Rich Voltair: 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: Round Lake BeachWebsite: http://www.votevoltair.comOffice sought: College of Lake CountyAge: 33Family: Candidate did not respond.Occupation: Assistant Professor of Public PolicyEducation: Ph.D. in Government and Politics, The University of MarylandMA in Social Science, The University of ChicagoBA in Political Science, DePaul UniversityBA in Public Policy, DePaul UniversityCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Precinct Committeeman for Avon Township 021Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 College affordability.Key Issue 2 Job placement for graduating students.Key Issue 3 Student on campus safety and security.Questions Answers With enrollment up at my many community colleges, it can be challenging to keep pace as far as available classroom/lab space, the number of qualified teachers and available course work options. How would you manage that?There are a variety of tools available to solve the problem of increased enrollment. Online classes eliminate the need for classroom space. Also, many community colleges are experimenting with non-traditional class times. For example, Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland is offering midnight classes as a way to deal with limited daytime space and to attract #8220;night owls#8221; and shift workers.In tough economic times, many students (and working professionals) turn to a community college for its educational value. How do you ensure that a person's financial sacrifice equates into an educational benefit?There are two things CLC must do to achieve that end. First, it must keep tuition as low as possible. Second, it must make sure that it has highly qualified and competent faculty to maintain academic the integrity of the curriculum.Is a tax rate increase needed and, if so, how do you justify it?No. The State of Illinois has recently passed an income tax increase. Those revenues will be used to make back payments to those entities, like CLC, that are owed money by the State. CLC will now be receiving the money it was promised and no additional tax increases will be necessary.Community colleges provide many services to a diverse population. Is there a service your college should be providing that it is not, or reaching a segment of the population that it is not?The Hispanic community is currently underserved by our educational system in general. First, we must increase high school graduation rates and make sure that high school graduates are prepared for college. Beyond that, we must maintain local affordable higher education opportunities for all constituency groups.If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the park board? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.I decided to run because I love Lake County and I love the people of Lake County! I'm dedicated to a career in public service and my academic credentials make me a perfect fit to serve on the board of best community college in Illinois.