Sara Sayed Sadat: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Sara Sayed Sadat

City: Village Of Lisle

Office sought: Village Trustee for Village of Lisle

Age: 36

Family: Married with three children

Occupation: Senior Leader of a Project Management Office in Not for Profit Industry

Education: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Civic involvement: Young Professionals Board for Family Shelter Services, Board Member for Lisle Partners of Parks, Member of Lisle Women's Club, and Railroad Safety Council. Volunteer Driver for the Meals Delivery Program at DuPage Senior Citizens Council and an active parent in Lisle CUSD 202.

Previous elected offices held: First time running for a political office, I have been an active participant in the community and have seen ways I can improve the community.

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? N/A

Website: VoteSaraSadat.com

Facebook: @VoteSaraSadat

Twitter:

Issue questions

* What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?

Lisle is a wonderful village with great promise and I'm proud to call it home. However, for Lisle to grow and prosper, village trustees must set aside political differences and focus sharply on fostering business development. Downtown redevelopment is irresponsibly behind schedule, office buildings sit underutilized, boarded-up buildings are all too prevalent, and residential construction lags behind. These issues affect ALL Lisle residents.

I will collaborate with trustees and staff to make Lisle a village that is business friendly. It is a problem when a building owners' request for additional parking designed to make the site more appealing to tenants is allowed to be delayed by an objector who doesn't show up. I won't let that happen. It simply must be made easier to conduct business in the Village of Lisle. Also, I will work to hold developers accountable to their commitments and schedules. Local businesses rely on these promises, as do existing residents. Lisle needs strong businesses in its downtown and in the technology corridor. I will work hard to see this happen.

https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif

* What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I have skin in the game - now and in the future. My three children attend Lisle CUSD 202 and their future relies on the school district, business community, parks, and local leaders to keep our community growing and prosperous.

I'm a proven leader and an active community-oriented parent. My work as a board member on Partners of Parks and my involvement in Schools and After School programs demonstrate that I live by Lisle's core values - family friendliness and community first. I offer fresh ideas to develop the community, including helping to make it more bike friendly. I envision a day when the residential areas of our village will be connected to the Arboretum our local treasure, via a walk/bike path. I understand that the goal is to continue making Lisle both family friendly and a vibrant business hub. We need these fresh ideas and fresh leadership to make Lisle stand out among its neighbors and capitalize on its intrinsic strengths. I have the skills and vision to begin this important process.

* Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing actions and decisions with your village board or city council.

Living in an echo chamber is extremely dangerous. I strongly believe in getting feedback from shareholders in the community and thoroughly researching all issues through community input. As a leader in a project management office with a $10 Million budget, I have a proven record of getting things done on budget. I'm not afraid to hold people accountable when plans go astray. I married a Union Vice President and understand while budgets are important, so is picking the right people for the job and making sure to hire good people to get the job done right the first time.

Lisle currently has some development projects, which through delay, have become a blight on the downtown and have failed to live up to their promises. This has adversely affected our community. It has impacted not only taxpaying residents who expected a growing tax base, but also local businesses. Such delays cost taxpayers of Lisle immensely, and I believe developers need to be held accountable for promises they make to the hardworking taxpayers of our village. I will work closely with other members of the board to see to it that development is on track and businesses have what they need.

* 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 people want?

A trustee must always keep our budget constraints in mind. We are a healthy village that can afford what it needs and offer our residents little niceties like leaf pick up services. Our police department and fire personal are exemplary and go the extra mile, down to giving the neighborhood children treats during Halloween. But we would greatly benefit from being a village government that is more responsive to business development, and I plan to make this issue a top priority.

We simply must increase and diversify our tax base. Economic development brings and keeps businesses in our village. This provides not only places for residents to shop, eat and socialize, but it keeps our money in town and generates tax revenue. This would help to alleviate the tax burden on homeowners. Long-term economic development takes planning (Strategic Plan adopted 2018) marketing and time. The groundwork we have laid will get us there but only if we as trustees stay on top of it.

Lisle's proximity to convention centers, highways and green space can make us a thriving community. I am committed to seeing it through.

* What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?

I believe a strong community connects its residents and school system to business development. These are the three pillars that lead to strong, interdependent communities. We are fortunate to live in the technology corridor and I want to give children in CUSD 202, as well as the industry in our village, the opportunity to become familiar with each other, to work with each other. I want to help each sector become more exposed to the others, so each can see what the other has to offer. To build a stronger Lisle, we must work together, not separately.

To do this, I would establish programs and seminars sponsored by the village to help students learn about opportunities at local businesses.

The Carlin Nalley Foundation is one of the few alumni programs in the country offering funding for young people to enter the trades. I believe in helping pioneering institutions like this foundation, as well as initiating other programs, to connect our student community with our business community.

I want to see the children of Lisle have a chance to excel right here, in their hometown, and I believe we in local government have the power to make that happen.