Peter Ponzio: 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: 58Family: Married, 2 children, three grandchildrenOccupation: Professor, McHenry County College; CPAEducation: B.A., Loyola University CPA Certificate, State of Illinois M.A., Northwestern University Working on Doctor of Humanities at Harrison Middleton UniversityCivic involvement: Served two terms as Hawthorn Woods Trustee Chairman of Hawthorn Woods Finance Committee Chairman of Hawthorn Woods ad hoc H.R. and IT CommitteesElected offices held: Trustee of Hawthorn WoodsHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Continue the efforts of the Responsible Government in Hawthorn Woods party to rebuild the financial health of the Village.Key Issue 2 Continue to promote good relationships among the Board, Village employees and residents, and encourage honest and open government.Key Issue 3 Invest in Village infrastructure, such as parks, recreation areas, roads, and municipal facilities to offer residents good value for their tax dollars.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?As a member of the Responsible Government of Hawthorn Woods ticket, we believe that our combined years of experience and track record of improvement in Village finances and services make us the best candidates for the job.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.As a local government, we look to strike a balance in our tax rates and costs of providing services. We look at our cost of services on a bi-annual basis, and have adjusted these services up or down, when compared to other municipalities in the area.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.Our neighbors are interested in continued high level of service and responsiveness in our police force. To that end, we have converted our police force to full-time status and have encouraged our staff to attend all mandatory and voluntary training to promote high service levels from our police force.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?Three years ago, Hawthorn Woods adopted a zero-based budgeting approach where every line item on the budget was scrutinized and validated before being approved. Each departmental budget is then reviewed by our CFO and CEO, and then by the Finance and other Village committees at a Committee of the Whole meeting, before the budget is placed on public display. The Village operates like a small business, where no money is expended unless absolutely needed. AS a result of these efforts, the Village has gone from having 2 weeks operating reserves to having a reserve that is 35% of our general account operating budget.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Our Board doesn't operate on a "one good idea" approach to Village business. Every resident is free to submit ideas to the Board for consideration and eventual implementation. The strength of the Board can be found in the open approach to good ideas, so that we encourage everyone to submit their ideas to the Village.