Wayne Dennis Domke: 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://waynedomke.orgOffice sought: Roselle Village boardAge: 62Family: Wife Joan of 31 years Son Brian Daughter RebeccaOccupation: Production Manager for an aerospace company in Wheeling, managing the precision machine building department and a team of highly skilled technicians. Responsible for profit and loss of the division.Education: MBA Lake Forest Graduate School concentrating on marketing, finance, and human resources. My MBA taught me how to manage people and cash.Civic involvement: Roselle Park District Commissioner - Elected 1999-presentMember of the Sister City Commission - 2006-presentFounding Member of the Roselle Garden Club - 2008-presentMember of the Roselle Beautification Enrichment Committee - 2010-presentSecretary of the Chicagoland Christian Sports Conference - 2002-presentElected offices held: Roselle Park District Board of Commissioners. 1999-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I do see opportunities to improve our community for our residents.I am a good listener and I believe in the collective wisdom of our residents and business owners. I believe Roselle can do a better job of responding to our residents input and that will help us adjust our spending priorities. I've taken the advice of many residents and business owners over the years during my term of office with the Park District. Our community wants effective village services: good roads, clean water, good snow plowing, and property that doesn't flood. After that they want a vibrant downtown and more eating establishments. These will be my priorities as a village trustee.Key Issue 2 We need to do even more to attract business to our community. Businesses pay taxes and employ residents. I work in another community and I'm aware of the things they do to attract new business. The TIF district has about $900,000 left to invest. This money can only be spent to benefit our downtown region. Roselle should use the money to help fill vacant storefronts and perhaps provide buildout assistance for a restaurant or other incentives to bring in business that we know will benefit our community.Key Issue 3 I believe in tough economic times, budgets should be zero based. We are doing that at the Park District right now. It helps make sure that each dollar is spent for the best and highest use. I would work to get that implemented in Roselle.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?The village needs to be a lot more aggressive to attract new businesses. Right now many residents in Roselle are working to bring a Trader Joe's to town. There has been a flurry of emails moving around our town and yet, Roselle has not communicated once on that topic with residents- no organized campaign to reach those that maybe did not receive a volunteer's email. This is an example of something that needs to change.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?The things our residents complain about most are stormwater management and street repair. I've attended many coffee's with the board and these are the main capital improvements issues that I've seen of concern to people.As capital projects, they must be prioritized as part of the budget process - with direct input from our community. Of course, any federal funds or reduced priced bonds should be considered to help pay for these improvements.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?I can name at least 5 areas of town that have chronic flooding and this is unacceptable - especially if you live in one of those areas!!!We have used a grant writer in the park district to help us get funding for key projects. A grant writer could help the village apply for grants as they become available. The village controls the infrastructure that helps private property drain properly. We must insure that our infrastructure is capable of handling the water in the area. Residents need to cover costs on private property.What makes you the best candidate for the job?While serving as a Roselle Park District commissioner, I re-learned to listen to our fellow Roselle residents. Every criticism or public comment has served as another chance for our board to refine our thinking and re-shape our plans for the community. From my service as an elected commissioner, I know that listening to residents and business owners is the most dynamic way of honing plans and initiatives. And it#146;s also the only way to really #147;get it right.#148;I am a creative thinker who enjoys looking at issues from all sides. I'm also a data-driven person who is grounded in reality. As a dedicated public servant, I will give my time and talents freely to our community. As long as my wife and I are employed and as long as the village staff is on furlough, I will accept no salary as a Trustee.Finally, other than my home, I have no financial interests in Roselle and therefore I have no conflicts of interest on any decision.What#146;s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I believe Roselle should create a community foundation to help fund projects and improvements outside the normal budget. Another candidate is also suggesting this. This is a great NEW idea and one that would definitely better our community.