Wayne Domke: 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: RoselleWebsite: domke4mayor.comTwitter: @WayneDDomkeFacebook: Wayne Domke 4 MayorOffice sought: Roselle Village President Age: 68Family: Wife - JoanAdult children - Brian DomkeRebecca Domke-HahnSix grandchildrenOccupation: Retired as of April 2016Education: MBA - Lake Forest Graduate School of ManagementCivic involvement: Sister City Commission - Roselle/Bochnia PolandRoselle Garden Club - Co-founding memberChicagoland Christian Sports Conference - High School Basketball League- Board MemberMen of Faith Group - St. Walter Catholic Church - RoselleLeadership Committee - St. Walter Catholic Church - RosellePast co-ordinator of the Roselle 4th of Julky Fireworks and Entertainment EventsElected offices held: Past Roselle Park District Commissioner - 1999 - 2011Current Roselle Village Board Member - 2011 - presentQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am running for Mayor because I want residents and business owners a fresh vision and a chance to "Re-Imagine Roselle." I will use my 18 years of experience in elected service, my extensive business experiences from the corporate world, as well as my education (Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, MBA), to aggressively promote marketing of the Village to new businesses and to strengthen relationships with Roselle's existing businesses. I will also work to increase transparency in local government.I have the experience to do the job professionally and the time in my schedule to treat the Mayor's office as my full-time responsibility. I have been a long time strong supporter of visionary ideas such as:Leveraging social media to highlight business opportunities and increase public safetyInvesting in marketing material, trade shows, and retail professionals. to promote Roselle real estate vacancies to larger businesses looking for expansion opportunities in the northwest suburbs.Televising or streaming Village Board Meetings Conducting more frequent Town Hall Meetings to increase transparency and help more community members to better understand the issues facing their elected public servants.Implementing a bi-annual resident community satisfaction survey to better understand the needs and aspirations of our community members and to gauge satisfaction with the Village services.I retired from full time employment in April 2016 so I can devote 40 or more hours per week to the leadership of the Village. I have no outside interests that would conflict with my service.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?Our village finances are in very good condition and we have projected a budget surplus for 2017. In the last five years we have enacted new fee structures, policies, and had employment negotiations that have kept our expenses in line with revenues. We have used our relationships with other communities to share some expenses. Often our Fire and Police Departments share equipment and facilities with Bloomingdale and that will continue to a greater degree in the future.To grow our revenue in the future, it is incumbent on the Village Board to market our town to bring in more first class businesses, restaurants, and food stores to provide services for our community and provide sales tax that will offset our expenses.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?We must continuously review our spending levels making sure they are appropriate. In some cases we need outside observers to assist us. The Village recently completed professional operational, staffing, and budget reviews of all our departments and we are in the process of implementing many findings. The Village Board has made dramatic budget cuts starting after 2008 to allocate every tax payer dime very carefully. I will continue that practice as Mayor and will be on the lookout for areas where we can improve service levels, optimize costs by implementing new technologies, or partnering with other communities of taxing bodies. On the spending side, I believe we need to invest more money in the marketing of Roselle as a wonderful place to buy a home and establish a business. I support additional funding for flood control and homeowner flood relief through the existing residential program. I'm also in favor of streaming Village Board, Committee of the Whole, and Planning Zoning Meetings on the internet and cable T.V. I also believe we need to set aside money annually to provide a railroad crossing "Quiet Zone" fund for our downtown district. Once the accumulation of necessary funds are available, we would use the money to reduce or eliminate the train horns in downtown Roselle.Finally, we must continue to fund our fight against the installation of the above ground High Tension Comm. Ed. Power Lines along I-390 and strongly encourage those lines to be buried under ground in our urban area.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 am a unifier and a listener by nature.I believe in empowering and involving people in decisions that impact their daily lives. I value the viewpoint and talent of each Board Member and our staff. I care about what they bring to our meetings and I care about the decisions we face. I have the utmost respect for our residents and our business owners and take time to listen and ask questions to learn more. I believe that the best decisions are found when people sit side alongside one another and work carefully to see both sides of an issue. I will be very approachable to members of the community, our staff, and our Board.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Involvement. I plan on creating ad-hoc committees of residents and business owners including Realtors,people with strong business and marketing backgrounds, and people who care about beatification and aesthetics. These committees will provide advice, data, and expertise to help the Board to make even more informed, good decisions about our future.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Increase funding for the marketing segment of the administration.Set aside revenue yearly until there are sufficient funds to implement a "Quiet Zone" on the railroad tracks in downtown RoselleMaintain or increase the resident flood assistance programBegin a new monthly Coffee with the Mayor Initiate semi-annual Town Hall meetings either at Village Hall or through technology (live stream forums on the phone)Invest in equipment to stream Board Meetings on home computers or broadcast them on cable T.V.Leverage social media to connect with residents and business owners.Revive the Neighborhood Watch program.Bring back Green Day.Partner with the Library and Park District to put on more community events.Review present ordinances to eliminate waste and protect property values.Implement a program to put "Cameras on Cops."Continue our Strategic Planning process.Implementation of the recently adapted Comprehensive Plan.Conduct community satisfaction survey in 2017.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis. He is a man of peace, understanding, and good will. I admire him because of his heart for all people.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My parents taught us to work hard and never quit. They believed in leaving the world better than you found it.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Pursuing higher education earlier in life and applying it to the service of my fellow citizens. I would have gotten into public service sooner.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite school subject was Social Studies. To this day, it has helped me appreciate diverse people and cultures.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Get involved. Don't let negativity stop you from a cause that is just. Be persistent and stay the course.