Martin McLaughlin: Candidate Profile

Back to Barrington Hills Village President

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: Barrington HillsWebsite: UniteBH.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Unite Barrington HillsOffice sought: Barrington Hills Village President Age: 52Family: Wife KathleenAllison 23Morgan 21Emma 20Clare 18Elle 10Occupation: Investment ManagerEducation: The Elgin Academy 1983Illinois Wesleyan University BA 1987Business AdministrationSecurities licenses 1987Registered Investment AdvisorCivic involvement: Barrington Lion's ClubAdvance Barrington CouncilBarrington Area Council of GovernmentsMcHenry County Council of GovernmentsLake County Municipal LeagueThe Einstein Academy Board memberBYBS Coach SoftballElected offices held: Village President Barrington Hills 2013-presentChairman and Vice chairman 2015-2016 Barrington Area Council of GovernmentsQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am interested in continuing to provide respectful representation and proven results to my neighbors.In 2013 I ran on 4 issues.1)Reduce village budgets, spending, and taxes.Budget 2013 8.4 million 2017 7.5 millionSpending 2013 8.2 million 2016 7.6 millionLevy 2013 6.6 million 2017 5.3 million 2)Bring Village legal issues and expenses under controlSolved 18 year Sears lawsuitSettled Police labor dispute Reduced legal spending by 70% 3) Operate government like a business accountable to our residentsConsolidated departmentsConsolidated 911 DispatchImproved technology response timesIncreased village reserves services4) Unite our community around common goals and objectivesRejected the Long Meadow Parkway passing resolution opposing itWe have preserved our natural open spacesProtected our 5 acre zoningMaintained our communities equestrian heritageRestored anti-commercial and anti-business property protections Founded The Hills are Alive FestivalI am a volunteer serving my community and neighbors. Professionally I have owned, operated, and now manage an investment advisory business. I have had the privilege of working with great people setting goals together and achieving excellent results. I am proud of delivering on my 2013 promises and proud of our successes working together. Taking a collaborative approach to problem solving has not always been easy but the results have benefited ALL our residents. I am also pleased to have lead by example maintaining a civil, respectful and collegial environment for meetings and assemblies during my term as village president.How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services that people want?Our budget has been brought down significantly as well as our spending and levy over my term. At the same time we have added significantly to our cash reserves and we are paving 25% more roadway per year than in prior years. We will continue to maintain the same number of officers in the field and support them with the best technology and training available. We have upgraded our 911 system successfully and we are adding new officers and video cameras in 2017. We have added new reporting systems which enable us to provide real time financials for our committees and residents to review in advance of public meetings and we have upgraded many of our manual functions with digital options accessible for both village staff and the public. These digital options are now available on our new village web site which was launched 1/24/2017.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?We have issued and received proposals for village engineering services. The bids are being reviewed. That review will be concluded in the next month or two. We will be comparing services, capabilities and price. We also have negotiated with our Police to have the ability to hire part time officers to support our current full time officers who remain fully staffed in the field. The part time hires will cover vacation time and injured officers who are recovering. We will also be looking to hire additional officers for full time positions in 2017 as we began taking applications in the Fall of 2016. We expect these new patrol officers to take place in April 2017. These new hires will be replacing retiring officers.One area where we may consider adding to the budget is public safety video technologies which can increase the areas that officers can monitor as well as personal cameras which can protect our officers, the public, and decrease legal costs.Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your village board or city council.I have been described by others as respectful, courteous, steadfast, direct, and results oriented. These qualities have helped me gain consensus on important issues benefitting all residents in our community.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?After a year of planning and work with my communications director and an outside marketing company We have just rolled out a new village website which is innovative in its design and structure. This will become an invaluable resource for our residents. It is much more than a government web site. It was designed to be a "virtual main street " a place where you can easily find permit applications and government records or locate an event calendar where citizens might be gathering for a creek restoration project or a Sunday trail ride. We have crafted this communications platform to provide significant information easily to the user. We have added links to area schools, equestrian clubs, social services, park districts, forest preserves, conservation groups, and even philanthropic organizations. This site combines the services local government must provide like records and FOIA request reports with services and links that people usually never have combined and assembled in a single web location. The village has met with area realtors who are extremely excited about using the lifestyle section and property freedoms section as a way to highlight and promote what living in Barrington Hills can be like for potential homebuyers.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?If I am fortunate to earn the trust of my friends and neighbors for a second term as their Village President, I pledge to continue to operate local government like a business,improve our infrastructure, while preserving and protecting our Village's unique rural character. I will continue to reject the Long Meadow Parkway both through our village resolution and while serving on regional committees.I am committed to protecting 5-acre minimum zoning and maintaining our rural equestrian friendly open space community. I have worked hard to restore our reputation as an accommodating and welcoming village. I have had the opportunity to work with the owners of former village properties and will continue to do so fostering neighborly relations and provide a pathway back into our village. I am committed to providing opportunities for those who share the desire to preserve our unspoiled natural settings and open spaces that we enjoy in Barrington Hills and that my neighbors, my family and I call home.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Milton Friedman- Economist"I am in favor of cutting taxes under any circumstance and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it's possible.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Hard work and the value of a dollar.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would take my father fishing more while he was still here.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?HistoryStudying, researching, evaluating and understanding the lessons that can be learned from those who went before us is an invaluable resource for future decisions.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Always listen to your Mothers advice.