Richard H. Haen: 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: North AuroraWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: North Aurora fire protectionAge: 80Family: Married, 3 Children, 9 Grandchildren, 10 Great GrandchildrenOccupation: Sales, Aurora Packing CompanyEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: Candidate did not respond.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Trying to balance the budget without raising taxes, taking into consideration a lower district assessed valuation and a lower CPI than in previous years. The district has lost 3% of its assessed valuation and we are coming off of a 0.0 CPI year. We are also land locked When it comes to new growth and additional tax dollars.Key Issue 2 Finding a cost effective solution to the updating or replacement of station #1. The building was built in 1963 and much of the infrastructure is failing. It was originally built for a volunteer force and now we have firefighters on shift 24/7. The basic comforts for employees, such as showers and sleeping facilities are severely compromised and we have outgrown the facility administratively. We need to evaluate the options of replacement or renovation and how we can accomplish it without passing a bond issue or referendum.Key Issue 3 It will be important to keep up with the latest state and federal legislation on laws affecting fire districts and 2 tier pension reforms. It is evident that the budget crisis is a state wide issue that could affect the delivery of quality of service with limited funding.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I feel that I am the best candidate for the job because I have been both a firefighter and a trustee. I have the experience necessary to continue to impart my input on what is best for the district given my years of service with the NAFPD.Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?I am running for re-election for another term as district trustee. As one on a team of five, we have developed a trust between labor and management that is crtitical in this time of cutbacks and budget crunches that all public entities are experiencing. I would like to continue working with the firefighters offering my insight for the future and my support to the emergency services provided to the community.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest fire safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.One concern that some district residents have expressed is the staffing of firefighters. On almost any given day, you can read about emergency worker layoffs or fire station brownouts or closings. In North Aurora, we recognized early on the funding limitations we were facing and made the necessary changes to assure that all firefighter positions remained at current levels.In these tight economic times, 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?We have been proactive with trimming the budget and prioritizing line items. We looked at and renegotiated every agreement we have except our labor agreement. We cut back or eliminated any nonessential items and hve readjusted our apparatus equipment replacement programs. The one area we have been reluctant to cut is our training budget, but we have effectively reduced spending and are looking at cost effective ways to continue to provide these training programs.Would you support sharing/pooling resources (i.e. printing, vehicles) with other local governments (school districts, village, etc.)? If so, what areas would you consider combining or merging to save money or improve efficiencyResource sharing has been in effect and working quite well for years. Some of examples are offering hazmat and technical response to Aurora and them providing underwater divers in return. There is no need to duplicate resources and equipment when they are available in a neighboring community. We also have a mutual aid system that offers a specialized equipment response. Another example of sharing is our training site and burn tower that is used by associate member department. There is no need for each department to maintain a training site when ours is available to them.