John Maier: 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: MettawaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Mettawa Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 51Family: Married, 1 son, 1 daughterOccupation: Controller for a growing sales companyEducation: MBA, Finance and MIS, Keller Graduate School of Management BS, Biology, University of New MexicoCivic involvement: Treasurer, Libertyville Lodge #492 AF AM Founding Member, Roundout Community FoundationElected offices held: Trustee, Village of Mettawa (current)Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NOCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Preserving Mettawa rural character. Being surrounded by increasingly developed areas, we are one of the few places in the metropolitan Chicago Area that still has large lot sizes and undeveloped spaces giving our residents a unique standard of living. Recently we had a large retailer move into the village. This has already changed some of the character of the village. I would like to see that it does the least amount of change to our village.Key Issue 2 Fiscal Responsibility. Easy to say, but with our revenue stream it is easy to lose sight that one of the things that make out village great is common sense approach to spending. A village board that is mindful of good fiscal stewartship will have a healthy and sound village in which the residents can happily live.Key Issue 3 Maintaining openness. We've come a long way in four years from posting meeting notices on telephones to having a full fledged website with village information as well as contact information. I want to keep the residents informed and engaged. Democracy is best served with well informed voters.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?It has been a great honor to serve my village. I think the Village of Mettawa is one of the best places on earth to live and raise a family. It is this passion that I bring to the table that I feel makes me the best candidate.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.Our taxation is ok. The village has not increased the village taxes in over 10 years. We rely on other revenue streams to fund our government and infrastructure.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.Ruse Burglars. Due to the rural nature of the village, we are susceptible roving ruse burglars that take advantage of the large spaces between homes and the good nature of our residents. Our village has taken steps to disrupt the pattern by hiring a private security firm.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?Our budget is fairly lean; but two of the largest expenditures is legal and village engineering. We should look at more robust ways of lowering our monthly charges. This could be acheived by moving to a fixed retainer and variable hourly charge above the retainer or even renegotiating charges and contracts--a two year review of these services.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Candidate did not respond.