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Richard Moras: Candidate Profile

Libertyville Village Board

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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: LibertyvilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Libertyville Village Board Age: 52Family: Wife M. Michele MorasTwo SonsPeter Moras - Biomedical engineering student at Marquette UniversityMichael Moras - Sophomore at Vernon Hills HighSchoolOccupation: Financial AdvisorEducation: B.S. Chemical Engineering - University of IllinoisMBA - Kenan Flagler, University of North Carolina (Beta Gamma Sigma Honors)Civic involvement: Past Treasurer and President of the Illinois Chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis FoundationCurrent Treasurer of the Digestive Health Foundation at Northwestern Medical CenterBoard Member of the GLMV Chamber of CommerceElected offices held: Trustee of LibertyvilleQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?The village board is comprised of six trustees and I firmly believe that I am an excellent candidate because I bring a contrasting and complementary set of skills and life experiences compared to the other candidates and sitting board members. My previous experience in both corporate management and engineering as well as a formal education in economics, strategy and finance from my MBA set me apart from the others. A wise person once told me that if two people in a business always agree then one of them is unnecessary. I have a clear record of professional, respectful disagreement on several topics with my fellow board members and the Mayor. I feel that this makes for better debate and decision making as we strive to represent the residents of Libertyville.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.People tend to focus on their property tax and forget that the village portion is only about 8% of that total. The larger question is what the State of Illinois will do in confiscating the village portion of sales and income tax to resolve their own budget problems. If any of the proposals that have been discussed over the past couple of years in Springfield on taking local tax becomes law, then we will have a significant budget shortfall that would require a drastic reduction in services, an increase in taxes, or some combination of the two. The biggest threat we have in the area of local taxation and village prosperity is the State of Illinois' fiscal management. Our Police and Fire Pension benefits are set by Springfield as well, but we have to fund them from local taxes. If we consider all of the tax base, income, property, sales, utility taxes and user fees and we are able to pay down the Sports Complex debt, we are probably about right for a stable and expanding economy assuming that the state resolves the issues under its control.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?Our Police and Fire Departments run very efficient and effective operations and our Fire Department is also contracted by the local Fire District to provide service outside of our village. When I think about the future of the Police Department there are three things that stand out: Maintaining the Culture, School Resource Officer, and Pensions. I have received a wide range of comments from the community regarding our police and the vast majority are very positive regarding the professionalism and manners of our officers. I want to make sure we maintain that as we have turnover in the department over time. I would like to see us support a school resource officer for the grade schools. Finally, I firmly believe that a promise is a promise and we need pension reform going forward to make sure we can make good on the promises we are making now. When I think about the Fire Department my concerns are focused on the expansion of service within the Fire District as there are two senior living centers being developed. I support our Fire Chief in his analysis and also want to keep focused on making sure we are maintaining our service levels as potential demand increases in the future.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The sale of the Golf Learning Center property to pay down the debt service for the Sports Complex is the most logical next step in reducing budgeted expenses.There are always places to cut a budget and there is always an impact on how we deliver the services the community expects. There have been significant reductions in headcount and changes in how we operate over the past ten years, including the time before I became a trustee, but we are always seeking to be more efficient. I do not believe there are any simple or obvious cost reductions that have not been taken and our focus should be on using technology to be more efficient rethinking how we do things.If the State of Illinois does not provide meaningful pension reform to future Police and Fire employees there will need to be more tax receipts dedicated to those funds. We have always paid the calculated requirements and have even added extra at times but the history of the State increasing benefits without providing funding makes the current funds unsustainable without reform.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I look at the continued capital costs and State driven unfunded mandates for our Water Treatment facilities and that the Mundelein treatment plant is right next to ours on the Des Plaines River. I believe there is a potential to save both communities in the long run through the economy of scale by having one facility treat both communities' water. I truly believe that is worth the time to investigate.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?We are at a unique time in our history as a village and we are transitioning from years of residential growth to a community where citizens are wary of continued growth. We need to steer a stable path to a sustainable tax base that fully covers all of our citizens' expectations without having the benefit of impact fees and other growth related revenues.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Angela MerkelWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You create your own happiness and boredom is self inflictedIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Nothing, a do-over would change what I have now. I am lucky and blessed for everything in my life now, why change it?What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Science was my favorite subject as it taught me Critical Thinking, logic, and problem solving.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Good grades are like good manners, they follow you your whole life. Be present and intentional in your life.