Scott Bartlett, 4 years: 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: Lake VillaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lake Villa Village board, 4-year termAge: 50Family: Married with two daughters, ages 11 and 14Occupation: A.V.P. of Facility ServicesEducation: A.A.S. Building Construction Technology, College of Lake CountyCivic involvement: Lake Villa Volunteer Fire Department - 28 yearsLake Villa Township Lions ClubElected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I want to encourage new business development to increase revenue for the village. Neighboring areas continue to see commercial growth while we do not.Key Issue 2 I want to work to revitalize the downtown district of the village. We have a jewel needing to be uncovered.Key Issue 3 I want to be sure the village puts a priority on infrastructure maintenance and improvement.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I believe my work experience in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors provides me a unique administrative skill set with an eye for budget frugality and an understanding of program self-sustainability.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.Unless absolutely necessary, I would hate to further tax the small number of businesses in Lake Villa. The economic downturn has hit small business owners especially hard. I believe we need to find additional and alternate means of revenue for the village while closely monitoring spending.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.My friends and neighbors are satisfied with the emergency services provided by the Village of Lake Villa. Budgeting properly for police and continuing a close relationship with the Fire District are key to public safety. They do want to see these services continue to improve and not become stagnant.Save pedestrian access to all village amenities, commercial traffic on residential streets and lack of sidwalks in some areas area also concerns. These areas should be addressed through well-thought planning and increased enforcement.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?The Parks and Recreation Department has already been discontinued. I believe all department budgets should be open for analysis to maintain a solvent village.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I'd like to explore opportunities via technology to inform and keep residents current on village agenda and progress. I would also like to explore the possibly of moving to a Village Manager form of administration.