Bruce C. Green: 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: Arlington HeightsWebsite: http://www.facebook.com/BruceGreenForTrusteeOffice sought: Arlington Heights Village boardAge: 58Family: I have been married to Janet for 31 years. We have three children, Kelly, Robin and Eric, all of whom are college graduates.Occupation: I am the owner/architect of Green and Green Architects, along with my wife, specializing in custom residential architecture. Our office is located in our home in AH. I have been licensed in Illinois for 30 years. I am also licensed in WI, MI and CO.Education: I graduated from the University of Illinois with my Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies Degree in 1975.Civic involvement: Currently chairman of the Arlington Heights Plan Commission; have been on commission 12 years.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 All properties in AH are governed by our Comprehensive Plan and protected by our zoning ordinances. My intent is to maintain the integrity of our zoning ordinances, and guard against extreme variations that would set a dangerous precedent and diminish overall property values. Key Issue 2 Arlington Heights Race Track is an important revenue source for our Village and needs to remain a viable entity in the future. It should not become a casino, but I wouldn#146;t be against slot machines within the facility. Gambling is taking place there already, and it#146;s an isolated, safe place to be entertained. Key Issue 3 The Village has made significant cuts in the budget, but it hasn#146;t been enough to counteract the burden of the state mandated requirement to fund the pensions for village employees. Our most recent property tax increase was primarily devoted to funding those pensions. We must continue to make even deeper cuts in order to hold back more tax increases.Questions Answers Explain your point of view, or your vote, on the Boeger Place apartments proposal. Was the village board correct in rejecting the proposal as presented? What should happen now?The Boeger Place Apts has always been a zoning and land-use issue. The variations sought on lot size, density and parking were too extreme and profit driven. The emotions should never have clouded the zoning issue. The board acted properly by rejecting the variations requested. Next? Find a site that fits the needs of the project.Should Arlington Hts. keep twice-a-week garbage pick-up forever? How do you feel about once-a-week versus twice-a-week, and the usefulness of rolling carts?If this is a still a hot issue in a couple of years, put it to a vote in the next election and let the people decide what they want. I personally prefer twice a week pick-up, especially in the summer. The rolling carts are much easier to move around than those cumbersome bins. My 88 year old-mother-in law is living proof of that.Given the economic difficulties, what village services must be kept and what could still be cut? Are there things you would be willing to forego temporarily until the economy rebounds?Substantial personnel cuts have left village departments with skeletal crews. Many vital services such as fire, police, sewer, water, roads, etc. must be maintained. That narrows the budget cut options down to non-essential expenditures, like special events, to be postponed or cancelled. Privatization of funding should be strongly encouraged to ensure that events, such as Frontier Days, won#146;t be cancelled. The purchase of foreign-made hybrid village vehicles that have scheduled high maintenance costs is questionable and should be explored further.Is downtown Arlington Heights a success? Explain your answer.Until the recession, the downtown area had been successful based on the dining/cultural/entertainment venues. However, larger retail (anchor) stores are needed to sustain the balance between service, residential and retail. Communication is vital to ensuring a balanced economic growth and long term success.Other than downtown, what is the one area of town that needs the most attention from the village board in terms of economic development?Arlington Heights Road and Golf Road has long been an area in need of economic rejuvenation. It is along the main gateway entrance corridor from I90 into Arlington Heights, so it is a very important area for redevelopment. The current TIF4 is a welcome start to finding the right developer for that area.