Mary Schroeder: 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: Glendale HeightsWebsite: http://www.glendaleheights2013election.comOffice sought: Glendale Heights Village Board District 6 (4-year Term)Age: 78Family: Widowed, four children, 10 grandchildren, 1 great grandchildOccupation: RetiredEducation: High School, College of DuPage courses in Accounting and Real EstateCivic involvement: Member of the Glendale Heights Chamber of Commerce, Glendale Heights Jr. Woman's Club (Past President), Bloomingdale Township Seniors - Board Member, Eucharist Minister and a member of CCW at St. Isidore Catholic Church.Elected offices held: Village Trustee elected 2001, 2005, 2009Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No. I have never been arrested for or convicted of a crime.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 As an incumbent running for re-election for District 6 Trustee, I stand prepared to respond to campaign issues that may be raised by those who will be challenging me to become the next District 6 Trustee. Unfortunately, campaign material often misrepresents, distorts, and falsifies the facts. Unfounded accusations may also be made that aim at creating doubts, without justification, as to my personal integrity, or those of my running mates already holding office. I, together with my running mates, pledge to conduct our campaign using the basic principles of decency, honesty, and fair play. If residents have any questions, concerns or need fact-checking of information, we have an open door and encourage them to come visit, call or email us.Key Issue 2 I have served as the District 6 Trustee for the past 12 years. As a Village Trustee, I represent the interests of all of the residents in the Village; however only residents living in District 6 can cast a vote for me. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet many people who live in our community, as well as others who chose Glendale Heights to locate their businesses. I believe that my "Proven Leadership and Experience Matters"! As an incumbent, I promise to continue to serve the Village of Glendale Heights with the highest degree of personal honesty and integrity; make myself available to the residents and businesses and do whatever I can do to resolve any problems that they may have; reach out to the residents and business owners to get their input on issues that are before the Village Board, and make their opinion count; strive to keep District 6 and our entire community a safe and desirable place to live, work, and do business.Key Issue 3 Volunteers have long been an invaluable resource to our community, and every minute of their dedication counts! I am a strong supporter of the Village's volunteer initiative program (VIP) to revamp our connections with community volunteers and promote new ways of enhancing the volunteer experience for all ages. The goal of the VIP program is to provide varied and flexible opportunities designed with the busy household in mind. I am an active volunteer myself, and would really like to see the Village continue to encourage our residents to give back to the community through our many volunteer opportunities.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have lived in the Village of Glendale Heights for 34 years. I also owned and operated Ed Sons Auto Body located on North Avenue in Glendale Heights for 29 years. My experience as a former business owner proves valuable to me as a Trustee. As a member of the Glendale Heights Chamber of Commerce, I strongly support the local businesses in our community that are essential to providing our residents with a broad range of retail stores and services. Our local businesses ensure that the Village remains a strong and thriving community, and helps diversify and strengthen our tax base. I consider it a privilege to have served on the Village Board for the past twelve years, and I would like to continue to represent the residents and businesses in our community. In closing, my favorite reminder is that, "among the things you can give and still keep are your words, a smile, and a grateful heart".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 feel our local sales tax rate is "just right", and comparable with most of our surrounding communities. As a prior business owner in Glendale Heights, I am aware that the local sales tax rate can affect their decision on selecting a location for their business. I do not feel that the Village has ever over-taxed our businesses.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 Police Department is required to conduct a survey as part of the CALEA accreditation process every three years, and the Village regularly seeks resident feedback concerning all of its services. Residents have not raised any major safety concerns about living in the Village, but have commented that they would like to see the Police Officers patrolling their neighborhoods more frequently. This issue will be addressed with the Police Department to find solutions to this concern.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?I have to give our Village Administrator, Finance Director, and Department Heads credit for meeting the Village Board's objective every year to keep the operating budgets in balance with revenue resources. That has not been easy in these tough economic times. I don't feel that any of our community public services have been compromised by budget cuts. There have been a lot of adjustments made to our staffing levels across all of our departments, but I feel we are still providing a quality and timely level of service to the community.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The Village has been designated a Tree City, USA and we are very proud of our parkway trees, one of our Village's assets. Unfortunately, with the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) spreading throughout the entire County, the Village will be compelled to continue to slowly remove Ash trees from the parkways over a period of many years. Certainly, District 6 has been hit hard by the number of Ash trees infested, and I am a strong supporter of creating a long-term plan that adequately addresses this issue and continue to re-establish and diversify our parkway trees in the future.