Colleen Konicek Hannigan: 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: Barrington HillsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Unite Barrington HillsOffice sought: Barrington Hills Village Board Age: 51Family: Michael Hannigan, spouse. Marimarie and Frank Konicek, parents, and residents of Barrington Hills since 1969.Occupation: AttorneyEducation: Countryside Elementary SchoolElgin Academy, HS 1984DePauw University, BA 1988John Marshall Law School, JD 1992Civic involvement: I was on the committee that founded the Barrington Honor Ride Run 7 years ago and for the past 3 years have been the principle organizer of the event which raises money and awareness for wounded veterans suffering from catastrophic injuries and PTSD. I serve on the Legislative Committee for the Barrington Area Council of Governments and am a member of the McHenry County and Lake County Council of GovernmentElected offices held: Trustee, Village of Barrington HillsQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Along with Village President, Martin McLaughlin, I have helped to reduce the size of a bloated village government, reduce village spending, followed through on promises to improve village assets, such as village roads, cash reserves and Village Hall, reduced out of control legal fees that were stifling the ability to focus resources on Village improvements and infrastructure, made government more transparent, and brought a sense of community back to the residents with our 4th annual heritage festival. We have re-instituted ordinances that restore our commitment to maintain a residential and equestrian friendly community that protects against commercial activity within our borders, and protects our 5 acre zoning. Lastly, should I be honored by my friends and neighbors in winning reelection, this will be my last term in Barrington Hills' village government since I strongly advocate in favor of term limits and in allowing other residents the chance for the privilege of service to their community.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.We are on a declining spending path based on a lot of hard work and a dedication to limiting the size of government and consolidating village services. I believe the operational efficiencies that have been instituted will continue to benefit our residents in reduced taxpayer demands and levy. Our goal is to continue to lower property taxes as we believe the only way to keep the rampant flight from Illinois is to give her residents relief in their tax bills. Although we only control 17% of the property tax bill, we are committed to a continued lowering of our levy request not only out of principle but to show other taxing bodies that it can and should be done now.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 force is exemplary. They are one of the only CALEA certified forces in the State and provide an unparalleled level of service to our residents with dedication and courtesy that is the envy of surrounding communities. We have maintained a consistent number of officers in the field patrolling while restructuring departments and dispatch to improving the command and patrol structure and modernizing technical capabilities. This has been a welcomed improvement by both Police Department management and our patrol officers. I have also been pleased to be involved in our successful effort to normalize and improved labor relations.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Village engineering services are currently being reviewed and an RFP has been issued. We have received submissions that are currently under review and may provide an avenue for a reduction in those services.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Prior to being elected in 2013, I attended board meetings where the then board would discuss matters only minimally described on the posted agenda. Residents had no idea what was going to be discussed until the meeting was taking place and no idea what the board members were referring to until weeks later when documents they were provided prior to the meeting were publicly posted. This seemed nonsensical, particularly in today's electronic age. One of the first things I pushed for after being elected was to make the documents received by the board members available to the public in advance of board meetings. In helping to create our new Village website, one of the biggest focuses for me was transparency and ease of use in finding historical documents, getting access to village documents, permits and codes in a user friendly, easily manageable environment. We achieved that with our launch of the new Village website this year. If elected I will push for real time audio and/or visual access to village public meetings. Now, it takes a few weeks for our meetings to be available online. I would like to see a referendum put to the public to limit terms as a village trustee and as a village president. I believe it is an honor to serve our fellow residents and that for local government to keep from getting stagnant, the boards should turn over more frequently and allow for other residents' talents to shine.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The Village of Barrington Hills is a unique rural community and we need to work hard to protect its character and conserve our open spaces. I love our rural village roads without striping, sidewalks or curbing that allows us to envision the roads as they were when horse carriages or the Model T were driving down them. While safety is paramount, anything we can do to conserve our rural roots without having to widen them or change their character is important. I would like to see some of the properties lost to the village by prior administrations in de-annexation proceedings return to the village. In keeping with the rural, open space character, it would be important to know the vision of these properties before considering re-annexation and know that all interested parties are dedicated to maintaining residential zoning restrictions, our unique freedoms that rely heavily on good neighborly conduct, and the unique character of our Village.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Joe Maddon: If I'm honest with you, you might not like me for a day. But if I lie to you, you'll hate me foreverWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You lead by example through hard work, dedication, integrity, humor and compassion. That you're always learning if you take time to listen.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Our wedding day. Exactly the same but with those who have passed before us and those who I've come to love since in attendance.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Gym. It taught me to play well with others, to lose gracefully, to win humbly, discipline, and hard work are needed to achieve your goals.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?If that were my blessing, I would tell him/her to honor thy mother and father, they'll be your best friends one day.