Sean Herron: 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: Sugar GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Sugar Grove Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 35Family: I am married and my wife Sarah and I are expecting our first child (son) on April 9th. Yes April 9th, the same day as the election.Occupation: I am an elementary school teacher.Education: -Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, Trinity Christian College, 2012 -Associate of Arts in Education, College of DuPage, 2010Civic involvement: -I am a 10 year veteran of the U.S. Army that served 2 combat tours in Iraq and 1 peacekeeping mission to Macedonia. -I am a member of the American Legion -I am the Assistant Precinct Committeeman for Sugar Grove PC 5 -My wife Sarah and I volunteer atElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: Candidate did not respond.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Transparency in our local government. Looking through past minutes and budgets the one thing that is certain is that it is not very clear as to how our taxpayer money is being spent. As a candidate, I have been familiarizing myself with past minutes to become more informed about specifics on how decisions have been being made. From my perspective, there are far too few notes on discussions leading up to the votes on issues and why votes were cast the way that they were. The minutes simply consist of the description of the issue and the votes tallied. It is very difficult for anyone that did not attend those meetings to have any idea on the rationale behind the decisions made. How can new comers learn about what members did in the past when there is little evidence of what circumstances were factors in decision making? In tough economic times, I want to see that my village is taking the necessary steps to make sure Sugar Grove gets the most for its money. A video library of past meetings for taxpayers to reference should be available for those who are unable to attend meetings but want to stay informed on current issues. It would also be beneficial to have a user friendly mode of updating Sugar Grove residents on quarterly basis on how the money has been spent whether this is via a website or including more information newsletters. In one format or another, people of Sugar Grove should be aware of township proceedings and be able to easily access more information on these proceedings to have a more active role in Sugar Grove.Key Issue 2 Make Sugar Grove a friendly environment for small businesses. I believe that small businesses are the backbone of towns like Sugar Grove. In most cases small business owners live within the same community in which their businesses operate in. This means that they have a vested interest in not only their business, but also in the environment in which the business is in. Their children are in our schools, their taxes go towards the roads that they drive on every day, and their neighbor's financial stability will determine their own success. Small business owners work within the community and do things like sponsor little league and t-ball teams, and help support food pantries, and they also make donations to schools because they care about the school not because they need to donate a certain number of dollars to write off when they do their taxes. More business options in Sugar Grove would also provide an opportunity for Sugar Grove citizens? money to be spent and kept within the community. We have seen growth in Sugar Grove with the addition of stores such as Jewel, Chase Bank, Walgreens, and so on which is great but having worked for a large corporation I know that it is very easy close the doors of any of these stores to make sure the company hits a bottom line. It seems like common sense to me that we would want to grow small businesses here in Sugar Grove to help both the business owners and the community as a whole.Key Issue 3 Make moves for Sugar Grove to have a more localized town center. One of the areas where I feel that Sugar Grove could use some improvement is in our downtown area. We have grown to just over 9,000 people now and it is time we start providing places here in Sugar Grove for residents to spend their money. To date we have a handful of small businesses scattered all around Sugar Grove and require a ride in the car to travel between them. Creating a more central and concentrated area for residents would provide more of a draw for locals to stay in town for a night out and may even draw in customers from nearby towns. An example of what I am talking about is 3rd street in Geneva. Other candidate's have provided great ideas for expanding Route 47 and/or making the intersection of RT 47 and I88 enter and exit both East and West. These are both great ideas and would help support more business here. I like the added business that we are attracting but it is so spread out and right now one has to get in their car to almost any combination of more than two things in Sugar Grove. I want to make sure that Sugar Grove has a plan for its business development to ensure as both commercial and small businesses enter Sugar Grove it is in a way that is local and beneficial for the village. In addition to business advantage to a more localized downtown, a common gathering area for residents would also provide a stronger sense of community.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?What I will bring to the Sugar Grove Village Trustee position is a fresh and unique perspective. Having spent ten years in the military I know what it means to serve selflessly and want to bring that selfless service to the village of Sugar Grove. I have also spent almost six years living outside of the United States either on deployment or at an overseas duty station. Through my service both stateside and abroad I developed a deep sense of pride in my country and community. As my wife and I get ready to welcome our first born child into this world I want to make sure that Sugar Grove is a strong community and safe place for him to grow up in. We already have a great school system that I will be happy so send him to. Now I want to make sure Sugar Grove develops into safe place with opportunities for community activities. I am completely independent from any of the other board members that are currently serving. I am not interested in the status quo and will make decisions regarding the village based on what the citizens of Sugar Grove want. I will keep the best interest of the village in mind when casting my vote. I am running for my friends and neighbors with no outside agenda. Many elected officials use their time in office to maintain the status quo rather than taking advantage of significant opportunities to help their friends and neighbors. Votes cast may not always be popular with individuals but it is my goal to keep the community as a whole in mind when I make my decisions. As a Non Commissioned Officer in the Army I am used to making decisions that were not always popular. Popularity was not my main concern, the wellbeing of my men was. I realize that I won't have to make life or death decisions, the point is that I will do what is right over what is popular amongst my peers. I will do what's right, legally and morally. The word politician has so many negative connotations because it is felt they often say what is needed to get elected and then doing whatever they want once elected into office. That's why I don't consider myself a politician. Instead, I feel that I am just a resident stepping up as a public servant to help guide the village into a more focused direction.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.Currently the sales tax in the state of IL is 6.250%, everything over that is all local tax. The 8% that we pay seems a little high for a town with a population of 9,000 people. There are only two other towns near us with sales tax of at least 8%, Aurora (pop. 200,000) and Yorkville (pop. 17,000). All other towns around us, Big Rock, Batavia, North Aurora, Oswego, Montgomery, and Elburn, are all in the 7th percentile. Being so close to so many other towns with lower sales taxes just means that people in Sugar Grove don't have to drive far to save money on the everyday items that they purchase like groceries. Growing businesses in Sugar Grove in an organized fashion will help to diversify this tax base.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 safety of our children is a big concern for many of my friends and neighbors here in Sugar Grove. Supporting the development of more neighborhood watch programs, after school programs, and summer activities to keep our children safe and actively engaged are all areas residents feel we shouldn't compromise or take shortcuts on.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?This is a great but tricky question. When we start to discuss budget cuts people working within the areas where cuts are proposed take the decisions personal. When it comes to the budget cuts nothing is personal and I will, at all costs, do my best to avoid any budget cuts that will potentially cost someone their job. In doing so, that might mean a temporarily cut in funding for new equipment and trying to get just a little more use out of existing resources. As far as areas where the budget can be expanded, I feel that there is never enough money given to the people that keep us safe. The Sugar Grove Police Department, Fire Department, and Road Commission work around the clock and in any weather to ensure our quiet little town is safe for all of its residents and even people passing through. And they do it selflessly. I know firsthand that the Fire Department was given a donation from a local organization and they quietly asked that they money be donated right back into the community.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Re-invest in the Sugar Grove Community house. It still looks pretty good on the outside but talking to some people around town I found out that it needs a bit of work. It is definitely dated but with a little attention it can be brought back to life. Part of the reason that I would like to re-invest in the Community House is that it is the heart of Sugar Grove community activity. It is where we vote, where the Boy Scouts meet, and where we hold the Holiday in the Grove for the children. A renovated Community House could also allow for a centralized location for more community activities.