Sean Herron: 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: Sugar GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sean-Herron-Village-of-Sugar-Grove-Trustee-317934478331960/?ref=bookmarksOffice sought: Sugar Grove Village Board Age: 39Family: Sarah Herron(spouse), Declan (son), Kyla (daughter)Occupation: TeacherEducation: BA Elementary Education, Trinity Christian College MS Educational Administration, Northern Illinois University (August 17)Civic involvement: My wife, Sarah, and I volunteer at Equine Dreams in Newark, IL. Equine dreams provides therapeutic horseback riding and equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) to children and adults with disabilities. I have been volunteering there since 2008. I also volunteer with my Mother-in-law, Marty Hunt, at the Sugar Grove Food Pantry. Working in the Kaneland school district it is great to see how our local food pantry helps support those within our community that are in need.Elected offices held: I am the Republican Precinct Committeeman (PC) for Sugar Grove Precinct 4. As a PC I am a member and the Secretary for the Kane County Western Townships Republican Organization.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Four years ago I was elected to serve on this board, in my opinion, because of my integrity, my willingness to serve, and my commitment to Sugar Grove. I still possess those qualities, and now have four years of successful experience representing the citizens of our community. I am also now a father, and raising our two children right here only strengthens my resolve to ensure that the Board is acting in the long term best interests of the village. Making sound strategic decisions while maintaining our small town community feel will continue to be a priority for me as a member of the Sugar Grove Village Board.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 simple answer is our taxes are too high, but that is an oversimplification. Sugar Grove has an 8% sales tax rate, which is comparable to our neighboring communities - most of whom have a higher commercial tax base to draw upon. Property taxes throughout all of Illinois are too high, but locally the Village component of your tax bill is less than 6% of the total. From the Village President to every member of the Village Board, we are tasked with the difficult job of providing essential services while maintaining a lean budget. I have held the line on tax increases whenever possible, and have only supported an increase when absolutely necessary such as the mandatory police pension fund payments and renovation for the Sugar Grove Community House.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?Sugar Grove has historically been well served by both our police and fire departments. In my opinion, Chief Rollins and Chief Perkins have provided great service heading up their respective departments - both in terms of public safety and fiscal responsibility. Personally, I look to their expertise to provide direction for the preparedness of our police and fire coverage. As a member of the Village Board, I look forward to continuing to work with them to address necessary changes to keep our community safe. I am confident that we are in good hands.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The current budget was intentionally developed to be lean as possible while still providing necessary services to our community. Staff reductions as a result of the budgetary cuts made in 2008 have been maintained. Equipment has not been replaced as often as originally planned. Street and sidewalk maintenance projects have been deferred. Capital projects have been prioritized, and in some cases delayed or cancelled outright. It is important to remember that the funding source of nearly any budgetary expenditure is tax dollars, and as a member of the Village Board I am mandated to be a good steward of those funds.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Since it is a goal shared by many of my neighbors, my personal goal doesn't really qualify as an idea that no one is talking about. My goal is to create an even better sense of community here in Sugar Grove. One example would be to expand and connect the bike paths providing access to our park system and the amazing programs they provide. We have a wonderful library, an active Beautification Committee, a great Farmer's Market, and celebrations like the Corn Boil and Holiday in the Grove that help make Sugar Grove a great place to live. Everyone should be talking about those attractions.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I would like to relieve the tax burden on our homeowners. Because Sugar Grove is primarily residential, homeowners currently shoulder a disproportionate share of the budget as compared to some of our neighboring communities. I want to maintain our "small town" vibe, but understand that we need to attract businesses to diversify our tax base and to expand the goods and services provided to Sugar Grove. I think it is important to continue to emphasize our commitment to that sense of community, making certain that new businesses will also become good neighbors.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Joe Maddon. Recently I read an article that analyzed his leadership style. Many of his insights can be beneficial in life, especially as a leader.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?If you work hard and follow the rules, things will usually work out for you. When you don't do these things you run into problems.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I don't have any regrets. Every decision, good or bad, has taught me a lesson and got me to where I am today.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I didn't have favorite subjects as much as I had favorite teachers. Good teachers can unlock any subject and make it a favorite.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?You can't control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you respond. Be patient in your responses.