Gopal G. Lalmalani: 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: Oak BrookWebsite: http://www.citizensforgopal.comOffice sought: Oak Brook Village presidentAge: 61Family: Married, two children.Occupation: Practicing Cardiologist. Community Activist.Education: MD, FACC, FAHA, MBAFACC-Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.FAHA-Fellow of the American Heart Association.Civic involvement: Active in several organizations, including as Member, Plan Commission, Village of Oak Brook.Kindly refer to my Resume, separately emailed on 1/26/11.Elected offices held: Kindly refer to Resume, separately emailed on 1/26/11. I have been involved in leadership positions in several organizations.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 It is time for Leadership in Oak Brook.Bringing back honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability.(Kindly refer to my platform, separately emailed on 1/26/11).Key Issue 2 Efficiently delivered services and fiscally responsible policies.Key Issue 3 Meaningful commercial expansion in Oak Brook, and a return to prominence.Questions Answers What impact do you think staff and budget cutbacks have had on village services? Are there any cuts you would restore? If more cutbacks need to be made, what would your priorities be?I believe that the cutbacks were done without a well thought out comprehensive plan. The 'band-aid' approaches embarked by our current Administration will sacrifice our important long term projects in the areas of Commercial Revitalization, streetscape and traffic improvemenmts that are essential to Oak Brook's competitiveness. The Village Manager and the Department Heads should put together a 5-year consolidated staffing proposal that should include cost benefits and impact on services. This plan should then be reviewed by the President, the Board,and discussed in public.If further cuts are necessary, i would focus on non-essential services, and NOT public safety or public works. I would reduce our high legal bills, minimize the use of consultants, cut back on no-bid contracts, and reduce the excessive payments to our lobbyists.There should be no cutting corners on the health and safety of our residents and the business communities that we serve.As an example, EMS service and coverage are becoming more important as our population ages. In an emergency, I would like to see our Village cover all points across the cross-section of Oak Brook with an ambulance service within less than 3 minutes. As a cardiologist, i am fully cognisant of the importance of timely emergency medical services. As is so aptly said, in heart attacks,time is ""muscle"". In strokes, time is ""brain"".Should Oak Brook consider levying a property tax if sales tax revenues continue to be sluggish?NO, absolutely not. Many property owners (both residential and commercial) in Oak Brook have payed an inflated price in order to be assured of being in a premium community and not having to pay additional taxes.Oak Brook was wisely designed with a large commercial sector to produce the sales tax and other business tax revenues necessary to fund a high level of municipal services to residents and businesses alike, and to avoid the necessity of a real estate taxes on our homes and businesses. That formula generally worked well, but in recent years increased competition form other communities'commercial development, as well as internet sales and the general economic decline, has caused our revenue growth to lag behind our operating expenses. The answer to this challenge is NOT a real estate/property tax or other new taxes, but a concerted attempt to promote and increase commerce in our Village, growing those sales and business tax revenues. We need to attract more revenue generating businesses rather than the current, disorganized scramble to fill vacant office spaces.I am also NOT in favor of the 1% Village Food Beverage tax recommended by President Craig's Citizen's Finance Advisory Committee a year ago. Illinois has done enough to break the backs of the businesses in Illinois; we can't add to that burden.Oak Brook's firefighters have been without a contract for more than two years. Before that, the police worked without a contract for an extended time. How would you approach negotiations with public employee unions?Until two years ago, the Village had only 2 public employee unions(firefighters and police officers). Now, because of poor personnel relations and heavy-handedness by the current leadership, we have 4 unions, including our Public Works and our Police sergeants. With enlightened leadership and policies, this should have never happened!During the 23 years my family and i have lived in Oak Brook, i have developed a high regard for the dedication, professionalism, and performance of all our Village employees. I feel most grateful to our police officers and our firefighters who put their their lives on the line each single day. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, not the harsh criticism and contempt they receive from our current President and his designees. Yes, we cannot give away the store or continue some of the past excesses. However, contract negotiations have to be conducted in a civil and respectful manner. With the skill set that i have coming from a business family background, and a Management degree acquired from Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management, i believe i am well equipped to focus on the bests interests of the Village when negotiationg with the unions and at the same time approach the unions in a respectful and dignified way so as to bring about a reasonable compromise. Bullying tactics and condescending statements used by our current President is not bargaining in good faith, are most hurtful, and will never work.What is your opinion on privatization of city services to save money (for example, hiring more contract firefighters and dispatchers)?Specifically looking at Oak Brook, essential services should not be outsourced without study of the cost effectiveness and the possible reduction of quality of services. For core municipal services like fire, police and public works, using Village employees gives us more accountability and more consistency in services. Oak Brook is in the unique position of having to provide services for a community that has a very high day time population and demands.In areas of Sports Core food services and some recreational programs, privatising activities could be more efficient and produce better results. One glaring exception will be our Golf course which should NEVER be privatized or outsourced, since they have performed admirably and produced positive cash flow inspite of the inclement weather and the flooding we have had in recent years.As President, i would keep an open mind on any proposal to outsource selected Village services and functions, but on a case-by-case basis.What should the village do about rising pension costs?There is no question that public pensions in Illinois are totally out of control including rampant double, triple and even quadruple-dipping!However,the State sets all the rules for municipal pensions, including the retirement age and the amounts of pension. Yes, public employee pensions, especially in Illinois, have gotten far too generous and excessive. On the other hand, pension benefits in the private sector have been significantly trimmed in recent years. The public sector needs to recognise reality, and do the same. However, like all of us, our firefighters, police officers and other full time employees do deserve fair and decent retirement benefits. As President, i will work closely with the Illinois Municipal League,the DuPage Mayors and Managers Council and other groups to pressure the State for a more realistic and fair pension reform. With all due respect, do you think that our current President John Craig would do that? He is already pocketing $140K+ in pensions. Sadly, he has become a state-wide embarrassment by becoming a poster boy for our broken pension system.