paul mulcahy: Candidate Profile

Back to Lake In The Hills 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: lake in the hillsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lake In The Hills Village President Age: 65Family: wife Debbie passed away 20114 grown children8 grandchildrenOccupation: retiredEducation: high school grsdCivic involvement: member LITH property Owners Assocmember LITH American Legionfounder and 10 year chairman Summer Sunset FestivalElected offices held: village trustee 1997-2001 and 2007-2013chairman planning and zoning commission 2001-2007chairman citizens advisory airport committee 1995Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have served in elected or appointed offices in LITH for 20 years, and have demonstrated leadership qualities as chairman of commissions and committees and as village president. I understand where LITH has been in the past, where it is today and where it needs to be in the future. and I've proven that I have the talents and abilities to lead us there.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?We recently were awarded the GFOA Budget Award for the 17th straight year. There has been no increase in the property tax levy for 7 consecutive years, including each of my four years as village president. we began this year with very healthy reserves of about 52% of our total operating expenses. This year, however, we will need to spend some of those reserves due to state mandated dispatch center consolidation, tree replacements as a result of emerald ash borer destruction, and other recent events beyond our control. This year, though, we will make the last $600000 payment on an old bond issue, and we will finish the final year of water main replacement in the original section of town. An almost all new management staff at village hall is bringing fresh, new ideas and a different perspective that will also help us continue our level of fiscal excellence. and, of course, continued economical development - in all areas of our village - not solely focusing on the empty Dominicks building - is extremely important. We need to revisit the possibility of establishing Tax Increment Financing Districts and to explore other means of enticing business into our community.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?I've asked our Administrator to take a look at staffing in every department and I've had conversations with him about looking at Parks and Rec programming to be sure that programs are paying for themselves. we are restructuring our Capital Improvement fund to be better ready to make large purchases, and I want to take a look at reorganizing departments to become more efficient. But I believe that, overall we allocate funds responsibly throughout the budget and there is not a lot of fat to be trimmed.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 look at myself, as Village President, not as the boss, but as a first among equals when it comes to the village board. Our meetings are efficient and generally very professional because the Trustees know and understand the issues and they all put the best interest of the residents first. A few years ago a trustee approached me and said that he wanted to re-visit an idea that I had in 2007 to build a Veterans Memorial in town. I enlisted the Village Administrator and the three of us comprised the committee to make this happen. We drew up plans for the memorial and began to seek donations and contributions - each of us doing his part. When we were ready to start construction it became apparent to me that we needed someone to coordinate that construction. I asked the Public Works Director to function as a sort of General Contractor and oversee the building of the memorial. Along the way, the administrator dealt with engineers and donors, the trustee collected donations at village events and I continued to pursue larger donations. When questions or problems arose, I stepped in with guidance and direction. That summarizes my leadership style - put good people in the right places, where they can utilize their talents, be there to resolve issues and problems when they inevitably arise, provide support and direction, and otherwise stay out of the way and let people do their jobs.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The LITH Sanitary District is not a part of the village. It is an independent government body created many years ago by the county board. It levies property taxes and is overseen by a three member board of trustees appointed by the county board chairman. It is the only independent sanitary district in McHenry County, I have begun discussions with County Board Chairman Jack Franks to dissolve the district as a government entity and incorporate the ownership and operations of its plant and facilities into the village. Doing this will remove one hand from the taxpayers pocket, provide efficiencies in operations, reduce costs, and eliminate bureaucratic red tape. There will be many ways this will save residents money - elimination of equipment, more efficient use of manpower and capitol resources, combining of billings, reduction or elimination of current sanitary district debt,fewer legal fees, and less expensive employee benefit costs to name a few. Chairman Franks wholeheartedly supports this idea and in the next several weeks I will be meeting one on one with each of the county board members to present my idea to them. A few years ago Governor Rauner appointed a commission to look into consolidations of governments and there has been a lot of conversation about that idea since. I think consolidating governments where possible is a great idea, and it is time to stop just talking about it and get it done.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I have worked very hard the last four years to convince the county to abandon plans for a CFI intersection at Randall and Algonquin Roads and to go forward with conventional improvements. I will continue to work to make sure that they build those improvements in the next few years.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.barack obamaWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?be kind to othersIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?learn to play guitar much earlierWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?English - taught me to love booksIf you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?be kind to others