Neil Morgan: 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: Hawthorn WoodsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Hawthorn Woods Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 46Family: I have been married to my beautiful wife, Laura, for 21 years, and we have four awesome kids ranging from college through kindergarten. We have called Hawthorn Woods our home since 2000.Occupation: I recently sold my computer consulting and software firm that I co-founded eight years ago. I am currently working to integrate our company into the acquiring entity and helping them to introduce a whole new capability to the market.Education: I graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.Civic involvement: I have been on the Hawthorn Woods Board for the past six years. Additionally, I have been an active member of the Community Emergency Response Team for nearly seven years.Elected offices held: Hawthorn Woods Village Trustee (2007 - Present)Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 After four years of hard work by the Village Staff, Committees, and the Board, we are able to focus our attention on economic development. There has been significant advancements on that front, but we need to continue to focus our energies on attracting development to our village as the economy continues its recovery.Key Issue 2 A tremendous amount of work has been done over the past four years to stabilize the financial condition of this village. It is imperative that we continue to put significant focus on the financial health of the village.Key Issue 3 The safety and security of our residents is of utmost importance. Our Police Department is a tremendous asset for every one of our residents. As we move into the next four years, I will continue to work with our Police Department and our Public Safety and Judicial Committee to finalize our Emergency Operations Plan. This plan has been completely rewritten over the past eighteen months and will be an invaluable asset in the face of a significant incident affecting our village.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have served the Village of Hawthorn Woods and its residents with utmost integrity for the past six years and am looking forward to my next term as Trustee. I bring to the table collective experiences as a Trustee, former small business owner, first responder, father, and husband, as well as someone who has always been active in the 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.The Hawthorn Woods government is right-sized for the services that we provide to our residents. Additionally, the financial health of the village has never been stronger. This has been achieved by the hard work of the many people involved in this village. I do not foresee the need for additional tax revenues in the coming four years.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 public safety concerns that come up in conversations typically center on residential speeding, vandalism, and ruse burglaries. Residential speeding is a problem nationwide and often times involves our own residents here in town. Our Police Department is great at responding to resident complaints as well as using the radar trailer as a reminder to drivers about their speed. In conjunction with our Police Department, I started a Neighborhood Watch group to help address vandalism concerns in our neighborhood. Our Police Department continues to educate our residents about ruse burglaries, which is the most effective method to combat these crimes. Lastly, we have been completely rewriting our Emergency Operations Plan, which will greatly aid in the event of a major incident in Hawthorn Woods.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 collectively has done a fantastic job of returning our village to financial health in just four short years. I am proud of the work that this team has done and fully support the budget that is in place today.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The Village has so many excellent programs including concerts in the park, farmers market, July 3rd fireworks, classes as the Aquatic Center, fall harvest activities, etc. Each of our departments is running like well oiled machines, and the leadership team at the village has never been stronger. Given all of this, I don't have one idea that is not currently being talked about or is currently in place right now. We have a tremendous amount happening at this village especially when you consider the size of the village. I have never been more proud of everything that this village has to offer, and I look forward to helping to bring additional economic development in the future.