Scott Black: 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: MundeleinWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: N/AFacebook: N/AOffice sought: Mundelein Village Board Age: 55Family: Linda and I have been married for 30 years and have raised two sons here in Mundelein - Connor, a Senior studying Human Biology at Stanford, and Duncan, studying Accounting and Finance at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.Occupation: Senior Vice President -T.A. Cummings/Assured PartnersEducation: University of Wisconsin - MadisonClass of 1984, BS Mechanical EngineeringCivic involvement: Member of the Mundelein Planning and Zoning Commission since 1996. Chairman of the Mundelein Planning and Zoning Commission since 2007.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I feel that I am uniquely qualified to run for Village Trustee by virtue of my 21 years of experience on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mundelein is on the very cusp of some exciting changes, particularly in regards to downtown redevelopment, and I plan on helping to implement them.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.Let's be honest here - no one has ever said "my taxes are just right" or "my taxes are too low". Municipal governments, particularly in Illinois, are constantly challenged to meet the demands of it's citizens and local businesses for core services. I plan to seek ways to lower the tax burden on Mundelein residents, be it through helping identify greater efficiencies, expansion of public/private partnerships, and collaboration with adjacent agencies to provide some core services.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 believe Mundelein's police and fire departments are peerless, and every Mundelein resident should consider themselves fortunate and be grateful for the work they do. Public safety service is a true calling, one that I'm not certain most people realize. As for being prepped for the next decade, I expect as a newly elected village trustee I would learn much more about that rather quickly. The one concern I have would be relative to fire service to the west, as Mundelein continues to expand. This may prove to be an opportunity, as I alluded to above, to collaborate with an adjacent agency to provide appropriate services.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?I don't profess at this juncture of things to know all the ins and outs of our budget. However, having been on the Planning and Zoning Commission all these years I do see the emphasis our administrative staff puts on running a very lean operation. That being said, I look forward to being part of the process in finding ways to both increase core efficiencies and generate innovative ways to increase revenues, with the ultimate goal of reducing the tax burden on citizens.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?We are blessed with an outstanding community of mostly retirees in Grand Dominion. I want to find more ways that the village and local schools can engage and otherwise provide important and valuable programs and services to Grand Dominion residents. For example, with the proximity of some of the schools to Grand Dominion, I'd like to think there could be some collaboration - there are a lot of stories to be retold and careers to be shared, I'm certain. I'm in the process of reaching out to other municipalities that have Del Webb communities in an effort to find new and exciting ways to enrich both the lives of Grand Dominion residents and those of the rest of Mundelein.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I plan on bringing a pragmatic style to the board, with a greater focus on the big picture and perhaps a little less focus on the minutae. This is a $55 million operation, with 187 full-time employees. The people of Mundelein deserve nothing less than a no-nonsense approach to running the village. Municipal government is no place for partisan politics. If that's the game you want to play, then head to Springfield. Municipal government is entirely about civic duty and providing service to your community - plain and simple.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Warren Buffett - not only for his success as an investor but also for his philanthropy and empathy for others.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My Dad was always a gentleman. I try and remember the way he always carried himself. He set a pretty high bar for me.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I try and live in the moment as best I can. I try to never look backward.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?IMy Mechanical Engineering studies were tough no doubt, but the problem solving skills I developed in the process have helped me enormously.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?To be kind. It goes a long way.