Rita O’Connor: 2025 candidate for Long Grove village board

Bio

Office sought: Long Grove village board (Vote for 3)

City: Long Grove

Age: 65+

Occupation: Real estate broker

Previous offices held: Long Grove Village Trustee since 2017

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

The most important issue is completion of the first phase of the hookup to Lake Michigan water. We have received a federal grant ($960,000) for part of the expense ($1.7 million) and have consensus at staff level for an intergovernmental agreement for this project.

Meanwhile we continue to prod IDOT to schedule the promised widening of Route 22 through Long Grove to alleviate traffic backups. Additionally we anticipate a greater emphasis on economic development to insure the success of the TIF projects we have initiated.

How would you describe the state of your community's finances? What should be the top priorities for spending during the next few years? Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed?

Long Grove's financial position is very strong. Our annual general operating budget is approximately $4.7 million with $10 million in reserves in excess of our policy of maintaining 12 months of reserves.

This excess is intended to apply to the current costs of the expansion of the village hall and in anticipation of the costs to connect Long Grove to Lake Michigan water.

Long Grove maintains the bridge, village hall and village roads; pathways and a pumping station for water in the downtown; employs a staff of 5 people including our village manager and planner. Please note: Long Grove has not paid for repairs due to vehicle strikes to the bridge. Insurers of those who have hit the bridge have paid for the needed facade repairs.

In addition, the oldest TIF district generates cash sufficient to pay the bonds used to finance the various TIF district projects. Most revenue sources consist of monies from sales tax revenue, motor fuel taxes and the Local Government Distributive Fund. We are very careful with the monies that flow in and out of our town.

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?

We are currently working diligently to acquire Lake Michigan water. Long Grove operates a pumping station that supplies water to the downtown, but approximately 90% of residents have private wells.

Given the unknown longevity of the aquifer and the potential existence of radon in the water supply, the board has actively pursued this improvement. Anticipating a project cost of approximately $2.4 million, we secured a $960,000 federal grant to supplement the Long Grove contribution of $1.7 million for the first phase of this endeavor.

The federal government, however, has frozen the agreed upon grant money at this time. If the funds are unfrozen this first phase of the project can be completed by year end … stay tuned!

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

We frequently have a diversity of opinions from a diverse group of trustees. Each trustee questions, responds and probes issues large and small. Each has his/her own perspective and frequently I find that the questions, insights and concerns offered by fellow trustees help me to examine and better articulate my own thoughts.

While I find this very valuable for myself, I believe it is extremely valuable to our residents because it enables us to offer a better quality of life in Long Grove. I make every effort to collaborate, innovate and educate myself about the issues that come before the board.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I've been a trustee for 8 years and have considered it a privilege. I am far more experienced in local government, not just in Long Grove, but also in Lake County, than when I first became a trustee. Experience is so very important in understanding short- and long-term effects of decisions we make today.

There is a learning curve involved to understand how to ask the right questions, how to evaluate the projects that come before us, how to shape projects so that the end result is the best we can obtain for our residents. My learning is continual and hopefully what I have learned thus far is a benefit to my fellow residents.

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

I would very much like to have a bridge over Route 83 near Robert Parker Coffin Road and another bridge over Old 53 at Schaeffer Road in order to make our community members more accessible to each other and the amenities that Long Grove offers.

I think the ability to safely walk, bike or run through the village would enable not only a feeling of neighborliness and community, but also a contribution to cleaner air and personal health. With bridges and pathways put in the necessary spots, residents could bike, walk or jog from the southern end of Long Grove to the northern border along Diamond Lake Road.