Linda Jackson: 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: Glendale HeightsWebsite: http://www.glendaleheights2017election.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Glendale Heights 2017 ElectionOffice sought: Glendale Heights Village President Age: 68Family: I have been a widow for the past five years following the death of my husband Bill in 2012.Ã#130;circ;#160; I have four children and ten grandchildren growing up in the Village.Occupation: Retired Newspaper PrinterEducation: I am a graduate of Wheaton Central High School and took course work at Southern Illinois University.Civic involvement: International Day Committee, Charity Golf Classic Committee, Historical Committee, Christmas Sharing Committee, Special Events Commission, Parks and Recreation Committee, Golf Course Committee, Member of Government Agency Partnership, Founding Member of the Glendale Heights CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition, Youth Commission, Senior Citizen Council and Founders' Day CommitteeElected offices held: Elected as Trustee: 1991, 1995 and 1999Appointed Acting Mayor: September 1999 - September 2000Elected Village President: 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I feel my experience, my past performance and accomplishments speak for themselves. I have learned that it is important to give residents multiple ways to communicate with elected officials. As Mayor, I hold monthly "Saturday Morning Coffee with the Mayor and Village Board", giving the residents the opportunity come to talk to us about their concerns and issues, or offer suggestions or improvements in a less formal setting. We also hold Park Parties throughout the summer that have proven to be an invaluable way of communicating with residents. Most recently, when the Village Board and I appointed the new Chief of Police, Doug Flint, I supported his goal of moving Neighborhood Watch meetings to different locations throughout the community. It is proving to be a success, since we can focus on specific issues and concerns in their neighborhood, and provide information specific to their area.Economic development also continues to be one of my highest priorities, and I have built strong relationships with business owners and real estate investors. Increased economic development improves property values, increases the tax base through property tax and sales tax, and most importantly lessens the tax burden on all property owners. Our most recent accomplishment was working with developers and businesses who are making substantial investments in our community. We had major retail and industrial development, including Bucky's Gas Station, ArtVan Furniture, Starbuck's, Panda Express, Sleep Number, Shell gas station, Dunkin Donuts, several restaurants, and a new owner who is redeveloping our vacant former Dominick's.How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services that people want?I just finished working on my State of the Village Report with Executive Staff, and 2016 proved to be another positive step in the right direction to continue to make Glendale Heights stand true to our motto of being a "Proud and Progressive Village for All People". I am proud to report that once again there will be no increase in the Village's property tax levy.Many economic indicators are pointing towards a slow, steady recovery, and the Village was able to add back to its General Fund reserves for the 3rd straight year. In doing so, it once again exceeded the Fund Balance Reserve Policy adopted by the Village Board in 2013, which established a minimum reserve level of four months. Independent auditors reported to the Village Board last November that the fiscal year 2016 ending reserve balance was at a level of 6.6 months, which is more than one and a half times the level set by policy, and more than triple the level recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).In June of 2016, the Village received an annual credit rating update from Moody's Investors Service. Moody's is a leading provider of credit ratings, research and risk analysis. I am pleased that Moody's affirmed the Village's very strong Aa2 rating, which means that we are demonstrating very strong credit worthiness. Moody's report commended the Village's strong financial position and cited the Village's ability to generate balanced financial operations.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The most significant decrease in spending since the economic downturn has been focused on a reduction in manpower. This reduction has primarily been achieved through natural attrition and retirements, as opposed to layoffs. Many full-time positions have been restructured to compensate for the reduced manpower. In addition, several full-time positions have been reduced to part-time to save costs on employee benefits. Some services have also been outsourced, and most recently we consolidated with other municipalities and successfully moved to a single dispatch center with a single management structure.The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) devastated our region, and in Glendale Heights we lost one-third of our parkway trees. I am proud the Village Board of Trustees and I were able to eradicate EAB much sooner than the original goals. We are now applying for grants and continue to budget funds to ensure we reforest our community with a diversity of trees. In addition, our Parks Division received a competitive grant from the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus to contract out a village-wide tree inventory that is instrumental in identifying and managing our tree population.Since 2008, the Village has been awarded $11,185,412 in federal and state grant funding to improve our public infrastructure and continue with planned capital projects. Most recently we applied for and received a $1.3 million FEMA grant together with additional Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) grants to improve storm water management in the James Court/Glendale Square Shopping Center on North Avenue that will begin this year.Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your village board or city council.I never take full credit for all the good things that have been accomplished in the Village. Alone, I cannot accomplish the goals and objectives that are set each year, and I am grateful to have worked with a Village Board of Trustees who share a common vision for the future. My leadership style emphasizes the value of consensus decision-making. By working together to get input from residents and other important stakeholders in the community, we have achieved great success in reaching our goal of making improvements in programs and services for all ages without raising the property tax levy. We continue to make public safety our top priority. Due to our strong financial position, we were able to build a new state-of-the-art Police Department, and this year we are adding two additional police officers to our CALEA Accredited police force. Our community is aging and so are many of the long-term residents. I wanted a facility in our community that was designed exclusively for residents 60 years and better. Today, with over 2,000 members, our Senior Center serves as a one-stop place for comprehensive senior programs and services. We also renovated the Sports Hub and expanded the Aquatic Park. In a cooperative effort with the School Districts, the Sports Hub's PATH after school program has been a great success; providing a fun, safe and supervised place to go to after school until their parent(s) get home from work.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I strongly believe that the Village cannot operate in a vacuum, and in order to make sound, informed decisions, it is imperative that we remain engaged in the larger environment that includes businesses, the education and health system, and most importantly, the residents we serve. Grassroots conversations are the stimulus behind the many successful programs and improvements in the Village. I listened to seniors for years talk about the type of services they wanted to see, and we now have a dedicated senior center with all the amenities they requested. I listened to working parents who were the reasons behind our successful afterschool program at the Sports Hub. Most importantly, I never forget to listen to those who can't vote yet, but who are so important to our future "â#128;œ Glendale Heights kids. They are the ones behind the improvements at the Sports Hub, and equipment in their parks. Teenagers were also the reason for policy changes at our skate park and we now allow skateboarders and bikers to both have equal access after they came to one of our board meetings to discuss their ideas with us. I am currently working on an idea that I have been discussing with Laura Schrader, a teacher at Glenside Middle School, on the creation of a Glendale Heights Youth Council made up of students who will meet monthly to learn about the importance of local government and give input to the programs we offer to youth in our community.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Local government needs to continue to strive to be transparent and open in order to foster accountability and trust with our residents. All of our Village Board meetings are taped and aired on our public access channel, and residents can also view our meetings via youtube at GlendaleHtsTV. In addition, our website has all of our Village Board Meetings as well as our Committee and Commission agendas and meeting minutes, our Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, Budget Documents, Water Quality Reports, etc. We also respond to all Freedom of Information Requests in a timely manner.As an incumbent running for re-election for Village President, I stand prepared to respond to campaign issues that may be raised by those who will be challenging me to become the next Village President. Unfortunately, campaign material often misrepresents, distorts, and falsifies the facts. Unfounded accusations may also be made that aim at creating doubts, without justification, as to my personal integrity, or those of my running mates already holding office. I pledge to conduct my campaign using the basic principles of decency, honesty, and fair play.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pastor Steve Kass' passionate leadership to raise funds to build a large food pantry that will fill an important need in our community.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?I was blessed to have been raised by honest hardworking parents who taught me the importance of integrity.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?As a breast cancer survivor, I got my do-over! Spending more time with my family and not sweating the small stuff "â#128;œ life is good!What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I enjoyed Language Arts: active listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This has developed my critical thinking skills to effectively evaluate information to make informed decisions.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?I tell my children and grandchildren to always be truthful, respectful and hardworking! Always treat others as you wish to be treated.