Mary Frusolone: 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: Carol StreamWebsite: http://www.maryfrusolone.comOffice sought: Carol Stream Village boardAge: 38Family: Married, three childrenOccupation: Administrative AssistantEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Carol Stream Police VolunteerC.E.R.T. Member (Community Emergency Response Team)Carol Stream Park District VolunteerCarol Stream Woman's ClubCarol Stream Disaster Response CommitteeHeritage Lake's School PTA ChairmanCorpus Christi Catholic ChurchCarol Stream Citizen's Police Academy Alumni AssociationElected 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 One of the biggest issues the Village is facing is the turnover in the leadership on the Board. The board will have at least one new Trustee with the possibility of a new mayor. The Village Board will need strong leaders. I am a proven leader who will bring common sense to the Board. I am not afraid to ask tough questions and challenge something that doesn't look right to me.Key Issue 2 Carol Stream#146;s readiness and response to natural disasters is another area of concern. I was very critical of the response during the last 3 floods. It appeared that there was not an emergency plan put into effect. More needs to be done at the beginning of the disaster, not days later. In August, with the threat of more flooding an emergency plan was finally put into effect. This is the response the residents should always see from the Village. At the time, myself and other residents raised the need for a resident task force to address disaster needs. The Carol Stream Disaster Response Committee formed last fall. I am a member of this group helping to identify what needs to be done, what resources we have, and what outside resources we need. The committee plans to work with residents, businesses, and the Village on disaster preparedness.Key Issue 3 Another major challenge facing the Village is the budget and finding ways to keep it balanced. I think that the Village staff and Executive board have worked very hard and have made tough decisions. While I haven't been a part of that process, I believe that going forward I will be able to help keep it balanced.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am very involved in our community. I live and work in Carol Stream and my children go to school here. I am very invested in making sure that the Village is doing the most for all of its residents. I volunteer with many groups within Carol Stream. A lot of people have seen how hard I work to make it a great place to live. If elected Trustee, I will continue to volunteer and be very visible in the Village. I want people to be able to tell me what they need, and then work with the Board and Village staff to see how we can get it done. The residents don't need politicians, they need a voice. I plan to be that voice.Many buildings in the industrial park on Gary Avenue remain vacant and could provide a large revenue stream. How could the village best promote that park to bring businesses in?The number of buildings in the industrial park that remain vacant is troubling. I am afraid that the perception is that Carol Stream is not appealing to businesses. The Village of Carol Stream has a long standing reputation for being difficult to do business with. Many businesses find it challenging to get through the permitting process without miles of red tape. I challenge the Community Development department to find ways to be more business friendly. Streamlining processes would allow businesses to open or renovate faster. We need to see what other communities are doing successfully and implement it here.Red-light cameras have been controversial almost since they first were installed in Carol Stream. Where do you stand on that issue?Red light cameras will always be controversial. I support the use of red light cameras as a means to save lives. I challenge the police to be fair when issuing all red light camera tickets. What I do not support is issuing excessive and questionable tickets in order to generate revenue. If used properly, red light cameras main purpose should be to change bad driving habits. If the camera makes people think twice when approaching a yellow light, that really can save lives.The park district will build a huge recreation center just south of Town Center in the near future. What should the village do to get involved in that and how much of an impact can, and should, the village have on that project?The Executive Development committee will work directly with the Park District staff and their contractors. The park district has its own board of commissioners that are elected to make decisions on behalf of the park district. The Village Board would only be involved with the land sale and any zoning issues that they would have to vote on.How would you fix the flooding issues that have plagued Carol Stream in the last several years? What, specifically, would you do to both fix the problem and put residents at ease that they won't have to worry about this in the future?Flooding is a huge threat and affects the Village as a whole. When the area from Mohican to Thunderbird floods it cuts them off from the rest of the Village. I have been very vocal that more needs to be done when that area floods. However, there is no fix that will stop all flooding. Even with significant infrastructure changes, there are no guarantees against future flooding. We need to work on preventing flooding from the more frequent smaller rain events. I think the proposed flood mitigation plan is a good start. It is the job of the Village Board to continue to pressure DuPage County to do more. The residents want to know that the Village is working hard to help them when the floods start. The Village officials need to implement its emergency plan, ask for DuPage County assistance, and then let residents know what resources are available.