Bill Cannon: 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: Hanover ParkWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Hanover Park Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 51Family: Married, 2 Teenage sonsOccupation: Property ManagerEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Hanover Park Village Trustee 2010 Thru PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal Responsibility to the Taxpayers. Our taxpayers are feeling financial pressure from all directions. I want to make sure that the Village goes to the taxpayer for more money as a last resort. The Village's financial decisions should reflect the same restraint as our taxpayers are forced to deal with during these trying ecomonic times.Key Issue 2 Setting the table for the economic recovery. We need to keep our costs as low as possible while providing good service so that when the economy takes an upturn, we will be an attractive Village where families want to live and businesses want to operate.Key Issue 3 Village Appearence. We need to hold negligent property owners to their responsibilities. We need to agressively monitor and demand performence from these owners. We need to assist in the process so that we maintain a reasonible curb appeal throughout our Village.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have Managed Condominium Associations and investment properties for 25 years. Almost every issue I deal with is related to issues affecting our Village. Bills have to get paid. We ahve to make sure every dollar we spend is spent smartly. If do not do that at work then I risk losing my clients confidence. If I do not do that as an elected official then I risk losing my taxpayers confidence. In both situations, I consider their confidence dearly.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.We are considering that right now. We are currently comparing ourselves with our neighbors. it is more than a competition. We ahve to justify any increase, even if we are lower than our neighbors. We ahve to be able to look our tax payers in the face and be able to communicate that any increase is a last resort and to everyone's benefit. We have to continue to inspect our costs and determine any expenses that ahve room to be minimized and then take action to bring costs down where possible, just like our tax payers. We simply cannot keep asking our taxpayers for more money just because it is easy and very normal.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.A difficult economy puts pressure on everyone. This pressure can cause poeple to do things they normally wouldn't because they get desperate. Our neighbors are concerned with vandalism, domestic violence, the safety of our children and all the other same concerns everyone always has. We have to be proactive to make sure we monitor these situations and take action to deal with them properly when they come at us. This difficult economy has not changed the issues but has brought them to the front burner. We have and continue to examine procedures such as community policing and using technology to stay on top of our issues and it is paying off.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?It is not a qustion of right or wrong when your funds are limited. it is a matter of determining what your taxpayers are willing to sacrifice until the economy improves. A bomming economy is no excuse for wasteful spending so a lean priortized budget should be used in good times and bad times. Every line item is at risk of being trimmed or eliminated. Nothing is sacred in this situation. You ahve to tackle everything and if you can't do without, exhaust yourself minimizing it. Can we pay less for legal? Can we pay less for landscaping? Can we pay less for electricity? Can we pay less for travel? Can we pay less for everything. If we licked into a contract then call and ask them if we can work out some sort of reduction because everyone is in this boat these days and msot people get it. Do not leave any stone unturned. Research how other poeple are cutting costs since everyone is having to do it and see if any of their tricks can be used here. There are no limits and if yousave a little here and a little there, eventually it will add up and you will find yourself with a very lean budget. This is our duty to accomplish. If you have done that and you still need to go to the taxpayers for revenue, then at least you can look them in the eye and say we did really well but we have no other choice and I can assure you that we are asking for the elast amount we can from you. We owe this to our taxpayers during good times and bad times.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The hurdle for grean energy is the initial cost. A property owner can go with geothermal and eliminate their furnace and minimize their hot water costs and save a lot of money in gas costs. An estimate of initial cost is about $7,000 for an everage siaxe home in Hanover Park and the projected life span for the material is 45 years for the underground part and 25 years for the above ground pumps and so on. To elimiate the financail hurdle, we could have the municipality pay the up front cost and then assess that cost to the property tax bill over a longer period of time so that the municipality would eventually collect bcak the money and meanwhile, the property owner could use the real savings in gas costs to pay fro the slight increase in property taxes. it doesn't matter if the owner sells, has bad credit or gets foreclosed on because the return payment is collected from the tax bill. it is gauranteed. This is how we can turn one option for green energy into a reality. it does not have to be limited to georthermal. Communities out west are already doing this and it works. I was told that we do not have a mechanism in place at the state level to even allow us to consdier this. I would like to see the state take action on this so that each municipality can make a choice if they want to do it or not, start out small and build on it or wait and do it later. I would just like to see us have the choice. A community could decide to set aside $50,000 for now just to get going or consider floating a bond or set the table for later when they feel more funds could be set aside for something like this. At least give us room to decide, which we do not ahve right now, according to information I received.