John Tornabene: 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: BensenvilleWebsite: http://www.bensenvillefirst.comOffice sought: Bensenville Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 57Family: I have been married for 29 years to my wife, Catherine. I have two sons, Jack, age 19 and Dominick, age 36 (Amanda). I have two grandchildren: Ethan, 19 months and Aidan, 1 month.Occupation: I am recently retired after 32 years of service as a heavy equipment operator with the Illinois Department of Transportation (I.D.O.T.).Education: High School - 12th grade Triton College/Melrose Park, IL - 1 year-GeneralCivic involvement: Cub Scout Den Pack Leader (5 years) BBAA Boys Basketball Comissioner (4 years) St. Charles Borromeo Basketball Volleyball Coach (8 years) Football Coach (1 year) Baseball Coach (2 years) St. Charles Borromeo Athletic Board (4 years) Golf Coach (4 years) St. Charles Borromeo School Board (4 years) St. Charles Borromeo Church - Many Fund Raising CommitteesElected offices held: Teamsters Local 726 (now 700) Union Stewart - 22 yearsHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The number 1 campaign issue would be to create jobs in our village for "our" residents by reducing the salary of senior management positions and eliminating outside consultants and outside contractors, i.e. grass cutting, tree trimming, sidewalk repairs, and sewer repairs that can be done in-house.Key Issue 2 Another campaign issue would be to help bring in new revenue for our village by attracting new businesses, as well as ensuring we work with our existing businesses. The more business we attract to our town, the more we can restore programs that have been cut over the past few years.Key Issue 3 We need to restore open, accountable and transparent government to the Village of Bensenville. We would form committees for residents and business owners to discuss different problems in our village.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?My background of 32 years with I.D.O.T. in construction allows me to help explain and simplify all road and public work projects around and in our Village. I spent twenty years as a union steward where I worked with State officials dealing with union contracts, personnel safety, and equipment. My experience as a small business owner gives me the edge when dealing with the current needs and wants of the business owners in Bensenville, and will allow me to be a great advocate for attracting new businesses to our community.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.I believe the current sales tax is appropriate with the amount of the business that we have at this point. Additional sales tax dollars can be realized by promoting existing businesses and encouraging new businesses to come to our town.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 residents recognize the need to make sure that we are adequately staffed, trained and have the right equipment to handle anything that could occur. Also, to maintain our infrastructure issues such as flooding, water main breaks and tree trimming. From my experience at I.D.O.T., I can attest to the fact that having good roads, bridges and other infrastructure is an important part of public safety. If our police department cannot safely respond to calls for service due to the dilapidated conditions of our roads our public safety will suffer.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 are going to develope an action plan that starts with the assessment of all services provided by the village. This includes a review of all processes and procedures, financial impact, and cost initiatives. For example, as a team we have discovered the high salaries and bonuses incurred by the village manager and selected employees. Since we will ask many of the employees in senior management to take a dramatic reduction in pay, the Bensenville First team has pledged to not take any compensation during our term of office. These savings will provide additional services for our senior citizens and youth programs in Bensenville.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The one idea that is close to my heart is developing a youth program that works hand in hand with the senior citizens of Bensenville. Teenagers will have the opportunity to provide grass cutting, snow shoveling, and other odd jobs for the village. I see other communities that have instituted such programs, I intend to learn from their programs, and make Bensenville a shining example of how we can benefit our seniors by engaging our youth.