Thomas Glasgow: 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: Arlington HeightsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Arlington Heights Village Board Age: 49Family: Married 25 years to Denise. Children -Alexis, Trevor, and ClaudiaOccupation: AttorneyEducation: Juris Doctor Chicago Kent '94BA History U of M '90Civic involvement: Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, Chicago, Illinois, Chief of Medical DivisionCook County Assistant State's Attorney, Chicago, Illinois, Past Member, Judicial Evaluation Committee, Northwest Suburban Bar AssociationPast Member, Central District of Illinois Health Care Fraud Committee of U.S. Department of Justice United States Attorney's OfficeMember - Steering Committee, Metropolis Performing Arts CenterMarquee Member - Metropolis Performing Arts Center Member President's Circle, Northwest Community HospitalPast President Pro Tem, Northwest Water Commission of Cook CountyChairman, Zoning Board of Appeals, Village of Arlington HeightsTrustee, Village of Arlington HeightsMayor Pro Tem, Village of Arlington HeightsElected offices held: Former Treasurer, Northwest Water Commission of Cook CountyPast President Pro Tem, Northwest Water Commission of Cook CountyChairman, Zoning Board of Appeals, Village of Arlington HeightsVillage Trustee - Village of Arlington HeightsQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have more than 30 years combined experience with Federal, State, County and Municipal governments in law and management. Being elected to the office of Village Trustee has allowed me to bring that experience to the Village board. My experience in law, budgets, intergovernmental agreements, and formulation of legislation has helped Arlington Heights to continue to be financially strong while still providing the level of services that the public have come to expect. While others have taken a more populist approach to decision making that effects the Village, I have always made decisions based on the best available information which in turn resulted in the best outcome for the Citizens of Arlington Heights. While some of those votes were not easy, I have full confidence that they were the right thing to do for the public.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.Currently, a tax payer in Arlington Heights pays approximately 11-12% of their property tax bill to the Village. The bulk of sales tax in Arlington Heights goes to State and County governments. Right now there is an acceptable balance between property and sales tax that allows the businesses and the residents to share the benefits of police, fire, EMS, and infrastructure that local government provides to them. The real tax issue in this cycle will be the determination if the State government will implement a property tax freeze. That freeze, while possibly appealing to property owners, has the possibility to change that delicate balance as some governmental entities try to make up for money lost. The danger I see is one of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Currently, Cook County gets a large portion of property taxes and is not in a financial position to take the type of financial loss that a property tax freeze would impose upon them. In the event of a property tax freeze, I would expect to see Cook County and other units of government simply shift the tax structure to make up for that loss, thus imposing a greater burden upon businesses and their patrons in the name of granting relief for property owners.Thanks to the current and previous village boards, Arlington Heights is in a much better fiscal position and most likely will be able to weather that storm.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?We are fortunate in Arlington Heights to have both an outstanding police and fire department. Arlington Heights has one of the best police departments in the state. Our police are consistently CALEA certified, our village has a consistently low crime rate and our officers not only see them selves as protectors of our community, but as partners and ambassadors to the community. Our Fire Department is ISO 1 certified which directly results in a savings to property owners in their fire insurance. Our board consistently get notes and letters from residents about the amazing acts of heroism our firefighters consistently perform. My concern, as it has been since I was 1st elected, is to facilitate the construction of a new police department building. When our current building was constructed, cops got a radio and a shotgun. Policing has changed substantially since then. Police now routinely use digital cameras, video, forensic serology, portable alternative light sources, superglue for processing fingerprints, personal computers, AFIS, or DNA capabilities. To put it simply, a lot of the technology and products that we now consider essential did not even exist then. Likewise, computers, identity theft, or long term storage of evidence were not even a consideration. These are all necessities of modern policing today. Standards of serious crime interrogations, detention of prisoners, accessibility to the public have all changed since the building was first built. Without a new station, we compromise the health safety and welfare of the citizens that we are sworn to protect.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Our budget in Arlington Heights is the result of the hard work of the administration and board. During the budget process, we look at all available budgetary concerns and cut where we see appropriate. Likewise, during the process there are multiple opportunities to discuss and decide the programs that need additional money devoted to those projects. Currently, I feel there is a happy balance between the two and do not feel one is being excluded in favor of the other. I am proud to sign off on a budget each year that is financially prudent, yet allows sufficient resources for the public to enjoy the services that they have come to expect.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The Walk Arlington Project is an idea that is in it's infancy in Arlington Heights. The program is an opportunity for the Village to reach out to the Citizens, School Districts, Parks, Library, Northwest Community Hospital and Chamber of Commerce to encourage partnerships for the betterment of the community. It is a project that consists of three stages: the walkability and accessibility of the downtown business district; the walkability and accessibility of the individual neighborhoods in Arlington Heights,; and the long term planning of infrastructure and walkability in the future. This program enables our citizens to enjoy the parks, library, and businesses of Arlington Heights while cutting down on parking problems, helping the environment and bettering the overall health of our citizens. It allows different governmental agencies to work together which creates and maintains bonds for common goals towards our shared community. I am thankful that the Mayor and my fellow board colleagues allowed me to spearhead this idea and am thankful to our Village staff for all the hard work they have put into making this collaboration possible. I look forward to its roll out this spring.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?To continue building and maintaining the partnerships with other governmental and business entities that make Arlington Heights such a wonderful place. All too often we see and read about other governmental and business units polarized and politicized to the point where personal vendettas and politics get in the way of the good of the people they are designed to serve. We are fortunate in Arlington Heights to not have those impediments to collaboration and service to our shared community. This continued commitment to community in the face of the State's financial challenges in the immediate future is the most important issue to me as a candidate for re election.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Illinois Justice Eileen O'Neal Burke. She has taught me to listen to other's opinions and to consider all possible effects of the decisions I make.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?That giving back to the others is part of the way that you live your life.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I wouldn't. Every experience I have had is what makes me the person I am today.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math, it taught me that there is a solution to every problem. You simply have to use a logical approach to solve the problem.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Learn, laugh, and enjoy every day that God has given you.