Scott L. Finney: 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: Sleepy HollowWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Sleepy Hollow Village boardAge: 55Family: Married Wife: Jean Sons William and DouglasOccupation: EngineerEducation: BSEEMBACivic involvement: Boy Scout Leadership Committee, Troop 32 Trustee, Sleepy HollowElected offices held: Trustee, Sleepy Hollow, 2003 - PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Restoring police shift coverageKey Issue 2 Rationalizing Village budgeting processKey Issue 3 Establishing workable communications plan for Village businessQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Ability to understand and interpret data to make rational, effective decisions regarding Village finances, environmental protection, and business development opportunitiesGiven 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.With minimal retail businesses within Sleepy Hollow, our Village has the ""luxury"" of not becoming dependent upon sales tax revenue. Raising or lowering the tax rate, therefore, has minimal impact on Sleepy Hollow. It has been said that the ""best"" taxes (if such things exist....) are ones that are spread widely but thinly - to that end our focus is to maximize the (relatively small) sales tax we receive by encouraging development of sales tax generating businesses, at reasonable tax levels.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.The Boards split decision to save literally pennies per day by cutting police shift coverage remains the most pressing public safety concern.Recently Sleepy Hollow and East and West Dundee evaluated potential cost savings which may be possible by combining the three independent public safety organizations into a single police force. This study found that Sleepy Hollow already has the lowest per capita cost of the three communities. Sleepy Hollow enjoys an extremely efficient police organization, due in no small measure to a lifetime of work by our Chief, Jim Montalbano.Restoration of the shift coverage is job one for maintaining the excellent levels of public safety Sleepy Hollow has come to expectIn 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?This should come as no surprize, but the expense item with the largest growth rate remains the cost of health insurance for our full time employees. We continue to evaluate alternative coverage options, however, there is no silver bullet for that issue on the horizon.What#146;s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?My experience this past year during the protracted budget process rang home the need for effective communications with the Village residents. While our bi-monthly Board meetings provide an opportunity for residents to see sausage making in action, it is not an effective forum for communicating with all our residents. This year I hope to establish some form of open town meetings, where Board members can explain their decisions, and - more importantly - residents can ask questions and engage directly with the Board