Jeanne Cygnus: 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: @CyglacFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/CygnusForTrustee/Office sought: Mundelein Village Board Age: 48Family: Husband, Marc Cygnus, and two adult children - Chris 20 years old and Kyla 22 years old. Both grew up in Mundelein and attended Mundelein High School.Occupation: Business owner, Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)Education: University of Delaware - Biology / Anthropology; Became a licensed Veterinary Technician in 1993. Completed my board exams to become an IBCLC in 2002.Civic involvement: I own two businesses in Mundelein (Cygnus Lactation Services LLC - a breastfeeding / teaching clinic, and LactCorp Solutions, LLC - an employee services provider for companies across the US, Guam and Puerto Rico). I do community outreach through my clinic by offering free services to teen mothers and I also run a small donation center (Treasure Chest) in our clinic to provide breastfeeding and baby supplies to struggling families in our community.I volunteer as a mentor and chaperone for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) at Mundelein High School, and have also provided internships to MHS students.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am a long time village resident (21+ years) and business owner in the village. I have watched this village grow and change over the years, and I have a great deal of contact with residents on a daily basis. I offer a unique perspective since I work closely with young families in the village, and am aware of their struggles and know the direction in which they'd like to see the village grow. I have an elderly family member living in Mundelein, so I see the struggles she faces and see ways our community can help both her and others in her situation. As the parent of a gay child, I also see the separation from community that she feels under the current village administration. I have seen how the village has changed over the past 21 years and have a good sense of what has been done and what has been left undone. My business experience gives me a framework for looking at issues and searching for solutions. I know how to work with a team to move things forward in a timely manner, while also working within the constraints of a budget. Mundelein is my home in all regards, and I have the knowledge and expertise to help it grow and bloom.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.I feel that both are higher than they need to be. Mundelein's sales tax is currently higher than our surrounding communities, which hurts local business, as well as places an extra burden on those who choose to shop here.Our property taxes are high especially when compared to the services provided for those taxes. Young families often feel they can't afford to move here due to the high property taxes, and retired residents often struggle with remaining here due to the tax burden.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 think that our police and fire departments are top notch. We have excellent police response and we are one of the safest communities in Illinois in no small part due to their efforts. I think that there has been excessive manipulation of the departments by the current administration to push through pet projects like an ill-thought-out parking ban that has been presented numerous times under various pretexts. I do not like to see our fine public safety workers manipulated for the sake of political pet-projects. In terms of specific public safety issues, the one that I would like to see addressed is the current limits on salting of the roads during storms. The decision to cut costs by only salting intersections in storm conditions has caused numerous, unnecessary, vehicle accidents and created hazardous conditions in relatively minor winter storms.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?This would need to be looked at carefully, department by department, and I would not make any rash decisions without a through review first.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I would like to see a focus on the youth in our community, especially our teens and young adults. There are currently very few places for them to congregate for fun activities and socializing. We know that our young community members are often socializing online or going to other communities to hang out. We have a wonderful skating rink (Just For Fun), and a great Park District, but we don't seem to have many events focused primarily on this young-adult age group where they can safely be together with their friends but not always under direct parental supervision. I'd like to see this change. I'd like our local businesses who do cater to this crowd to be promoted by the village, and I'd like to see new, low or no-cost, youth-centered services be created.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I'd like to see our village grow with the addition of more small, unique businesses as opposed to big-box stores. I'd like to see our village become more inclusive -- listening to ALL of our community members, including our Hispanic community, our LGBTQ community, our single parents, our unique families and individuals. Our community needs to be welcoming and responsive to ALL who live here so that together we all can thrive.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bernard (Bernie) Sanders. He's had the courage to speak up and keep going even in the face of criticism. He continues to speak his truth.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Work hard. Explore everything. Nothing was given easily, and I was taught to get up, get out, and do what needed to be done.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I'd study additional areas of interest in college. I think I was far too focused on a few areas of study.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Anthropology. Learning how different cultures lived at different times has given me a broad perspective of our biology,culture and how world views are shaped.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Explore everything. Have adventures and don't be afraid to try different careers at different times.