ALESSANDRO SERRA: 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: VERNON HILLSWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voteforafreshstartvernonhills/Office sought: Vernon Hills Village Board Age: 49Family: WIFE: SUEDAUGHTERS: Isabella 16, Gabriella 14, Daniela 11Occupation: Marketing Data ConsultantEducation: BA, Journalism/Advertising University of Wisconsin-MadisonCivic involvement: Former Local School Council member at Peterson Elementary School, CPSElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?As someone who is a life-long resident of the Chicago, and resident of Vernon Hills for almost 4 years, I have a wide range of experience, knowledge and perspective on many areas"circ;brvbar;not just Vernon Hills. While our incumbent Trustees have done a good job in getting us HERE, their approach will not get us where we need to be in the future. Vernon Hills is a designated retail hub, however, we are now seeing many examples of redundant retailers and this cannibalization will not sustain our current returns on retail tax revenues in the years to come. In addition, we have major growth projects coming at us in the immediate future with school additions, new shopping centers and housing developments all in response to a 29% increase in population over the past 16 years. I feel my professional experience will bring our community 25 years of extensive sales, marketing, communications, and operations experience. I have created, managed and executed hundreds of marketing solutions for large national retailers as well as small businesses. In addition, I have a long history of cultivating lasting partnerships and have the unique professional experience of having been the client, vendor and an agency partner. Currently, I am a data consultant for Dunn and Bradstreet providing sales and marketing solutions for Fortune 100 companies. I believe this background perfectly compliments those of my fellow Fresh Start trustees and president and serve our community well.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.As a parent, I'm extremely concerned about our high taxes and the impact the new housing developments will have on the already stressed school districts. The VH village board has no jurisdiction over property taxes however, there are many ways they can positively influence local sales taxes. Many developers have claimed that their projects will have minimal impact on the schools, we have seen in our history that this has not been the case. As an example, when Gregg's landing was initially developed it was targeted as a 50+, empty-nest community. Clearly after 20 years that is not the case. Vernon Hills has developed a fantastic reputation for schools and fully intends on delivering on that promise. Residents like myself have moved to Vernon Hills specifically for this reason and this must be taken into account as future housing development is considered. Impact fees need to be commensurate with their impact on enrollment and the village board needs to lead these efforts by negotiating and holding developers accountable. Our over-reliance on retail sales taxes is a major concern and providing TIFs to developers has boxed us into the corner by tying all of our future infrastructure needs directly to the success of this tax revenue stream. Without diversification of our tax base our village will face difficult budget challenges in the future.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?Our police and fire departments are run extremely efficiently and effectively. They Police chief has a strong staff that has developed well-thought out plans for our future. Our re-habbed police HQ is the envy of Lake County and well positions our first responders for the years to come. The Countryside Fire coverage is excellent and I have complete confidence that our community is safe.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?In reviewing the village budget I am troubled by the lack of infrastructure planning and the inappropriate levels of expense related to contractors. Through detailed examination of meeting minutes and other data provided on our Village website, there are indications we have missed opportunities for competitive bidding for many contracted services. In my opinion, the incumbent Village board has become complacent and ignored more rigorous processes in their evaluation of expenditures. I feel our Board needs to reflect the concerns of the residents and prioritize their needs over the requests of developers. I believe the first area the Village of Vernon Hills' budget can be trimmed is in the expenses of professional and contractual services. There appears to be considerable funds paid for long-term "consultants' which I would evaluate immediately. The implementation of a more rigorous and transparent competitive bidding process for these professional and contractual services projects would allow the village to reduce the expense and scope of these projects. I also believe that we have not allocated enough funding toward quality-of-life, infrastructure projects that directly affect the day-to-day lives of our residents. Road, sidewalks, sewers and other village infrastructure projects are critical to the future needs of our residents.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I believe that our village is sorely lacking in entertainment options for adults and families. Performing arts, live events and the potential of a theater district are areas that I would like to focus on with the next board. We have a unique opportunity to develop this area within the already established retail district and the related dining options. This type of development would be complementary to those venues and creates the traffic flow to them. This is one example of the diversification I referred to in the previous questions.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?My leadership style of inclusiveness and collaboration with village residents seems to be missing among the incumbent board. I believe that all voices need to be heard and all constituents must to have representation. This diversity of opinions is critical to the success of any village board decisions. These types of discussions also create an inclusive and transparent environment for the residents. Frankly, without this type of participation from both the Village board and residents, we will be making decisions in a vacuum. That may have worked in the past but, it has no place in the future if I am elected to the board.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I am inspired by Joe Biden for his every-man approach to relating to people and his years of service to our country.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?As the son of an immigrant, I learned the value of a dollar and earning everything you have through hard work. Take nothing for granted.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I've always dreamt of being the play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs. Pat Hughes has nothing to worry about.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History was always my favorite subject in school. As was once said, if we don't learn from our past we are doomed to repeat it.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?The Golden Rule - Treat others the way you want to be treated. And know that your actions have consequences so think before you act.