Cheryl Anderley: 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: West DundeeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: West Dundee Village Board Age: 60Family: Single - one sonOccupation: Legal AssistantEducation: Culinary/Business ManagementCivic involvement: Downtown Redevelopment Planning CommitteeWest Dundee Education CommitteeDickens in Dundee Living WindowsDickens in Dundee - Fezziwig's PartyDickens in Dundee - House Decorating ContestHeritagefestAdopt a Planter on RiverwalkElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers Many municipalities are met with the challenge of maintaining steady revenue streams while trying to lower the tax burden on businesses and property owners. How has the village handled that balancing act so far, and how would you improve/maintain that situation?The Village has done a good job of creating new avenues of revenue. We must continue to look at every opportunity put forth before us to keep revenue coming into town. I believe we should have more events and find creative ways to use our existing spaces to draw more people into town. We also need to concentrate on making the downtown more pedestrian friendly. While I understand the desire to "move" the traffic through town, it doesn't need to move quite so fast. I would be in favor of hiring additional part time police officers to enforce the traffic laws, which would ultimately pay for itself.I am excited about the revitalization of Spring Hill Mall. Bringing in stores like HM will attract new patrons to the Mall as will the Cinemark movie theater.The village in recent years has taken some significant steps in terms of economic activity. What, if anything, is currently lacking in the village's economic portfolio, and how do you envision your community developing economically over the next four years?I believe we have a good mix in our portfolio right now. The focus of the downtown is to be a destination for dining and entertainment. Retail has changed over the years as more people have moved to shopping online and having their products delivered to their doorstep. However, Amazon, and others, can't deliver an experience or provide a personal touch. If we can create an atmosphere here that provides an experience throughout the year, we can attract people from all over to visit West Dundee. On one end of the spectrum, I'd like to see an additional focus on smaller "niche" businesses to fill in the gaps. I'd like to see us bring a bakery/coffee shop to town and a place where kids can go and feel comfortable. On the other end of the spectrum, I'd like to see us develop Randall Road and the Rt. 72 intersection with a hotel, banquet hall, car dealership or gas station. Between the new LifeZone360 and Leaf's Hockey, additional accommodations would be an asset that would yield more tax revenue.Describe your ideas for improving or developing the downtown. What steps can the village take to support the downtown businesses and bring more people to the area?We have a very quaint historic downtown district. We also have a major road running through the middle of our town. Part of the problem for businesses new and old is that people driving through town don't see them. would like to see us be less adverse to signage. I believe that the Appearance Review Committee should have a standard for signage; a palate of historical colors, fonts and sizes that would streamline the approval process. That would help keep the costs down for the businesses, and allow the 30k cars that pass through town every day have a better idea of what's here. The new businesses in the downtown will attract more people to visit. Additionally, when West Dundee hosts events people come. I'm in favor of more events spread out throughout the year to bring people from surrounding areas to West Dundee. Once we get them here, they will now have more places to park. However, they need to be able to walk downtown safely. We, as a village, need to put pressure on IDOT to time the stoplights to allow people to get across the street. We should also have warning signs such as Algonquin has on 31, and you see from St. Charles into South Elgin on Randall Road that display your speed. We can move the traffic through town, but we must do it at a measured pace. We also need to make sure drivers understand that cutting through our neighborhoods will not be tolerated.Where in the village's budget, if anywhere, could expenses be trimmed? And on the other hand, should the budget allot more money toward any particular area, service or village department?As a single mom, I am well versed in how to squeeze blood from a turnip. I believe we should have ongoing reviews of our expenditures and vendors to seek the best value for our money. The vendors that offer us the lowest price may not necessarily be the best value. For instance, the trees in the historic district create a beautiful "canopy" over the streets. The company that is currently trimming the branches away from the power lines is horrible. I have noticed many more incidents of large branches falling off the trees during/after storms in the past few years. When that happens, Public Works incurs additional expenses to come out to clean up, ComEd has to come out and secure the electrical lines, and residents have to suffer with outages. They may have submitted the lowest bid, but they are not necessarily the best value for our money.I would definitely like to see more of the budget allotted to the police department so they have the resources they need to enforce the traffic laws and keep us safe. I would also like to see Community Development receive additional resources. Director Scott has done an outstanding job, in supporting Mayor Nelson's vision, and reaching out to businesses that would complement our town. I recently had a couple suggestions for him and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had already been in talks with them.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I don't profess to know what everyone is talking about. I only know what I believe which is we should think creatively. One can look at the success of the 4th Fridays in Harvard to see how many people will come out for an evening of art, music, and a little food. We could turn the downtown into an art gallery, we could host dog shows, and pop up farmer's markets in the summer. The possibilities are endless. We have a wealth of creative and talented people in this town and we should do more to tap those resources. I live in the historic district and we are wedding central for photographs. I see countless wedding parties coming to take photos on the Riverwalk. We also have a fine bridal shop in town. How many of those wedding parties are taking photos and then leaving to go somewhere else for their reception? I would like to see our restaurants/banquet halls reap more of those rewards. It would be great if the retail/restaurant would partner to advertise West Dundee as a great place to get married. We could encourage newlyweds to post their Riverwalk photos on the West Dundee Facebook page for free advertising for the bridal shop/restaurants/banquet halls.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Making West Dundee an attractive place to live for all. We need to keep moving forward while respecting our past. I grew up in Carpentersville, but I spent most of my time in West Dundee. My dad was a member of the VFW, my mom and sister both worked at the Chateau Louise. This is where I chose to put down roots, to raise my son, to live my life. I get verklempt every time I hear John Mellancamp's song, Small Town. I, as thousands of others here, love this town. The residents here are it's best asset, it's best cheerleader, and the best group of volunteers bar none. It is the spirit of some of the residents that won West Dundee the "Best Block in America" contest. We need to preserve that spirit and pass it on to our kids, new residents, and visitors alike. It is that spirit that guides us and will help us overcome any challenges we face.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Mayor Nelson, he is one determined man.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Be fair, be kind; treat others as you would like to be treated.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend more time with my family, especially my son.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?English and Home Economics. I enjoy reading, and I love to cook. I should have taken plumbing and electrical.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Listen to your gut and follow your dreams.