Janis Jasper: 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: AlgonquinWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: fb.me/JasperforAlgonquinTrusteeOffice sought: Algonquin Village Board Age: 60Family: husband SteveOccupation: retired elementary teacherEducation: BA Education, science minorMA EducationCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What is your stance on the Longmeadow Parkway project? Is the fight against it realistic at this point. Please explain.I believe that it is a person's civic duty to be heard on important issues. Longmeadow is one of those for me. As someone new to this issue, the more I have learned about how people have been fighting this project for decades, the more dedicated to it I have become. I believe that the voters were not fully informed about the Brunner farm purchase and that to put a four lane roadway through a designated forest preserve is outrageous. I consider the Algonquin Board's support of this project to be based on a misinterpretation of the traffic study and population growth data from CMAP, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and I believe that they did not adequately address the concerns of the residents in the Kane County part of the village.Many municipalities are met with the challenge of maintaining steady revenue streams while trying to lower the tax burden on businesses and property owners. How has the village handled that balancing act so far, and how would you improve/maintain that situation?I don't have specific areas of the budget that I see as immediate concerns, but there is always room to improve and make changes that will further strengthen Algonquin's fiscal position. I have noticed some empty and emptying store fronts, especially in the Algonquin Commons area and would want to make sure that we understand why this is happening and if there is anything the village can do. On the other hand, there are several new construction sites which will be good for the village's tax base.I am also interested in making sure that all areas of the village are feeling the same potential for growth and expansion and that all areas are equally welcoming to new businesses. I would bring east and west side and the downtown business owners together to discuss what the village can do to help them make their businesses successful. And, it should be obvious that a major goal is to keep residential taxes at a level that is reasonable to the taxpayer and yet provides the services that our community members expect and deserve. One way to do this is to keep village business as transparent as possible and to solicit input from the taxpayers as often as possible.How do you envision the village developing economically over the next several years, and where in the village should officials be focusing their efforts?One of the reasons I would like to serve on the Algonquin Board is to be part of the decision making process of this very issue. I believe that Algonquin is at the point where it will be important to balance residential needs with business needs. People move to and stay in Algonquin because of the "country feel" of our communities, but with the convenience of shopping and businesses nearby. Businesses come to Algonquin because there are enough residents to support their businesses, but also because there is a ready work force. Along those lines, I would reach out to our local school districts and private schools to make sure that the village is doing what it can to help them prepare our future workers.Describe your plans for maintaining/improving the village's downtown district.The village has done a good job of improving the look of the downtown area, especially once the Riverside Plaza Apartments situation was resolved. I would keep apprised of the occupancy rate of the apartments and help bring businesses to the building. I know one purpose of the bypass was to promote more foot traffic in the downtown area so I would want to know how this is being assessed and whether this is in fact happening. The village is also trying to create more events to draw people downtown which I would continue.Where in the village's budget, if anywhere, could expenses be trimmed? And on the other hand, should the budget allot more money toward any particular area, service or village department?One area that I would look at first is in the recycling/reusing of materials and resources. I would want to see if we are getting the best use of our money and that anything the village has control over in terms of recycling and reusing materials is providing a model for the residents and businesses in the village. As a new board member, I would work closely with the various village departments and get their input and ideas. This is one area where a fresh perspective would be valuable in assessing priorities.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am very interested in increasing our community members' investment and involvement in the health and welfare of Algonquin. I want to make public service more attractive and make it easier for people to run for public office. It should be seen as a badge of honor when a community has more people running for election than there are positions open. To me, that signals citizens who are engaged in their community. Running for trustee is my effort to provide an example. I always thought that the Leadership School that Algonquin sponsored in the past was a great idea, and one that would be worthwhile to restart. I am a proponent of term limits because I think this forces the issue for the need for people to step up. After going through this process as a candidate, I can see several areas where villages and counties can be a help to potential candidates. Because Algonquin extends over two counties, Kane and McHenry, I would promote a good, working relationship with both by keeping in touch with our representatives on each board and making sure that the residents are able to take advantage of what each county has to offer.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Former President Barack ObamaWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Work hard, be kind.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would liked to have learned how to play a musical instrument. Maybe I still can!What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject was science. With my science minor I was hired in the school district where I would teach for 34 years.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?I would hope that they would strive to be good citizens of their community and good stewards of the environment.