Alan Bennett: 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: Not AvailableOffice sought: Lombard Village Board District 4 Age: 71Family: Married to Janet/ Three adult children/ Five grandchildren/ Three of whom reside in LombardOccupation: Retired State of Illinois EmployeeEducation: 1965--BS in Business Administration, Elmhurst College/ 1970--MA in Political Science, Northern Illinois UniversityCivic involvement: Member, Mazzini-Verde Italian-American Social Athletic Organization/Former coach for girls softball in the Elmwood Park Youth Commission summer program/Former Merit Badge counselor for Boy Scout Troop No. 689 in Elmwood Park/Elected offices held: Member CMAP Board, 03/2007 to 08/2012/ Member CMAP Land Use Committee 09/2007 to 03/2008/ Commissioner Treasurer NIPC 11/1995 to 07/2007/Village of Elmwood Park Village Trustee Deputy Village President 11/1975 to 08/2012/Member Board of Education, Unit Distr. 401 04/1971 to 04/1974/Chair Elmwood Park Planning Commission 01/1970 to 04/1971Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Given my experiential background at both the local and regional levels, I feel I have the unique background and abilities to assist the President and Board and administration with the task of policy determination and addressing the future challenges facing the Village.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.For most of Lombard the sales tax rate is 8.25%, which is reasonable and comparable with surrounding villages. The Village property tax is 7.51% of the total 2013 property tax rate, which is small percentage of the total property tax rate. 78.9% of the 2013 property tax rate supports educational activities that are controlled by separately elected taxing bodies.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?I have requested utilization data from the Village Manager for both these departments to more intelligently address the issue of efficiency. I want to ensure that the fire department has the resources necessary to minimize critical response times to medical emergencies as the population ages. I also need to review the patrol division policies in the Police Department regarding residential area surveillance to ensure homeowners are receiving adequate protective services.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?It would somewhat premature for me to comment on budgetary matters until I have had a opportunity to review utilization data that I have requested from the Village Manager. One area that I would like to study are the enforcement policies and procedures surrounding code administration to ensure compliance with the various codes pertaining to construction, zoning, and property maintenance.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I would like the President and Board of Trustees to consider having quarterly meetings with all the local real estate agents to determine what actions or policies the Village needs to consider to maintain property values in the Village.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Examine the historical circumstances surrounding the absence of street lights in large areas of the Village/Explore the possibility of greater cooperative efforts with sub-regional organizations/Examine and review alternative strategies for the re-development of the Village's commercial areas/Ascertain the feasibility of employing the latest technological advancements to effectuate the most cost effective Village governmental services/Examine the issues surrounding the Village's bonding authority in order to determine if any financially responsible remedial actions would be available to the Village/Explore the possibility of joint purchasing agreements with other Village taxing bodiesPlease name one current leader who most inspires you.Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of the City of ChicagoWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Always work hard and good results will followIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have liked to have gone on for a PhD degree in Political ScienceWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject was history because it allowed me to understand the historical circumstances leading to the nation's current social, economic, and political structures.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Always follow the moral compass that my wife and I instilled in you