John Skillman: Candidate Profile

Back to Carpentersville Village President

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: CarpentersvilleWebsite: NATwitter: @Skillman4CvilleFacebook: John Skillman for Carpentersville Village PresidentOffice sought: Carpentersville Village President Age: 54Family: My wife, Susan, and I have been married for 31 years. We have raised our children in Carpentersville, Jonathan (30) and Amanda (27). We have two grandsons, Evan (2), and Colin (3 months). I was born and raised in Carpentersville and we are all current Carpentersville residents. Both of our children attended Carpentersville schools and graduated from Dundee-Crown High School and state colleges. We have strong roots in the Carpentersville community and truly care about the residents and businesses in the Village.Occupation: Retired Fire Chief; PT Battalion Chief in Spring GroveEducation: Graduate of Irving Crown High School in Carpentersville.Bachelor degree in Fire Science Management from Southern Illinois University.Licensed paramedic, certified fire investigator, various other emergency management certifications.Graduate of the National Fire Academy, Fire Officer Program, Maryland. Master degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University.Civic involvement: Member of the Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce.Member of the Carpentersville Rotary Club.Board member of the True Patriots Flags of Freedom honoring veterans and the remembrance of 9/11 by placing remembrance flags in the community.Member of the Illinois Fire Chief's Association and Member of the Illinois Fire Chief's Funeral Committee.Volunteer assistant coach for the Dundee-Crown Freshman football team.Volunteer at local community service organizations and events, including the local FISH food pantry, fire burn camp,and coaching youth sports over the past 30 years.Elected offices held: This is my first run for an elected local government position.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?It is a challenge for municipalities to maintain steady revenue streams and ease the tax burden on businesses and property owners. But, I feel that is the responsibility of those elected to public office. I do not feel that our village has handled that balancing act over the past several years, and this is a major concern for many residents and business owners I have spoken with.Village officials should have concentrated their efforts the past several years on economic development of open and vacant spaces, that would have increased the tax revenue base. This would have relieved the tax burden on existing property owners who received an unpleasant surprise in this year's property tax bills due to this lack of vision and leadership. In fact, those representing the village have gone out of their way to alienate local businesses, driving funding away to neighboring communities at Carpentersville's expense. The village's property tax rate has more than doubled over the past several years, and outstanding debt has increased to an alarming level. The village needs new direction that will make a priority of lowering the property taxes for property owners and businesses. This will require a steady reduction in the tax rate each year, not just during election years, and looking at other new revenue streams to fill the void. These revenue sources need to be spent in a more fiscally responsible manner.How would you suggest Carpentersville carry out its long-term goal of finding occupants for vacant buildings and properties throughout the village? What, if anything, is currently lacking in the village's business and economic portfolio?Carpentersville has resources within its current Community Development Department to address economic development. The village has yet again authorized a $50,000 one-year contract to an out-of-state company to attract and work with current businesses. At a recent public economic development meeting, it was stated by the current village president that this was needed as the village could not communicate effectively with local businesses.As village president, I will work to correct the strained relationships between the village and local businesses as I already have positive relationships with many of the businesses in the community.The village should evaluate the necessity of improvements that are burdening the taxpayers, and focus more on providing necessary services and filling the empty business spaces. The business areas at Huntley Randall, Huntley 31, and Meadowdale Shopping Center are specific areas still needing revitalization with new business. The tax burden on residents in Carpentersville equates to more vacant homes as homeowners cannot afford them due to increasing taxes. By improving business development, the village can begin reducing property taxes instead of increasing them each year. The village should focus on bringing small business to the area. Big box stores are beginning to struggle with internet sales, and we need the small business base to sustain and eventually grow the sales tax base within the village. The village needs additional small family and chain restaurants in the village as well.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?My 30 years of experience as a public servant in the Village of Carpentersville has given me insight into the village's various operations. The village has taken on too many expensive capital projects, too quickly. These expenses and the related debt leave less funding available for necessary village services and has increased the tax burden on the homeowners. Taxpayers on fixed incomes are struggling, and many residents have voiced that they simply cannot afford their property taxes. Every community wants to have improvement projects, but the village needs to reduce debt and focus on improving basic services. These projects leave less funding for sufficient operations in other areas. There are areas of the village that need more public safety presence. Residents deserve a sense of security in their community and there are areas that need more police patrol. Overtime expenses in the public safety areas need to be evaluated as well. Dedicated personnel are major assets and many have left over the past several years due to lack of support from village officials and mismanagement. This is very expensive for a municipality when positions have continuous turnover. The village needs to invest in a permanent, full-time human resource professional to address the ongoing personnel and union issues and be a liaison between staff and the Village Board. The village also needs to work more with other municipalities to reduce expenses. This includes shared services in areas where this would be practical and efficient, and participating in joint purchasing programs.What are your biggest concerns regarding public safety, and how could those be addressed?My biggest concern relating to public safety is the increasing necessity to provide excellent and efficient services to the community. Public safety personnel is the largest expense for most municipalities. The State of Illinois continues to discuss reducing local government revenues which will put an increased burden on the village. Public safety pension expenses continue to rise for local governments, so there is a need to do more with less and have a long term plan to decrease expenses. There is a need to evaluate the village's operations to make sure services are provided as efficiently as possible to lower overall expenses. Lowering overtime by increasing part-time staffing is an option that should be investigated. Current staffing levels in public safety are currently below the levels the current board has authorized. This unwisely drives up overtime expenses and negatively impacts property taxes. Minimizing turnover of highly skilled public safety professionals reduces overall expenses relating to recruitment, training, and other expenses.What can the village do to improve its relationship with union employees, particularly those in the fire department, and is there room for improvement? Please explain.While the fire department is the most vocal, there is room for improvement in the relationship with all village personnel. Numerous highly skilled and dedicated personnel across all areas have left over the past few years due to professional and ethical differences. This resulted in several expensive lawsuits filed against the village. There needs to be honest communication between management and the Village Board, which is necessary for making educated decisions relating to personnel and other issues. There has been little change in Village Board members, and a fresh insight and understanding will bring positive results. The village needs to move forward in a positive direction and it is apparent that a change in leadership is needed. I feel my education in management and leadership, as well as my municipal experience, will greatly benefit the village. I have good relationships on both sides and will work toward creating a more positive working relationship for all personnel. To facilitate more respectful fire union negotiations, the village needs an experienced human resource professional. This position can lead union negotiations as a liaison between the Village Board and the public works, police, and fire unions, and rebuild trust among all parties. Both the village and the public safety unions need to work together to come to consensus. My experience and education in public safety will assist in improving relationships between the village and unions. If elected, I believe I will make a great deal of progress in this area for all those involved.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?In communicating with residents, whatever the outcome of the Longmeadow Parkway Fox River Bridge, the best possible outcome for the residents of Carpentersville has to be secured. The current Village Board has supported this project from its inception and the project is moving forward at the county level. With the uncertain financial stability in the state, we need to be proactive in finding additional revenue sources to sustain the village long-term and be as fiscally responsible as possible with spending those revenues. We need to assure that existing infrastructure is maintained and improved as necessary and any increases to water/sewer rates and the addition of other fees are closely evaluated.I would like to to see an expansion in festivals and social events to bring residents and local businesses together to strengthen the sense of community in Carpentersville. As a life-long resident, I sincerely want Carpentersville to continue to be a great community and an affordable place to live, raise children, and retire. My goal is to bring fresh, positive insight to the Village Board to make this a realization. I would appreciate the Daily Herald's endorsement for Carpentersville Village President.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Warren Buffet is a current leader who inspires me. He is an astute businessman, investor, and gives back to society.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?The biggest lesson I learned growing up was watching my father work hard for his family and love being a police officer in Carpentersville.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I had a close relationship with my mother who died of pancreatic cancer. I would love to have spent more time with her.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Management. I enjoy interacting with people and it always comes back to the basics of management which is treating people respectfully.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?My advice would be to work hard in whatever you choose to do and you will be rewarded in life.