Michael Dimitroff: 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: WayneWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Wayne Trustee Age: 53Family: Married to my wife Carol for 20 years with 2 children, Daniel 13 and William 12. Wayne resident for 20 years with 4 horses, 2 dogs and 3 cats. My boys are members of local Boy Scout Troop 13 where Carol and I are both assistant scoutmasters. All of us enjoy equestrian activities and Carol is an active member of the Wayne-DuPage hunt.Occupation: Sales managerEducation: BBA - Iowa State University, 1985MBA - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1987Civic involvement: Trustee, Village of Wayne since 2014Asst. Scoutmaster, St. Charles Troop 13 since 2014Wish Granter, Make A Wish of Illinois since 2008Elected offices held: Trustee, Village of Wayne since 2014Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am seeking re-election to the Wayne Board of Trustees out of a desire to give back to the community and serve the residents of Wayne. In my 20 years as a resident, I have supported the village through regular participation in community events and local government. During my 3 years on the village Board, I have done my best to protect the unique character of Wayne by working to limit commercial development to properly zoned areas and promoting open spaces such as the acquisition of the Honey Hill Meadow property. I will also continue to work to improve the financial outlook of the village through the long range planning and budgeting process. My approach to problem solving stresses listening to issues objectively and making decisions based on facts. My decisions are made based on doing what is best for the community as a whole. I could not have found a better place than Wayne to raise my family and my goal if re-elected as Trustee is to do my best to leave the village a better place than when I arrived.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.The village of Wayne does not have a local sales tax. Our sales tax is 7% and is comprised of 6.25% for the State of Illinois and .75% for DuPage county. As a small, residential community, Wayne has a small sales tax base and is on the low side of the Illinois sales tax scale. That benefits the few businesses that do reside within the village. I would say that our local property taxes are high for the amount of services that Wayne residents receive. The Illinois education funding model is the basis for the bulk of our property tax bill. Wayne residents provide their own water and sanitary service via well and septic systems. We rely on other communities for park district services and libraries, and we support them with a large portion of property taxes relative to the portion that goes to our village. Less than 4 cents out of every property tax dollar goes to the village. Most of that is used to pay for 24/7 police coverage and road maintenance.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?Wayne has a very dedicated police force and is well supported by the community. Our staffing levels have met our community's needs and I do not see a need for any significant change in coverage. I feel our police force is well trained and ready to meet future challenges. Concerns I have revolve mostly around criminal elements from other communities coming to Wayne to perpetrate crimes. The combination of the efforts of our officers and community support have kept criminal activities to a minimum. To prepare for the next ten years, we need to embrace technology to assist our officers. We will need to continue to evaluate new technologies and plan for implementation within the framework of our limited budget. As for the fire department, Wayne residents receive prompt and professional service. The fire protection district is currently experiencing budget shortfalls in the area of equipment replacement and is working with the community to resolve the issue.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The village budget is not large and virtually all of it is dedicated to public safety. Between supporting the police department and maintaining the roads through resurfacing, patching and plowing, most of our annual budget is spoken for. As part of our planning process, we regularly evaluate village needs and make allocation decisions from a small revenue pool. If more funds were available, road replacement is an area that could benefit. We stretch road replacement as far as possible because resurfacing a stretch of road is incredibly expensive. Residents and all who drive in Wayne would benefit from shortened road replacement schedule.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I believe that many in our community would be willing to donate material and labor to projects for the village or even for our residents who could use some assistance. As a village body, we can do more to promote volunteerism for the betterment of all.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am interested in maintaining the unique character of Wayne in the midst of the development taking place in the surrounding area. We need to be selective about commercial development while promoting the things that make Wayne a special place to live and raise a family. We are a close-knit and welcoming community and need to continue in that tradition. As I consider issues that arise, I keep these facts in mind.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I am inspired by those who embody the concept of servant leadership such as Pope Francis.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?If I wanted something, my father always made be pay half. It taught me the value of sweat equity.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Not going there.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Studying science taught me to observe, inquire, experiment and then apply what I learned to different areas.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Don't settle.