Margot Dallstream: 2023 candidate for Barrington village board
Bio
Town: Barrington
Age on Election Day: 58
Occupation: Household Manager
Employer: N/A
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 city council or village board respond to it?
A: An issue that can cause a great disruption in our community for the next few years will be the construction of the Underpass where the CN Rail tracks cross Route 14. Route 14 is a federal highway controlled by IDOT so all logistics and construction of the underpass will be controlled by them. Plans have been made for a temporary two-lane roadway along Route 14 to maintain access to Citizens Park and Lake Zurich Road. Route 14 will not be closed during construction and traffic management steps will need to be taken to address safety concerns while minimizing delays. Those steps include the placement of barriers along the temporary roadway, screening fences by the Jewel Park neighborhood, and speed limit reductions on the temporary roadway.The village should drive concise, timely, and substantive communications regarding the timeline of this project to residents and local businesses so that they will know what to expect as the project progresses.
Q: How would you describe the state of your community's finances?
A: The Village of Barrington has earned an AA+ financial rating and is a Triple Crown Award winner for financial transparency. The current Village President and Board of Trustees have been responsible stewards of the community finances as they have not run up debt and they seek out ways to stretch the tax revenues they receive. Some examples of this include pursuing joint purchase opportunities with neighboring communities for expensive equipment, shared employees for certain services, and joint bidding with other municipalities on common expenses for economies of scale.
Q: What should be the three top priorities for spending in your community during the next four years?
A: Every tax dollar received must be invested into our community wisely.A first priority is with respect to Barrington being a full-service municipality. We must ensure resourcing for Public Works, our Police Department, and our Fire Department supporting consistent functionality and safety.A second priority is related to the harsh effects of Midwest weather conditions (such as 90+ degree temperatures in summer, freezing temperatures in winter, snow/ice requiring a lot of salt usage, and thawing in spring) on the degradation of our infrastructure. This requires allocating resources for maintenance and improvement of our streets, sidewalks, and parking areas as well as any other aging infrastructure concerns. The third priority is to continue to beautify our historic town by adding green spaces and gathering spaces. We want our community to be warm and welcoming to all who live and visit here.
Q: Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed? If so, what are they?
A: Illinois Property Owners pay a lot in property taxes. Of that, 7% (or 7 cents of each dollar paid) goes to the Village of Barrington. It is a credit to the current leadership in the Village of Barrington that they deliver the wide range of amenities and resources as a full-service municipality including the provision of water and sewer services with that budget.One new opportunity to make the village's tax dollars go further will be in the negotiation of multi-year contracts with vendors. These are especially critical in terms of inflation. The Village has contracts with a wide array of vendors and businesses. A great example is the company contracted to provide fireworks at Barrington's 4th of July celebrations.
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 largest infrastructure improvement in the near future is the construction of the Underpass where the CN Rail tracks cross Route 14. The project has been broken down into the following phases: Phase I Engineering work; Phase II Engineering work, Right of Way Acquisitions, and State Permitting; and Phase III Construction. The Village is expected to contribute less than 4% of the total cost towards the Phase II design work and enhancements to the project such as the multi-use path, streetscapes and beautification projects. The other costs of this infrastructure improvement are funded by an $11 million Tiger II Grant, $48 million funding from the federal Surface Transportation Program, and $14.5 million in allocations from Federal, State, Local and CN. These are uncertain times but we live in a village where finances have been well managed and our village is staffed with dynamic, hard-working individuals. It's hard to imagine a challenge that we wouldn't be able to meet.
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 or city council.
A: Henry Ford has been quoted as saying, "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself."
Through my professional career as an Account Manager in the National Accounts division for a Fortune 500 Group Health Insurer as well as the numerous capacities in which I have volunteered in our community, I have many years of experience in collaborating with others, listening to and understanding the needs and concerns of participants, communicating effectively, and working towards consensus to achieve the best possible outcomes. This is exactly what I plan to do for Village of Barrington constituents.
Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?
A: The qualities of an effective trustee are integrity, open mindedness, good listening skills, collaboration, mutual respect, adaptability, a willingness to dive into a variety of issues and a willingness to communicate in a clear, concise, and logical way. My volunteer and professional experience has tested and proven that I have the necessary qualities for the job.
As a National Accounts-Account Manager I had to stay apprised of federal & state laws that would impact the insurance plans of my clients. Working with many internal departments, we collaborated with our clients on managing the requirements and in communications to their employees. In partnership with my daughters' dance school Studio Director and staff, I created a database to capture data about costumes and performers to provide time saving and stress-minimizing tools for volunteers and dancers in the annual recital.
I believe in service, stewardship, and have a mission to represent everyone in the community.
Q: What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
A: From the 2022 Healthier Barrington Study, a focus group of residents identified these concerns among the top issues raised: Isolation/importance of social connections AND Effect on youth/lack of activities. If elected to the board, I will advocate for community events attracting people to utilize and engage with local businesses. The wine walk is a great example and perhaps this could be replicated with a cookie walk before the winter holidays and seasonal themed merchant window display contests.