Robert Heer: 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: WheelingWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Wheeling Village boardAge: 54Family: Married, three adult children.Occupation: Law EnforcementEducation: Bachelor of Arts degree- Northeastern UniversityCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Village Trustee- Wheeling 1995-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 During any election season, community issues will usually come to the forefront as campaign issues. These concerns are usually, but not always, the driving force on why a person might run for an elected office. If true, only one individual stepped forward this election season as a challenger to the incumbents. Is it apathy on the part of the community or is that the current Wheeling village board in step with the issues and concerns of the community and there are no real #147;campaign issues#148;. Having had the privilege of serving the Wheeling residents for the last 16 years, I have worked with together with my colleagues on the village board in bring major changes to our community over the past several years for which I am proud of.Key Issue 2 Candidate did not respond.Key Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Having had the opportunity and the privilege of serving the Wheeling community for the last sixteen years as a trustee, I have played a part in the many exciting changes the Wheeling community has experienced which have benefited our entire community. From the Westin hotel and Super Dawg to the scheduled expansion of the Wal-Mart just to name a few. Wheeling has made great strides over the last several years in making our community one that all of us can be proud of. I have worked aggressively with my colleagues on the board in improving our community and I am not afraid to make tough decisions, even when they#146;re not the popular ones. I believe I have done a good job represented the entire Wheeling community and I look forwarded to continuing to do so if given the opportunity. 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.Local businesses are vital to any community#146;s economy and I believe Wheeling#146;s tax rate for them is fair and right in line with our neighboring communities. In fact, even in these tough economic times Wheeling has seen several new businesses open , such as Super Dog, Krystyna#146;s Deli and Fanny Mae Candies just to name a few. Also Fresh Farms grocery currently is way under way with a major redevelopment project and Wal Mart is slatted to complete major redevelopment with in the next year. With new business openings, and new construction it benefits Wheeling with new jobs and additional economic growth for the community.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.As a law enforcement officer I can tell from experience that every community experiences public safety concerns on regular basis which change all of the time. It might be a neighborhood that has concerns about the possibility of gang members hanging out in their area or a neighborhood might have concerns about speeding vehicles. Wheeling is no different with residents calling them expressing their concerns. In response to this question, I can#146;t think of any public safety concern that a resident has expressed to me, which I would label as being a #147;big public safety concern#148;. If or when I person express a concern to me that they consider important. They are directed to the apropriate agency and or person at the village who can answer and then address their concern in a timely manner. The Wheeling police department takes a pro-active approach in alleviating future potential community concerns by offer residents programs, such as the citizen#146;s police academy that give the resident an insight look into the police department and how they handle community issues and concerns. What a way to partner It#146;s one way of establishing a partnership between the community and the police department.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?Wheeling is not immune to budget concerns as is the case with other communities. This year we (village board) aggressively looked at the budget during a budget workshop in November. During this process we were able to trim and prioritized the budget with additional cuts, employee voluntary separation plan without effecting village services to the residents. Even though we were able to reduce the budget deficit considerable it#146;s still is not my preference to have a deficit at all. Even in this trying times Wheeling has experienced economic growth with several new business opening, and the expansion of Wal-Mart and the Fresh Farms grocery store. We (village board) need to continue to make it a priority to work with staff in finding additional ways to reduce the budget deficit.What#146;s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Here#146;s on that I think would get the entire community talking for sure. Find a way so people no longer would have to pay taxes. I#146;m sure the entire community would be talking if we could accomplish this one.