Al Pilli, 4 years: Candidate Profile

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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: CaryWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Cary Village board, 4-year termAge: 51Family: Married to Cheryl, son Adam and daughter AlyssaOccupation: Chief Financial OfficerEducation: Bachelor of Science in Accounting, CPA, MBACivic involvement: Cary Grove Booster Club supporterFormer Cary Youth Sports Coach: Baseball, Soccer, BasketballFormer Treasurer of Holy Cross Lutheran ChurchElected offices held: Cary Village Trustee : 2009 - CurrentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal responsibility is of the utmost importance. Over the years the Cary Staff and the Village Board have taken the necessary actions and made the tough decisions to keep our town in the best financial shape possible. I believe we need to live within our means and make sure we pass balanced budgets without exception. While not always popular, this mentality has helped us get through the current difficult economic times without sacrificing quality services to Cary residents.Key Issue 2 Cary has been a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I want to make sure that continues long into the future. In order to do so it is important that we stay on a road of quality intergovernmental cooperation. Working together with the school, park, fire and library districts is important to maintain and improve the quality of life in Cary. Additionally, we need to find ways to work with our local Chamber of Commerce and businesses to help them serve the residents of Cary with value driven services and products.Key Issue 3 Commercial development and bringing new businesses into Cary is an important issue. During the past year we have been successful with numerous new businesses opening their doors, significant remodeling of our local Jewel Osco, and a major expansion of one of the largest manufacturers in McHenry County, Sage Products. This has all taken place during difficult economic times where expansion has been at a minimum. Cary has a lot to offer and we need to continue to be vigilant in pursuing new business and development opportunities.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?My management, financial and human resource experiences make me the best candidate for the job. I have well rounded abilities in both administration as well as operations. With over 29 years of experience in every aspect of accounting, finance, financial planning and budgeting, I bring knowledge to the Cary board that allows me to make fiscally sound decisions. In addition, I have actively managed a human resource department for the past ten years and possess expertise in compensation and benefits. My expertise is paramount to making decisions that will be in the best interests of Cary and its residents.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Cary is a non home-rule community and the Board does not possess the ability to increase sales taxes without voter approval. We have lived within our means and have made the sales tax revenue allowed by the State of Illinois support those needs. While the current sales tax revenue creates challenges when trying to balance our general fund budget and create new programs, we have managed to balance the budget in the past, and we will continue to do so in the future. From this perspective, the current Village share of the sales tax rate is acceptable. We rely on our businesses to be successful and as a Trustee I need to do whatever I can to help businesses flourish in our Village.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.When discussing issues related to public safety, a common theme is usually at the forefront. That would be the safety of our youth; particularly the alarming frequency of teenage alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse, as well as gang activity. Peer pressure to be part of the #8220;in crowd#8221; is so great on our young residents that it is difficult to overcome. In addition to the pressures of growing up, many times a lack of parental guidance compounds the problem. It's a difficult problem to solve but it starts with constant communication and education of our youth and their parents. I believe the school system and the community has good programs in place to combat the problem, but more needs to be done. Educators, community leaders, and parents must be vigilant with developing new programs and improving existing programs. We must make sure we do whatever is necessary to educate our youth on the harmful effects alcohol, tobacco and drugs has on them, and focus on making sure we start the education process at an early age. It is also important that both the school and park districts continue to develop and promote after school activities. Activities that will keep our youth engaged and promote positive outcomes in the development of well rounded, good members of the community. Finally, the Village has the responsibility to have well trained police officers that understand how to handle these issues. These officers need to maintain a presence in our schools and at youth events to assist with the education process.In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?This question is one that municipalities throughout our State and Nation are asking themselves; it's alarming how many have dreadful financial problems today. Many are in this position because of not living within their means, poor planning, and allowing unbalanced budgets to go on much too long. Reserves were used to cover the shortfalls until they were gone. They are now faced with making drastic decisions that could have lingering negative effects for years to come. The Village of Cary has made many unpopular decisions to cut expenses, streamline operations and reduce headcount over the past several years. Many of the reductions were made by attrition, when positions became vacant they were not replaced. The actions that Cary has taken over the past years have allowed us to continue operating with balanced general fund budgets and with minimal negative impact on essential services provided to our residents. Cary and other municipalities that have planned properly are in enviable positions today. If it were necessary more cuts can undoubtedly be made. But the essential services such as street maintenance, administrative services and police protection could be impaired as a result. Two areas that would benefit if additional funding were available exist. First, continued improvement to infrastructure. Sidewalks and street curbs and gutters in areas where they don't exist would be a major Village improvement. Second, we would benefit from increased police presence in the community to insure public safety. This would mean possibly hiring more officers and making sure our force is the best it can be with the most modern equipment and techniques available.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Communication and keeping our residents informed of Village events and Board actions is critical to maintaining a full disclosure policy. We have a well received tool to do this in our weekly email blast. Cary needs to continue expanding the reach to the community by signing up as many residents as possible. An initiative that would better the community and continue improving our communication capabilities would be to develop combination fiber optic and antenna network that would provide low cost or possibly free municipal Wi-Fi service to all residents. This initiative would have a positive effect on the community long into the future.