Todd Sholeen: 2025 candidate for Barrington village board

Bio

Office Sought: Barrington village board (Vote for 3)

City: Barrington

Age: 68

Occupation: Retired

Previous offices held: Barrington Village Trustee since 2015

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

The current village board, implemented a five-year strategic plan to continue to facilitate business growth, and various activities in our thriving community, and we’re proud of the progress we’ve made.

Over the next 4 years, our goal is to see the strategic plan through and finish the projects started that the community requested which will take effective execution.

The Hart Road renovation has been completed, a stop light has been added at Dundee and Grove Road, and we have made progress on the Route 14 underpass.

We are looking to add a new park to the downtown and adding paths and sidewalks to make our community more connected, especially around schools. We continue to make our community more desirable while maintaining our village’s heritage.

Our village and community need steady leadership to complete these projects, and effectively communicate the progress made to residents, and ensure we maintain our village within a sound budget.

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?

The village board and staff work diligently to maintain fiscally responsible budget even after the recent pandemic. Our dedication to fiscal responsibility over the years, has helped our village maintain good fiscal position. We have established a responsible reserve fund by cutting spending where possible and growing the village to produce needed revenues. We have maintained a balanced budget while working to hold the line on taxes.

We have paid off bonds and passed this property tax savings back to our residents and businesses. As a result, our village’s bond rating was increased to the highest level possible for a community of our size.

Our village board and staff has worked to take advantage of every possible state and federal grant, securing more than $100 million for projects we’ve accomplished or are completing. Before we proceed with a project, we go through the grant process because we want to put as little strain on our community as possible and our team has come through.

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?

There are numerous infrastructure projects that the village is currently addressing, the most important and the biggest project we are in process of completing is the Route 14 underpass, which needs to be completed to ensure there is an unimpeded route to Good Shepherd Hospital, improve public safety response times, and reduce traffic delays.

Our team has secured nearly 100% of the cost of the project in state and federal funding and is pursuing additional funding so Barrington taxpayers will only have to handle minimal costs for this project of regional importance.

There are various other projects that the board and staff are working on and we are always reviewing and prioritizing projects and looking for ways to fund projects through federal and state grants.

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.

I have experience over the years in various government boards and committees which have included the village of Barrington Zoning Board of Appeals, the village of Barrington Plan Commission as well as my current position as village trustee.

I have worked on various committees through my banking career and as a member of my local church, as the current co-president of the Barrington Rotary and various local nonprofit organizations. I am always ready to listen to ideas from others.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I feel I am the best candidate for one of the three village trustee positions due to my current position as a trustee. Also there is my many years of experience in the banking industry and in various volunteer positions in the community. I love the village of Barrington and feel we have one of the best communities in the Chicago area.

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

There is very little within the village of Barrington that the community is not talking about. I have great admiration for our local residents who are always looking for ways to improve our community. This is why I feel it is important that we continue to find ways to improve the quality of life within the village of Barrington.