Dakotah Norton: Candidate Profile

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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:BioQA Bio City: MundeleinWebsite: DakotahNorton.comOffice sought: Mundelein Village Board Age: 25Family: Engaged.Occupation: Freelance BloggerEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Director with Village Homesteading Mundelein, member of Mundelein Utility Box Public Art Committee, member of Mundelein Business Alliance, volunteer at Fremont Township Food Pantry Garden.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have the freshest perspective and the most innovative thinking ability. I will bring innovative answers from my generation to the table in an effort to bridge the gap between the classic village and the future star of Lake County. I have lived in town literally all my life and have a really good idea of the voice of the people and how it has shifted over the years. They are focused on fixing the roads, enhancing the community to attract young families, and putting businesses in the empty shopfronts. So these are the things I care about. I'm also not afraid to question the status quo if it is for the benefit of the residents. I would rather the village have non-traditional relationships with other parties if it secures stability for Mundelein.How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services that people want?The budget has been very carefully taken care of, as made evident by the ability to build a new village hall of such caliber without putting a strain on standard village affairs. While there are certainly changes that need to be made, no area of the budget has truly been neglected or forgotten about. I think that the best specific action the village can take is to ensure a proper dialogue between the residents and the representatives/staff that allows the people to communicate their desires directly. More importantly, this conversation must be properly addressed and answers sought out to give the people what they want. Social media provides an excellent avenue for this, as communities across the nation have shown, and the village has a great track record of embracing new technology that I am thrilled to continue.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Trimming the budget will be an all encompassing project that looks holistically at the village's financial affairs. However, I do not expect to find any major examples of poorly allocated funds because of the delicateness I know has been used in its formation. I am committed to putting more money towards the road maintenance and improvement budget, which currently sits at half of the suggested minimum. I am confident that there is enough fat to be trimmed elsewhere to make up for this. Furthermore, Mundelein will be adding more businesses to our village within the next four years if I have anything to do with it. With this added sales tax, Mundelein will be able to expand the budget without cutting anything.What is your vision for the downtown area, especially the empty land around the new village hall?New stores that benefit resident's day to day lives. I would like to see places that people frequent several times a week move into the downtown instead of prospective specialty shops that offer more niche products. Specifically, restaurants, food shops, entertainment venues, education centers, and cultural installations (such as art studios, music shops, or dance studios) would be my first choices if given the option. The new village hall plaza should be fit with similarly suited community interest projects. I would enjoy seeing an amphitheater or other public stage, a civic center that includes children's programming, some type of recreational park, and even a small business condo unit that brought the downtown a little farther South.What should village hall do to reach out to Mundelein's sizable Hispanic population to get these residents involved in village activities and taking advantage of village services?I think that the village is doing a great job of providing Spanish language resources to anyone who wants them as well as networking with local Hispanic churches to share their messages of opportunities. The next step will be to simply hold more community events. As the village grows and is able to sustainably accommodate more and more public gatherings, there is a better chance that things in alignment with Hispanic interests will be propagated. In fact, the Hispanic community may be encouraged to begin hosting their own village-wide events, something I look forward to.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am very concerned with ongoing transparency in the village, maintaining a low carbon footprint within the entire local government, ensuring property rights for individuals, reducing property taxes by attracting new businesses, and encouraging fiscally conservative policies where needed.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bernie SandersWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Taking care of the important stuff first lets you enjoy the fun stuff more.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Educating myself to better serve the world.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?English: it truly became my passion, my hobby, and my career.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Don't Panic.