Donny Schmit: 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: Fox LakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Fox Lake Village boardAge: 57Family: Married (Cindy) Children: Harmony (Brian) Melton, Dusty (Lauren) Schmit, Sonny (Maureen) Schmit Grandchildren (7) Shyanne, Jacob, Sadie, Brian, Hannah, Jimmy and LiaOccupation: Co-Owner construction CompanyEducation: Grant High School 1971College of Lake County, Associate in Fine Arts with honors 2010Civic involvement: Fox Lake Volunteer Fire Department: Re-instatement committee, Memorial committee, Kitchen crew, Event VolunteerSt. Bede Church: Youth Ministry Co-ordinator, Religious Education Advisory Board, Event VolunteerVillage of Fox Lake: Planning Commission, Event VolunteerElected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Maintaining municipal services for our residents without increasing taxes. In these tough economic times, people are struggling to make ends meet. Increases in their cost of living must be avoided at the Village level.Key Issue 2 Increasing revenues for the Village by means other than taxing the residents. This can be done by federal, state and private grants. Another area that should be explored is the boat traffic on the Lakes. I believe that there are 28,000 registered boaters on the Chain of Lakes. I believe a municipal pier on the property that the Village already owns at Lakefront Park is necessary. This will allow boaters come in off the lake and support our local businesses and reduce the economic burden on the Village residents.Key Issue 3 Keeping the Village a safe place for our families to live in. I believe that the Village has very good Police and Fire Departments. These departments must be run productively, but also be supported by the Village to keep our residents safe.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?The 4th generation of my family is living in Fox Lake. I am very active in the community. I am a business owner.I had to make several changes in the way that I did business. These changes included reducing hours for employees, finding new sources of income and reviewing purchasing and bidding practices. By making these changes, my business had a very good year and the employees kept their jobs when many of my competitors laid their people off. I am a community activist and have donated over $50,000.00 of work to the Village (placing the Communication tower and generator at the police department, installing the water main and outside sprinkler system for the Village Hall, installing the electric service at Lakefront Park and many other projects). I volunteer at many Village events. I attend the Village Board meetings and am a member of the Village Planning Commission.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.I think that the tax rates are where they have to be. I know each member of the Village board and they do not like to raise any taxes. They have made cuts in every department. I don't know if further cuts in the Village departments can be made without cutting services to our residents. That is why I believe that it is so important to find new sources of revenue.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.Gangs coming into Fox Lake is one of their biggest concerns. Other concerns are drug traffic, the homeless and traffic safety. Our police chief and his staff are very accessable. If there is a problem, they should be made aware of the situation. If this does not provide a favorable response, the trustees or mayor should be notified.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?After all the cuts that the current board has made, I don't think that many more cuts can be made in personnel. Careful purchasing and maximizing existing resources must be a priority in each department. By changing suppiers in my business, I was able to increase revenue without raising prices or laying off people. We must make sure that all the revenues that we are entitled to are collected.What#146;s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The municipal pier by Lakefront Park can provide revenue to the Village without a major expenditure of funds. The mayor and I both agree that this should be a priority in the future