first stop for accessing information on current topics. What they often find is that the existing site is designed to be a governmental resource and is difficult to navigate unless you are familiar with its nuances. The difficulty that is encountered then causes frustration when information can't be found quickly, easily and effectively. When comparing the current site to other neighboring communities in the Northwest Suburbs, it becomes apparent that successful and robust communities rely on the local government to partner with business and special interest organizations and then bringing them together to share their message with one voice on one site in a user-friendly format. Links to these partners should be made available for more detailed responses/information, if desired.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The Village needs to do a better job in communicating its messaging and promoting itself to new and existing businesses and residents. A comprehensive marketing plan with a clear and concise 4-6 word definition of who we are as a municipality establishes a brand and is the beginning point of the process. The next step would involve the development of related campaigns and actionable plans for activities that support the overall plan. Creating and maintaining a municipal brand brings the value of the Village to the attention of prospective businesses and residents that are looking to expand or relocate to the Arlington Heights area. The greater the number of businesses in a locale, the higher the probability of increased sales tax income. Solving some of the flood and sewer related issues is of significant importance to me. I look forward to reviewing the findings of the commissioned flood study which I understand is close to completion. Offering workable options to residents who have experienced the damages of a 100 year storm which now occur every other year is an inherent part of the role of Trustee - which is to provide for the health and safety of our residents. Most importantly, I feel it is critical to be fiscally responsible to the local taxpayers. I also subscribe to maximizing investment opportunities, indentifying and integrating alternative methods of income generation into current planning and using a balanced, open and common-sense approach to community issues as they present themselves.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.King Hussain of Jordan for his leadership role in the recent Paris terror attacks and the subsequent march for liberty and free expression.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Honor your parent's perspectives and love them unconditionally. My Dad and Mom (in particular) really did know what they were talking about.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Spend more quality time with my children when they were younger and in day care while I was working. Time passed so quicklyWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I loved journalism and understanding the value of the who, what, where and how when communicating/presenting an issue or topic.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Never give up - just push a little harder toward your goal as success could just be inches away.