John Schmitt: 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: AlgonquinWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Algonquin Village President (4-year Term)Age: 64Family: Cheryl and I have been married over 42 years. We have 2 daughters, Kimberly and Elizabeth and 5 grandchildren.Occupation: I am a retired IT manager having worked for Allstate, IBM, and ATT over a 35 year career.Education: After high school I attended Penn State University leaving to join the Navy during Vietnam. Electronics and Computer technical schools during and after the service provided the foundation for my career.Civic involvement: I coached junior football for many years prior to being transferred out of the area. After returning, I became involved in Algonquin government with an appointment to the Zoning Committee. I was appointed to the Fox Valley study on transportation which resulted in the Western Bypass and other transportation successes.Elected offices held: Algonquin Village Trustee Precinct committeeman Village PresidentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Transportation - Continue to work with Kane County to build Longmeadow Parkway; Continue to work with McHenry County to widen Randall Rd to provide better access to our extensive business community.Key Issue 2 Develop our industrial Park to provide good jobs for our residents. Longmeadow Pkwy is a critical component to this.Key Issue 3 Post Western Bypass, downtown revitalization. We have a great potential for helping our existing businesses and to bring in new ones. For that, we will have to add new residential and office/retail space.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Candidate did not respond.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.Just RightTalking 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.Traffic. Better roads will improve the situation.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?We have been very frugal even before the downturn in 2008. Our priorities have been to grow our economic engine so we have the resources to build our ageing infrastructure while building a cash reserve. We need to continue those efforts.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Having been Village President for over 10 years, my ideas are pretty well known. Any truly big ideas need to have groundwork laid and you can be assured that that effort is being made.