Robert Windon: Candidate Profile

Back to Barrington Village Board

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: BarringtonWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Barrington Village Board Age: 37Family: Allison- Wife Clayton- Son Maggie- DaughterOccupation: AttorneyEducation: Bachelor of Art in Speech Communication- University of Richmond Juris Doctor- Chicago-Kent College of LawCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Village of Barrington TrusteeQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?As an attorney with 6.5 years experience as a prosecutor and almost 4 years experience on the Village board, I bring a unique perspective to the Board. These experiences allow me to understand public safety concerns and department in Barrington in a way that nobody else can. Furthermore, as the youngest candidate or current board member I am able to represent a segment of town that none of the other candidates can.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.I believe Barrington's property tax levels are appropriate given the budgetary constraints placed on the Village by state law. I believe the Village, along with other municipalities, must continue to work with our state legislators to reduce the burden placed on local government. The Village's 1% sales tax is set by state statute.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?Throughout the past year and a half, we have gone through a major restructuring of the Village's Fire Department. Through this restructuring we have reduced the liability on the Village and, at the same time, have been able to improve the ISO (insurance) rating of the department from a 4 to a 2. This has allowed local business to contact their insurance agents to apply for a rate reduction. I am also very proud that our response times are shorter than they were before the split and I believe we are very well prepared for the next decade. That said, it is imperative that we continue to monitor and evaluate throughout, and after, this transition to ensure that we stay as prepared as possible.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Candidly, I believe the Board has done a very good job going through the budget with a fine tooth comb and it would be very difficult to cut the budget any further than we already have. At this point, I believe it is more important to try and grow the revenue side of the budget through continued redevelopment projects throughout the village which will increase our property and sales tax base.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I would like to see the village work to become more environmentally friendly. While we need to do so while keeping costs from rising, I believe the Village needs to look at environmentally efficient technologies when new equipment is being purchased.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I believe one of the biggest challenges that Barrington faces is the ever increasing traffic. We need to work with county, state and federal agencies to investigate solutions that will benefit not just Barrington but the entire region.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bob Hurley Sr.- Dedication to community and commitment to excellence.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Cherish what you have been given and work hard every day for what you want to achieve.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have figured out a way to study abroad in college.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math. It has helped me with my reasoning skills.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?It takes a long time to earn someone's respect but it only takes a moment to lose it.