Mary Gaborek: 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: AntiochWebsite: http://www.gaborekformayor.comOffice sought: Antioch Mayor (4-year Term)Age: 49Family: Married,three daughtersOccupation: Civic involvement, see below.Education: Studied at the College of Lake County with emphasis on business.Civic involvement: Former Antioch Upper Grade school and W.C. Petty schools- PTO Vice President, PTO President and Ways Means Member. School District 34 involvement also included, Educational Foundation Member, Public Relations Member, Futures Committee Member and Referendum Committee Member. Previous member of the Regional Office of Education Advisory Board. Currently, St. Peter's Outreach leader and religious education teacher. Project/Antioch Marketplace-led a grass-roots campaign to approve a large retail development for the community. Successes in the development and approved by the village board. The development would have created hundreds of construction and permanent jobs, plus millions of dollars in local tax revenue for the community.Elected offices held: Several School District 34 PTO positions and the Regional Office of Education Advisory Board, as stated above.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 My Number one issue is that the current mayor fails to act in a timely matter regarding important issues to our community. Decision-making should be timely and based on educated and on informed representation, utilizing strong communicatiion amongst the mayor, the village attorney, staff, trustees and residents. Decisions need to be based on merit, not just on political affiliations, campaign and supporters. For example, the current Mayor's repeated delays in considering alternative solutions to bring in Lake Michigan water has left the Village isolated from its neighbors and behind in the fresh water planning process. Regarding economic development such as the Antioch Marketplace, the deliberately slow decision-making process led by the current mayor, a previous board member, along with a current board member resulted in the loss of a trememdous opportunity for new revenue, including millions of dollars of lost local tax revenue and hundreds of local jobs. The Antioch Rescue Squad, confusiion with liquor licenses and rescinded stree losures can be addeed to the indecisive decision making with the mayor.Key Issue 2 My number two issue issustainable? economic growth. We need to be proactive in creating a friendly, yet smart business environment, which in turn will create jobs and revenue for the community. A business plan should have been implemented prior to the slow recovery of this economic downfall. The mayor should have implemented a strategic economic recovery plan to get through the current downturn in order to maximize fiscal conservancy for the village.Key Issue 3 My number three issue is the mayor's process of conducting village meetings. The agenda is created but there is no structure, partly because of the indecisive decision making that has occurred because the mayor has not prepared the board prior to the scheduled meetings.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?My involvement within the community, including the education I received, while studying the impact of development in our community. As stated previously, my participation in many civic organizations, gives me frequent opportunities to speak with residents and hear their concerns. My accessibility will allow my administration to enhance transparency and responsiveness.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.The current mayor has implemented a 6% utility tax increase and also increased water rates. Business owners and residents have been burdened with high property taxes as it is and didn't need to be faced with additional tax strains. These are not business friendly actions. It is imperative to proactively market the Village to attract additional retail and light industrial growth to diversify our revenue streams and prevent further tax increases on the business owners and residents.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 overall organization of the emergency services in the village, including the Rescue Squad, is very important. The mayor has not shown the residents what direction he plans to have in place. Instead, there has been confusion regarding the contracts and policies with the Rescue Squad and no direction to merge with the fire department or not.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 current budget has been trimmed extensively and the safety of our community is a concern. We experienced a light snow fall last week but village trucks did not arrive until after the school buses and children arrived at the schools. This is not acceptable. The safety of our children And residents should be a priority in our community.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Communicating and networking with leaders in Lake County. Increasing our visibility will enhance our opportunities for intergovernmental cooperation, which is a smart way to protect service levels with limited revenue. Antioch has not been visible for many years and I?m determined to re-establish the connection.