Azam Nizamuddin: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Azam Nizamuddin

City: Bloomingdale

Office sought: Village Trustee (4-year term) (Independent)

Age: 51

Family: Married to Asma with four children

Occupation: Attorney

Education: Maine East High School - 1985, B.A. Theology, University of Loyola of Chicago, Juris Doctor, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma College of Law, 1996

Civic involvement: Chairman of the Board Averroes Academy Parochial School; Chairman of Editorial Board of the DuPage County Bar Association Journal; Vice-Chair of Civil Law Section of the DuPage County Bar Association; Recipient of Board of Directors Award of the DuPage County Bar Association; Adjunct Professor at Loyola University of Chicago; Standing Committee Member of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice; and Bloomingdale Lions Club

Previous elected offices held: No public offices, but have been elected to many civic boards and organizations

Incumbent: If yes, when were first elected?

Website: None

Facebook: Yes

Twitter: Yes

Issue questions

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

1) Attract larger commercial enterprises to the Village to enhance our revenue stream.

2) Create an immediate and realistic plan to redevelop Indian Lakes;

3) Create a community environment where families are more engaged with one another and their civic leaders.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I have served on many boards in the past 20 years in a leadership capacity. I have worked in several capacities as an attorney, in large and small firms, operating my own firm, and working in-house. I know what it's like to for people and businesses to deal with government. With my experience in law, business, and community, I have the requisite skills to help Bloomingdale to become a great place to live, work, and go to school.

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.

I don't avoid difficult decisions or make rash ones. I like to obtain all the information, get as much input and collaboration from colleagues and then make a decision for the best interest of the organization. I avoid personality clashes and avoid the "me" mentality. However, a good leader must be able to explain and convey that decision to people, so they can relate and feel they have been heard.

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?

Generally, the Village of Bloomingdale has done a good job of balancing its budget. However, merely cutting expenditures and reining-in services is not enough. You must develop a long- term strategy for more capital investment and provide more commercial opportunity in the business sector. Also, we need to work with the Township and County to provide health services for the out of control drug problem in our communities.

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

I would like to see more public gardens and green spaces for our families where I and my neighbors can take our families to parks and spend more quality time outdoors without having to drive long distances or even to neighboring suburbs. I would like to see more tennis courts and walking and jogging paths in Bloomingdale.