Don Sheluga: 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: Campton HillsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Campton Hills Village Board Age: 47Family: Married 18 years, with two daughtersOccupation: Loyalty Marketing - Vice President, StrategyEducation: BA, Political Science, University of Pennsylvania MBA, Cornell UniversityCivic involvement: Chairman, Zoning Board of Appeals, Village of Campton Hills since 2013 Member, Zoning Board of Appeals, Village of Campton Hills 2008 - 2013 Member, Plan Commission, Village of Campton Hills since 2014Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?As a write-in candidate for Village Trustee, my priorities are ensuring that the Village is managed in a fiscally responsible way, and that we protect our quality of life. Over the last 20 years, I have gained extensive business experience in finance and marketing. My responsibilities have included managing multi-million dollar budgets.What is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales and property taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Sales taxes are adequate. I believe we need to do more to strengthen economic development within Campton Hills. This can be achieved while maintaining our semi-rural lifestyle. While some of that development may need 5 or more years to happen, we need to establish the foundation for it now. Property taxes in Illinois are too high. Illinois has too many taxing districts, and the mechanisms for increasing taxes are rigged against the taxpayer. My family moved here ten years ago, our house is worth less than when we purchased it, yet our property taxes are over 18% higher. Campton Hills is the only line on my property tax bill that says $0. The Village was founded on the premise that it would not charge a property tax. It has kept that promise, and I will work to ensure that it continues to do so.Rate the efficiency of your town's police and fire coverage. Are the departments well prepared for the next decade? What, if anything, should be changed? Do you have specific public safety concerns?I am satisfied with the current level of service in police coverage provided by the Village and fire coverage provided by Fox River Countryside Fire/Rescue District. That said, with the current issue in police pension funding, and Fire/Rescue District's request to raise taxes, we should be exploring all options for operational efficiency. I have over 20 years experience in doing just that. We need to live within our means and protect the way of life that originally brought the village together.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Campton Hills has a group of Village Trustees who decided to drive an unnecessary primary election, with added expense to the County. They've also hired a second attorney, at an added and out of budget expense to the taxpayers, increasing the Village's overall legal expenses. If elected, I will work to ensure that the Village lives within its means and is managed in a fiscally responsible way.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?With potential changes at the state level that could impact Village finances, we need to keep our house in order. I will focus on setting the groundwork for economic development that fits our semi-rural community. We need more business here in town in order to keep our tax dollars at home.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I had no plans to run for office this year. However through the Village meetings I have been attending, I have heard growing concern over the discord in our Village leadership. Campton Hills is run on a lean budget, with the help of many volunteers on our committees and commissions who give their time and energy to help keep Campton Hills a great place to live. Leadership in the Village has a responsibility to maintain the public trust and manage the people's funds prudently. If elected Village Trustee, I will work to do this. I will expect no less of others.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group. Mr. Bogle's investment philosophies have been a big influence in my life.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Whether you think you can or you think you can't - you are right.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Physical fitness and strength training.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Computer Science. Learning to code helped me solve problems in a structured way.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Time and intellectual capacity are the most valuable assets you will ever have. Use them wisely and to their fullest!