Mary Naumann: 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: Barrington HillsWebsite: www.saveopenspace.netOffice sought: Barrington Hills Village Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Two adult children, Michael and JamesOccupation: RetiredEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Founder of Don't Change Barrington Hills to protect residents from eminent domain. Member of Barrington Area Historical Society Volunteer at Barrington Area LibraryElected offices held: None to dateQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?My dedication to the heritage of Barrington Hills: semi-rural, open space and equestrian.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.First, we don't have sales tax. But property taxes are very high in our village. Unfortunately, the bulk of our property taxes, schools for example, are out of our village government's control. However, while the part of our property tax bill controlled by our village government is below 20%, I feel we must be willing to trim where we can without detracting from the public services our residents rely on.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've spoken with many village residents and the feedback on public safety in Barrington Hills is generally very positive. Our police department is considered state-of-the-art. And although our fire protection is split among 5 different fire districts to cover our huge geography, I think our protection is good. There's currently a debate over outsourcing our 9-1-1 emergency response system, and I'm concerned we don't throw out the baby with the bath water to save money.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?I've been attending almost every public meeting in our village, and I think our funds are being handled responsibly. Areas where money can be saved are already being considered.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The tenor of our public meetings has deteriorated over the last couple of years, especially at meetings of the Village Board and ZBA. I feel that a return to more civil discourse would aid in getting public business done more efficiently.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The issue of using eminent domain to widen our roads for bike lanes initially got me involved. I definitely oppose this for a variety of reasons. But the deeper I got into it the more I saw how it would contribute to the destruction of our village's character. Changing the footprint of our roads,once done, can't be corrected. It's important that we view every change to our village in that light.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Governor RaunerWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Nothing in life is for free.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?At this moment, I'd take a public speaking class.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Art. Studying fiber arts can relate to many things. Our village is like a vintage quilt. Special care is needed to preserve its beauty.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Hard work and perseverance pay off.