Karen Lukasik, 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: 45Family: Married with three childrenOccupation: Office manager. Prior to that, worked in the field of Speech Pathology for twenty plus years.Education: Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders, University of Oklahoma, 1989Graduate Course work, University of Central OklahomaCivic involvement: Volunteer time with Crimestoppers organization, McHenry County Police Charities Shop with a Cop Program and District 26.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 The unresponsiveness of the Village of Cary to the community.Key Issue 2 The residents and businesses of Cary have very little input upon the decisions being made by the current Village Board and Administration.Key Issue 3 The opportunity of the community members to obtain information from the Village Board and Administration is difficult and often times met with resistence and stonewalling. I feel that there needs to be transparency with the community.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I feel that I am honest and I can bring some common sense to the Board. I have a strong desire to get the community involved to have a voice that is heard.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 do not support tax increases.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.The perception of people in the community is that what matters in Cary is traffic enforcement. While traffic enforcement serves a purpose in law enforcement, it can also have a negative impact without proper community education and programs. Community policing stategies could be implemented and utilized to work with law enforcement to elevate some of these perceptions.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?I am concerned with the current structure of the Administrative staff in the Village. I do not believe a community of this size needs two assistants to the Village Administrator. One of which recently recieved a sizeable raise.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?When issues arise, I will make reasonable efforts to meet face to face with the community members potentially affected, to allow them to express their concerns. I would also establish town hall meetings periodically to meet with community members to hear their opinions and ideas for the Village. I believe that the community needs more than just a Village newsletter.