Janice Marie Anderson: 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: NapervilleWebsite: www.janicefordupage.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: DuPage County Board District 5 Age: 53Family: Parents - John and Joyce Toth - deceasedSister- Karin - Irvine, CAGrew up in Lake County, Indiana (The Region) and moved to Bolingbrook/Naperville. Father was a high school teacher at Proviso East HS and mother was a secretary. Mother's parents were farmers in Central Indiana, and fathers parents were welders for Sinclair Oil n Whiting, IN. and a homemaker.Occupation: Executive Assistant to CEO - Technology CompanyEducation: Bachelor of Arts - Political Science - North Central CollegeMaster of Arts - Leadership Studies - North Central CollegePreviously Held Series 7 and 63 Securities LIcensesCivic involvement: The Rotary Club of Naperville, Volunteer - DuPage Pads, Loaves Fishes and Naperville Cares, Member, Naperville League of Women VotersElected offices held: Naperville Township TrusteeTrustee, Will County Regional Board of SchoolsVice Chairman - Village of Bolingbrook Plan Commission,Member, Village of Bolingbrook Police Fire BoardPresident, Court of Cress Creek Homeowners AssociationQuestions Answers What is your stance on county board members' pay? Is it too high, too low, or just right? Would you propose any changes?Compensation for Elected Officials, as well as administration and staff, should be based on the position and the duties, not on the person. I have participated in setting salaries at the township level and actually voted for reducing elected officials pay. I believe it is important to have a professionally diverse board with as many career and community experiences as possible to help make important decisions.Do you think county board members should receive pensions? Why or why not? If not, would you be willing to pledge not to take one?Until recently, the Springfield legislature has allowed the practice of county board members receiving pensions under certain conditions. I do not believe any locally or state elected board members or legislators should receive a pension if they are working for what is considered part timework. I believe public service is an honor. I absolutely pledge not to take a pension.With DuPage County's budget being squeezed by state funding cuts and other factors, what initiatives would you support to increase revenue and/or save money?We need to apply the best practices of successful business operations to the operations of government. Joint purchasing and joint contracting are saving industries money. We need to optimize our use of technology to streamline operations and increase efficiency. At the county level we need to work cooperatively with our municipalities and other agencies to cut costs and decrease local property taxes. We need to take a look at our assets and resources and determine what is out-moded or underutilized. County personnel policies should be updated and consider flex-time and remote work to keep costs down at the County buildings.What are your thoughts about the county's Accountability, Consolidation and Transparency Initiative? What role should DuPage play in efforts to streamline and consolidate local government?In every decision we need to make sure we are safeguarding the public dollar. Consolidation, as well as resource sharing that I mentioned above, can help lessen the tax burden on the property owner. But consolidation has to be more than a buzzword. And it needs to be based on financial fact, not emotion. There must be a demonstrated savings or efficiency and I will advocate for the most detailed financial analyses possible. The highest mandate of government is to protect our citizens' public health and safety. Consolidation must always take that into consideration and cannot jeopardize public safety.What initiatives, if any, do you have in mind for your specific county board district?I want to make sure seniors are aware of services offered by the county - from property tax deferral programs to home care services.Some parts of our district are not as built out as other parts of the county so I want to make sure that road repair and infrastructure dollars are allocated appropriately.Work with other district county board members to have an annual town hall meeting.Improving an electronic version of a county district newsletter that would be available to more people and at the same time spending less money to produceWhat other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Reducing the overall footprint of government to protect our property taxpayers while providing residents better, easier access to efficient and effective county services and resources. At a time when people were being taxed out of their homes, I sought to play a proactive role in transforming government in Illinois through greater collaboration.While in office, I have worked closely with social service providers in our community on partnership agreements to provide services on the behalf of our neediest residents much more efficiently and effectively than the township would be able to do on its own.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.John Kasich has the ability to cross the aisle to get things done. Its not about being extreme but working together to accomplish things.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To tell the truth. If you are not true to yourself, you cannot be true to the people you represent.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?To appreciate the value of time and learn to cherish every day especially to spend more time with loved ones who are no longer here.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History. Life is about learning from the past. Civilization's successes have come about because leaders collaborated to achieve mutual goals.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Don't throw away your shot. The lyrics from Hamilton, the Musical, are poignant. We all have the opportunity to do good and effect change.