Mary Klees: 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: GrayslakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Grayslake Village Board Age: 52Family: Married to John Klees for 27 years. We have two daughters who are 22 and 20 and a 9 year old son.Occupation: Stay at home Mom and freelance partime designer/photo stylistEducation: Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Design, Columbia College ChicagoCivic involvement: Grayslake Environmental Stewardship Committee 2011-current Director of Foundation 46 (CCD46 School Foundation) and co-creator/chair Fine Arts Commission 2012-current Co-founder and co-leader of GrayslakeConnect 2012-current Creator and now co-producer of THE GREEN SERIES; a local educational lecture series on social and sustainability topics 2012-current Co-creator and co-leader of Woodview Sprouts School Garden 2012-current Co-creator of GrayslakeConnect Storytelling event at 2014 Color Aloft Woodview PTO Vice President 1999-2001 Brownie and Girl Scout LeaderElected offices held: This will be my first elected office.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?A civically engaged 20 year Grayslake resident; I bring to the table a diverse background in Design, Sustainability and community engagement. -I am a big picture person who understands large and synergistic systems. I am able to recognize seemingly despairing qualities, tie them together to create unique solutions. I will add value to conversations that require innovative solutions and comprehensive thinking. -With 30 years' design experience I will be an asset in regards to capital improvements, faÃsect;ade grant programs and general aesthetics of Grayslake. -I also believe in the collective intelligence of a community; we know more together than we know alone. This collaboration is instrumental in achieving extraordinary solutions to complex problems. I have co-founded GrayslakeConnect based on these same principles and to promote the idea of collaboration within our community. -I am currently a member of the Grayslake Environmental Stewardship Committee and will draw on my experience working with Village staff and current Board Members. -In 2011 I earned LEED Green Associate credential from United States Green Building Council (USGBC)and have a comprehensive understanding of all sustainability issues and systems. I am inspired to help build a better standard of living in Grayslake not just a higher standard of living.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?Current and past Grayslake Village administration and previous elected officials have done a tremendous job keeping our budget balanced. I thank them all for a job well done. However, I would advocate for more collaboration between all government bodies, community taxing bodies and community stake holders. It is necessary to look for innovative solutions at State, County and local levels to ensure proper funding of our schools and basic services.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?In my opinion Grayslake has a revenue issue more than a budget issue. I believe our priority should be on proactively looking at long term sustainable tax revenue options that will help disperse the heavy tax burden felt by residents and business owners. In addition I think there is potential in looking at life cycle cost analysis vs. short term analysis to save money in the long run. What is the real cost (financial and environmental) of a capital improvement project, procurement, etc. There is embedded value in choosing quality materials and quality designs that may not be measurable in the short term but add substantial value to Grayslake over time. I would also advocate for a sustainability plan that would lay out best environmental practices, potentially saving the Village money while also cutting our carbon footprint. Are our Village owned buildings as energy efficient as they could be? Are we using storm water best management practices to save on watering costs? Are we taking advantage of the many free programs available to Municipalities to become more sustainable and save money on utilities?Is the village doing enough to attract business development? Please elaborate.The Village is headed in the right direction with the newly formed Grayslake Business Partnership and with the continuation of the Economic Development Commission. Having said that, the quality and type of businesses the Village attracts is as much a concern to me as the quantity of businesses the Village attracts. I would like our focus to be on attracting/recruiting long term financially and environmentally sustainable business. We are in a new era of business, consumers are willing to spend more money on experiences and quality than on cheap consumer goods because they are more conscious of waste, environmental issues and buying local. I believe our plan moving forward should incorporate these new consumer spending habits. It is also important to create an overall plan for the kind of industry recruited. Industry clusters, similar to Napa valley or Silicon Valley offer more opportunity to build a strong local economy. In addition, the creation of a comprehensive local economy that is not necessarily reliant on National or International economies would be more sustainable over the long run. This new community centered economy will help our school districts and basic services by giving them consistent and reliable tax revenue.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I envision Grayslake building a vibrant innovative long term local economy based on the unique assets of Grayslake. We should capitalize on and strengthen our "sense of place" to build economic capacity. Focus on local food, agri-tourism, active lifestyle tourism, and art/culture/experiential tourism for potential revenue streams. Why not draw on our historic roots as a farming community and reinvent ourselves as a Local Food Hub. The local food industry is potentially a 1.5 billion dollar untapped market in our area. Grayslake has the land, zoning, support organizations and capacity to become a Food Hub for the Chicagoland and Milwaukee regions. I and GrayslakeConnect have already established relations with high profile Chicago chefs who are very interested in supporting a Food Hub in the Chicagoland area. This Food Hub would consist of growing, processing, distribution and the retail component of local food. Add to the local food concept, high quality Arts and Entertainment at CLC, our proximity to a great trail system within Grayslake and surrounding Lake County Forest Preserve and the fact that we have a Historic Downtown; you have the makings of a unique destination place. There is no reason Grayslake cannot be the 21st Century "college town". Encouraging local entrepreneurs to start businesses in Grayslake centered on local food and tourism concepts would keep revenues local and multiply 1.5-3.5 times with in our local economy. Building a local economy around local food and tourism would be a win for our economy, community and environment.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.I admire Senator Melinda Bush's ability to lead with courage. She is a great collaborator but remains true to her word and principles.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?I come from a large family and learned that sometimes the greater good is more important than meeting your own particular needs.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?No regrets, no do-overs.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Drawing classes taught me how to physically see things differently than how we may perceive them . I can look at situations from many perspectives.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Listen to your heart more than your head. Your heart is your truth, your head, well...sometimes messes with you.