Kevin Grouwinkel: 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: Mount ProspectWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Mount Prospect Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 54Family: Married to Karen for 23 years, daughters Karly 21 and Korey 17Occupation: Vice President Sales Marketing, Precise Digital Printing Inc.Education: attended Harper CollegeCivic involvement: 15 years Lions Club member, Rainbow hospice patient volunteer 5 years, past chairman Talkline Helplines Board (united way) 2 years, member of the Mt. Prospect safety comm. 3 years, Past shining star winnerElected offices held: 8 years Mt. Prospect Library trusteeHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I think the biggest challenge that we face is to maintain our infrastructure and the level of services to our citizens in the most fiscally responsible way. Maintaining our quality of life and addressing the needs of aging streets, sewers, equipment and facilities while keeping our taxes low requires vigilant and creative oversight of the budget.Key Issue 2 Attracting and keeping good commercial and retail business in the Village that fits within the parameters of the long range plan and produces sales tax revenue is an ongoing challenge in the current economy. It should be a very high priority for the Village to work closely with our local landlords and reach out to prospective businesses to convince them to locate here in Mt. Prospect.Key Issue 3 I believe that one of the critical challenges for us as individuals and as a community, is energy conservation, to reduce our use of fossil fuels. We need to be sure that all Village facilities are energy efficient and we are as environmentally sensitive as possible in our processes and developments. The Village needs to continue to take the lead role in helping the community be green by educational outreach, and encouragement through incentives and code requirements.Questions Answers What's working at Village of Randhurst? What worries you about the Village of Randhurst? Talk about the rate of occupancy, the mix of businesses and the customer traffic. What can the village do to improve those things?The good news is that business's are starting to move into Randhurst. I can only hope that the owners of Randhurst do not saturate the area with all restaurants and do get some other type of business's to move in. The traffic configuration seems very had to understand. Again, maybe it would be a good time to do another traffic study to see what is needed.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 local sales tax to be working fine. Consumers are looking for local business's to shop at, that are close and convenient. I do not think raising the tax rate would be a good idea.Has the village's flooding issues been adequately addressed? Explain.Having been a resident that had water in their basement twice, I have first hand knowledge of the past problems the flooding has created. The Village Board has gone to great lengths to address this problem. Installing permanent generators at lift stations, working to stop the flooding on the north side. I think they have done a great job on this issue.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.Traffic and safety often are conflicting challenges. Traffic must be minimized in residential areas while major arteries are kept moving, a continual balancing act. The intersection of Mt. Prospect rd and rand has always been an issue with residents, maybe another traffic study would be a good idea. The continued input on areas of safety concerns, from the Police and Fire chief's has minimized any major safety concerns.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?The Village budget has gone thru a very detailed priority list. With all department heads looking at every dollar they spend. The Village had to lay off Police Officers,Firemen and other village employees over the past few years and they are really straining to maintain the level of service that the residents have come to expect. Any more budget cuts would have adverse effects on our citizens and I would not support that.