Paula Jacobsen: 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: www.yourbarringtonhills.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Your Barrington HillsOffice sought: Barrington Hills Village Board Age: 48Family: Married to Terrance GrohOccupation: Scientific Director, Neuroscience Takeda PharmaceuticalsEducation: BA in Biology North Central CollegeMS in Biology University of TexasCivic involvement: Citizens for ConservationPast Director, the Riding Club of Barrington HillsPast volunteer Rape Crisis Counselor and Suicide hotline CounselorElected offices held: NAQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Because I am a researcher and scientist, I confront issues first by understanding the details and the background, weighing the various options before making recommendations or decisions.I will bring the same level of conscientiousness and diligence to decision making on Village matters.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.Barrington Hills does not have sales tax. In general property taxes in Barrington Hills are high and reflect the larger size of our properties and homes. While the Village has not increased its levy in 12 years, the remaining taxing bodies have continued to increase theirs. Residents of BH are entitled to services commensurate with our tax burden, such as badly needed resurfacing of county roads. As Trustee, I would work to ensure we receive the services we are paying for.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?Historically Barrington Hills has had excellent fire and police coverage. Barrington Hills has many private roads and difficult to find addresses; therefore, having a dedicated, adequately staffed police department and knowledgeable dispatch is critical to the safety of our residents. Recent decisions to outsource 911 services and failure to replace attrition in police staffing has jeopardized the level of protection residents expect and deserve.As Trustee, I would make restoring adequate police staffing a priority.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Legal fees continue to be high and do not reflect increased benefit to residents. Legal fees should be used to defend the village against negative developments within the Village or on the boarders, such as auto auction facilities, high density housing and industrial developments, the Longmeadow project etc. Legal fees due to FOIA requests have increased substantially as a result of the lack of transparency reflected by current Village leadership. These fees are absolutely unnecessary and preventable. Most Villages provide far more information readily available on their Village websites, such as budgets, financial reports, police activity, etc.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Village government needs to be more outwardly focused, ie, engaging in interaction with neighboring Villages, with the Counties and the State. Initiatives taken by neighboring towns (eg, high density housing and industrial development on our boarders) and the counties (Longmeadow Project) can have negative impact on our quality of life, safety, and finances. One of the most important roles of Trustee is to engage and negotiate on behalf of the best interests of the residents.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Open and honest communication is sorely lacking with the current leadership. Property owners' rights and residents' voices are not being respected. As Trustee I would work to re-establish honest and open communication and make decisions that reflect consideration of all residents' perspectives.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.There are none that most inspire me. We have many inspiring leaders.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?I learned how to persevere, overcome adversity and attain my goals.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend more time with my family.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Science. The scientific method applied to problem solving in many areas of life helps protect against the pitfalls of biased decision making.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?The advice I would give to anyone is, put principles first and maintain integrity in your actions and decisions.