Richard Rhode: 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: RoselleWebsite: http://www.roselleunited.comOffice sought: Roselle Village boardAge: 61Family: Married with 3 children and 5 grandchildren.Occupation: Sales ManagementEducation: Bachelor of Science, Western Michigan UniversityCivic involvement: St. Walter ParishVillage of Roselle, Former Chairman of Zoning Board of AppealsVillage of Roselle, TrusteeElected offices held: Trustee, Village of RoselleHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: N/ACandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Collaborative Leadership: The best and most effective Village Board is made up of trustees who carefully listen to one another, engage in thoughtful discussion, and strive for consensus on issues facing the Village. One trustee acting alone will not get the job done. And no one trustee will have all the answers. I am committed to working together for Roselle.Key Issue 2 Fiscal Responsibility: Like all governments, families, and businesses, Roselle has been grappling with tight budgets for the past few years. As revenue continues to decline, trustees must ensure the efficient use of Village resources and resist the urge to raise taxes. I have the experience and discipline necessary to effectively address this challenge.Key Issue 3 Economic Development: Roselle must continue to be a place where local business can flourish Village-wide. Trustees must make economic development policies with an eye toward promoting all Roselle businesses, not just a select few. I know how to make Roselle a place where business will succeed.Questions Answers Roselle has seen a spate of new businesses come to town in the past year like including restaurants, a bowling alley and new grocery store. What can be done to keep attracting businesses and grow sales tax revenue?Roselle will continue to attract new businesses to town #8211; even in a challenging economy #8211; by being a competitive place to do business, working cooperatively with the Roselle Chamber of Commerce Industry, and listening closely to our business community.Now that the $3.7 million Foster Avenue project is finished, what major project should the village tackle next and how should it be funded amid Roselle's current budget crunch?With the state of the current budget, the Roselle village board needs to do a comprehensive review and evaluation of all of its department operations. This will determine what the best practices and procedures will be to provide Roselle residents the excellent municipal services they deserve with the current revenues available.Do you believe the city's storm and floodwater control measures are sufficient? How could they be improved and how far should the city go in helping individual residents with chronic flooding?Storm water management is always a work in progress. Between September 2008 and July 2010, the dates of the last two 100-year rain storms, Roselle spent over a half a million dollars to upgrade its storm water systems. In 2010, the village also reconstructed the storm water system along Foster Avenue. The village must continue to improve its storm water systems to limit flooding as much as possible and should explore increasing its storm water detention capacity.The village should continue to make its storm water management experts available to residents to offer them advice on dealing with drainage issues. With over 8,000 homes in Roselle, the village does not have the financial resources to pay for storm water improvements on private property unless those improvements enhance the overall storm water system.What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am a longtime resident who chose Roselle as the place I wanted to raise my family. My children grew up in Roselle and my heart and soul is in Roselle. I have faithfully served the community as Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals and as a Village Trustee.I am a professional manager and I know the difficulties facing businesses. I have been successful operating and improving businesses in good times, as well as challenging times, and know how to control expenses. Roselle faces significant challenges ahead. I believe I have the knowledge, experience, positive outlook and enthusiasm to help guide our community into the future. We are in this together to succeed as a community.What#146;s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?One or two trustees acting alone cannot meet all of the challenges that lie ahead for Roselle. The most effective village board is made up of trustees who actively and openly listen to each other, have thorough discussions of all topics and who then work toward a consensus on the issues. The Roselle United Party offers three candidates as a team committed to working together to find solutions for the issues facing us all as residents.