Robert M. Jarecki: 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: BensenvilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Bensenville Village boardAge: 59Family: Married, two adult daughtersOccupation: Park District Executive DirectorEducation: Bachelors in Business Administration, Illinois State University, 1973Civic 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: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I'd like to be an integral part of an administration that lays the foundation for what Bensenville can be 10 to 12 years from now. I want to encourage new business development and take advantage of the opportunities that being located next to O'Hare airport presents.Key Issue 2 I'd like to help develop a program that identifies and offers solutions to address residential flooding within the community.Key Issue 3 I'd like to help ensure that the building permit process is reasonable and not overly burdensome. It should actually encourage property improvements, not trigger fears of ""red tape"" and cost overruns. I think Bensenville should be known as a business and resident freindly town.Questions Answers Now that the village has settled with the city of Chicago over expansion of O'Hare Airport, what more can leaders do to facilitate its comeback from all the adversity the O'Hare fight entailed?Work together with the other taxing bodies to promote Bensenville as an ideal community to live, work and play.The new Village administration has made great efforts in ""building bridges"" and repairing soured relationships among all the elected officials. The new landscaped areas along York Road and Green Street will help to soften appearances and suggest a new identity along a main roadway.Is the $11 million that will be used to improve the industrial park the best use of borrowed funds? What should be a priority?The North Industrial Park TIF # 13 has been created with an emphasis on an Intergovernmental Agreement with the other Bensenville taxing agencies that produces a sharing in incremental revenues long before its 23 year lifespan. By investing in infrastructure improvements and addressing flooding concerns in the area the proximity to existing and planned transportation corridors should offer great opportunities for business expansion and relocation. Embracing a strong Commercial/Industrial tax base is the priority that will translate into the key investment in Bensenville's future.How do you propose keeping Bensenville a viable residential community with all the industrial growth and expansion of O'Hare airport happening near the village?O'Hare expansion and the corresponding industrial and commercial growth will create jobs and the desire for workers to locate close to work. Planned building improvements to the elementary schools and a refocused effort by the Bensenville Intergovernmental Group (BIG)to support and augment each others programs should serve as an attractive draw for residents. Summer music in the park and the recreational opportunities offered by the Park District continue to be great ways for residents to enjoy the town.Once the $64 million project begins to fix the bottleneck of Irving Park and York roads and the Canadian Pacific Railroad tracks, what is the best way to alleviate the effect construction will have on local businesses?It is my understanding that at least half of Irving will be open to traffic during construction and a ""forced"" detour won't be necessary. No doubt the businesses located in the immediate vacinity to the construction will be impacted negatively from traffic congestion and considering a Village sponsored discount or rebate plan similar to the ""Bensenville Bucks"" promotions of past years might be a good idea.Bensenville teamed up with Wood Dale and Elmhurst to create Liberty Fest last year for Fourth of July. What else could the village do to maintain the quality of life in this tough economy while also cutting costs?I believe the event becomes too costly when it is run for two days and should be scaled back to one. It is a great event and partnering with another town helps to reduce costs. One idea might be to alternate the town serving as the host site each year as a way to balance out the costs. Co-Operative efforts already exist among the taxing bodies and service organizations for special events at Halloween and Heritage Days at the Fischer Farm site. Along with the summertime Music in the Park series I think Bensenville already presents a pretty good quality of life for a small town.