Leslie Gall: 2023 Candidate for Lisle Village Trustee, 4-year term

Bio

Town: Lisle

Age on Election Day: 52

Occupation: Chief marketing officer

Employer: Exigent

Previous offices held: None

Q&A

Q: What is the most serious issue your community will face in the coming years and how should the village board respond to it?

A: The most serious issue the village will face is delivering a balanced budget without raising the property tax levy.

We need to grow sales tax revenues. Lisle is punching below its weight in terms of economic development. We're in a great location. We have the amenities developers value. We have broad availability of industrial, retail, office and residential properties. What's getting in the way? Lisle's reputation.

I've talked to developers, real estate brokers, investors, business owners and neighbors. Here's what they say about Lisle: "Village of the long 'no.'" "Rudderless." "Don't bother." "Divided."

We've made a lot of progress in recent years. But we must complete the 180-degree turn from "Lisle is hard to do business-with" to "Lisle is open for business." We're missing at-bats and it's hurting our negotiating leverage and understanding of the market.

Q: How would you describe the state of your community's finances?

A: The village of Lisle's revenue mix is unsustainable. Fiscal responsibility is about managing in a way that creates resilience in the face of events that are out of control (think inflation, recessions, interest rates, pandemics) while managing to what's in our control (think pension liabilities, property tax levies, economic development, infrastructure improvements).

To keep the village's property tax levy flat, we need to broaden the tax base by growing sales tax revenue. If we don't, the property tax freeze that village of Lisle residents have been enjoying will disappear.

Q: What should be the three top priorities for spending in your community during the next four years?

A: Infrastructure is top priority with stormwater management and flood prevention at the top of the infrastructure list. If we don't get this right nothing else matters. We need to plan for infrastructure modernization projects and preventative maintenance that avoids fiscal "sleeping giants" and costly problems in the future, especially sewer.

Second priority should be economic development, using all available tools and incentive programs (think TIFs, public-private partnerships, grants, alliances).

The third spending priority should be about identifying and optimizing all available funding sources so that we ensure property taxes stay flat. Whether leveraging federal funding programs/grants, private development, or partnering with Lisle Township or DuPage County on infrastructure projects, we need to be smart, creative and relentless at making the tax dollars we already have work harder.

Q: Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed? If so, what are they?

A: With so much of the Lisle's $44 million budget contractually obligated or devoted to public safety, there's very little room to reallocate or eliminate spending. That said, it's good financial hygiene to scrutinize village operating expenditures regularly to automate and eliminate wherever possible. On the capital expenditures side, having sound strategic planning processes in place that help prioritize capital projects is essential.

Q: What do you see as the most important infrastructure project the community must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what project(s) can be put on the back burner?

A: The most important infrastructure project we must address is stormwater management and flood prevention because it threatens the safety of village residents and property, other infrastructure, and our ability to attract businesses. It should be paid for through a combination of public-private partnerships, and federal, state, county, township and village programs and budgets.

Lisle has a mix of capital improvement projects that differ in terms of urgency, cost and timing. Each project should be evaluated against current environment to determine what should move forward and what could be delayed.

Q: Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach agreement and manage local government? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your village board.

A: I have 20 years of experience working with diverse teams on complex issues and policies. The key to building consensus and finding common ground is a focus on facts while encouraging different perspectives. It's important to create an atmosphere of collaboration, candor and curiosity about short- and long-term implications.

The current board is divided in such a way that ideas are labeled good or bad based on their origin. That kind of atmosphere slows progress and hampers good decision-making. We need board members who embrace conflict in search of better outcomes, not board members who manufacture conflict for political purposes.

I thrive on finding and understanding different points of view so that the right issues are addressed and work gets done. We need to stop focusing on political dynamics and start focusing on the complexity of the issues to create clarity around what really matters.

Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?

A: I've spent my entire 14 years in Lisle raising three kids and pursuing a demanding career working for big global companies as a senior executive.

My professional experience includes direct oversight of a $100 million marketing and research budget, managing competing interests in complex situations, working on all sides of commercial real estate - development, brokerage and management, and working tirelessly to produce returns for shareholders.

As a School District 202 mom, St. Joan of Arc parishioner, local shopper, and frequent neighborhood diner, I am familiar with both the day-to-day and wider issues that are top of mind in and around Lisle. I have the background and perspective needed to have real impact.

My tenacity, business acumen and leadership skills will make me an asset to the board and ensure we get things done in service of all those who call the village home.

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

A: We're not talking enough about the need to eliminate the divisiveness inside village hall and start focusing on the opportunities and challenges going on outside of village hall. It's the only way we will get more done - faster and smarter.

When your reputation is being hard to do business with, it usually means you are getting in your own way. That's what we do in Lisle - get in our own way. We can't afford to have a board operating along partisan lines. We need balanced, diverse, and independent voices who want to work together to get things done. We need board members who have courage, demonstrate a partnership mindset, and are capable of getting into the details.