Joseph Farwell: 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: Arlington HeightsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Arlington Heights Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 48Family: Married to Nancy Farwell, a school teacher, and have three daughters; Molly, a senior in college, Margaret, a freshman in college, and Anne, a freshman in high school.Occupation: AttorneyEducation: Bachelors of Science in Finance, Marquette University, 1986 Juris Doctorate, John Marshall Law School, 1991Civic involvement: Parishioner, Our Lady of the Wayside, 21 years PADS volunteer, 17 years Soccer Coach for Arlington Heights Park District Youth Soccer Program Patron of the Arts Committee, Saint Viator High School, 7 years Northwest Municipal Conference Legislative Committee Member, 10 yearsElected offices held: Trustee, Village of Arlington HeightsHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I believe our greatest issue in Arlington Heights, as well as all municipalities in Illinois, is the unresolved pension crisis in Springfield. Our Democratic leadership in Springfield has failed to sufficiently address the looming pension crisis. This one issue has resulted in 11 credit downgrades in this state alone, making it more expensive to issue bonds and may be the cause of a statewide bankruptcy. The amount Arlington Heights is required to contribute in its municipal, fire, and police pension funds each year is driven by Springfield. While Arlington Heights continues to fund its required amounts, many municipalities, as well as the state, fails to do the same. A majority of the 1.3% tax increase proposed this year is for our pension obligation alone. Unless resolved, this issue will continue to increase, at an increasing rate, making it impossible to provide other essential services without increasing our tax revenue greatly. Fair and thoughtful reorganization of our pension system must be handled immediately. This is why I find my role on the Legislative Committee of the Northwest Municipal Conference so important. I continually push, as your Trustee, for such change. I understand how without addressing this concern, many communities, including our own, will suffer greatly its residents, its infrastructure, its schools and its businesses.Key Issue 2 I believe keeping our fiscal budget in line, although related to my first issue, is equally important. We must make sure that our short term budget decisions do not negatively impact our long-term infrastructure. We have been successful at extending the useful life of our computers, our cars and other such items, but we must make sure that while we have made similar decisions on extending the life of our roads, we do so in such a way as we do not end up creating a much larger crisis in the future. The way to keep such events at bay is to constantly assess what an essential service is, and to assure essential services remain funded at the expense of tailoring those services which are not deemed as essential. Two years ago, our board did just that by closing the Youth Center. While a very difficult decision, it proved to be required to help stay within our budget and to deliver more essential services without increasing taxes unnecessarily. As a result, the center has been leased to a group who serves our youth, thereby privatizing our youth center. While a difficult decision, it was one which needed to be made for the benefit of all of us.Key Issue 3 We must continue to foster a community environment conducive to business growth and development. By altering the role of our business development planner position, currently held by Mr. John Melanaphy, the village has been more aggressive in trying to find new businesses to locate in our community while maintaining the success of our current business citizens. Such support of our businesses include two of our largest employers in Arlington Heights: Northwest Community Hospital and Arlington Park race track. I believe we should do everything possible to foster continued success of Northwest Community as it continues to navigate the difficult terrain that is Obamacare. We must also support, in every way possible, the reinstatement of Internet wagering recently rescinded by Speaker Madigan which directly impacted Arlington Park. We must also support thoughtful implementation of slots at the track. Many people do not know that when casinos were introduced in Illinois, virtually any business was allowed to apply for a license, except race tracks. Over two decades later, tracks are still barred from fair competition with its main rival, casinos. By allowing slots at the track, we are simply leveling the playing field.Questions Answers Talk about your position on term limits for municipal elected officials, and explain why you support or do not support them.I do not support term limits for elected municipal offices. Term limits increase the degree of control and power a village manager has in our type of government. By limiting the number of years an individual may serve on a board lessens the amount of historical knowledge that often proves useful in making policy and budgetary decisions. Elected roles already have built in term limits. Proof is not evident that term limits provide for better government at the local level. Arlington Heights is a village manager form of government, which means the manager oversees all the operations of the entire village, including staff salaries and hiring of all village positions. This is not an elected position. The village board only makes policy decisions, oversees the village manager and approves an annual budget and comprehensive plan. This means the Board does not have the power to make staff changes by right; they can only remove one person, the manager. Term limits weaken the elected position because the elected official would have a limited time to learn the operations of the village, highlight any questionable practices, and call for, and prove to the rest of the board a change in the village manager position would be required, putting the manager at a much more powerful position than intended. As in life, many times in making decisions for the village, a trustee calls on certain events, situations, votes and their results on prior issues before the board. Term limits severely lessen the historical knowledge the board as a whole may utilize in making decisions. As a village board member for 12 years, I look to our past decisions to help determine my position on current issues. As the saying goes, one must know their history, or we are doomed to repeat it. Term limits would all but insure bad decisions are more likely to be made. In looking at such issues, I inquire as to whether there is proof that by making such proposed changes would improve our village. Both Rolling Meadows and Des Plaines have term limits, yet their taxes per capital are higher than Arlington Heights. (Rolling Meadows: $443.62 per person, Des Plaines: $409.89, Arlington Heights: $392.00) Therefore, I see no proof where term limits benefit the community, in fact, I can only see proof such limits may cost taxpayers money. Lastly, we already have term limits, they are called elections. Each individual wishing to run for an office must garner the same number of signatures on a ballot and abide by the same rules, regardless of whether you are an incumbent. Our Constitution has placed enormous power in our people, and one of them is to choose whom they wish to represent them. These are term limits.What is your position on housing for the mentally ill in Arlington Heights? Would you ever support it in a residential area, or only in an industrial or commercial area?I support the development of housing for those members of our community who suffer from mental illness. I do not believe such residences should be tucked away in out-of-the-way areas of our village such as industrial or commercially zoned areas. I would be supportive of such housing in our residential areas. That being said, the proposed residences should follow the same parameters that all other developments must follow. I do not think it benefits the residents of the proposed home, nor the community it is in, if unreasonable variances are granted simply because of the use. I know our village has a number of group homes. I know those homes currently do not meet our demand for such housing. Therefore, I would be in favor of seeing more residential opportunities for our mentally ill residents.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of the village's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.The balance between sales taxes and property taxes is delicate. Whenever we review a possible adjustment, or an increase to the municipal sales tax, we always compare it to our other municipalities to make sure we know where we stand should any change occur. This way, comparatively speaking, we know if we are out of line. That being said, I would look forward to opportunities to lower our sales tax so long as it is not at the expense of an increase in real estate taxes. The taxes that I would like to see reduced as soon as possible is the utility tax increases introduced several years ago. I believe these taxes to be oppressive and counter-productive to economic expansion and keeping the cost of living in Arlington Heights at a minimum.What are the village's biggest public safety concerns? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.Arlington Heights is blessed with an excellent police force, and the proof is in the numbers. When comparing 2011 and 2012 statistics, the number of overall offenses have decreased. Our police department and Police Chief are doing a fantastic job in preserving our community safety. While there is no such thing as a crime-free community, I believe Arlington Heights is one of the comparatively safest communities around. With that in mind, my concern is the continuance of such safety. I believe we should continue to support our police efforts maintaining adequate staff levels to continue to provide community safety. This would aid in further reducing response times, keeping overtime down, and preserve the health and well-being of the force and our citizenry.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 reduced the Arlington Heights municipal staff some 11% over the past years while still maintaining our high degree of service; especially in the areas of police, fire and public works. These areas, while experiencing their own decreases as well, must be maintained at a level which does not negatively impact our delivery of these services. The areas where we have also reduced costs and staff is in the administrative departments of the village. It is in this area where I continue to question whether there are smarter ways to work, thereby reducing the cost of that department. I am hopeful that with the proliferation and ease of access to municipal information by using the internet, some of these economies might be achieved.