Marty Hower: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: ItascaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Itasca Village Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Candidate did not respond.Occupation: Candidate did not respond.Education: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am running with two other incumbent trustees, and we are unopposed. We are the best candidates because we are the best informed about the issues affecting the Village - not only the popular high visibility issues, but also the day-to-day issues and things that need to be done for the long term health of the Village. We each bring a unique viewpoint, background, abilities, and level of experience to the board meetings and to representing all of the citizens of the Village.What is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales and property taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.I think that our local sales and property taxes are at the right level now - not too high or too low. The current tax revenues allow us to provide the right level of service for the community, while maintaining a responsible budget. Itasca tax levels are also comparable to the surrounding communities. We have tried to control our budget and spending to stay within the existing tax levels, while continuing to offer the services our residents and businesses need.Rate the efficiency of your town's police and fire coverage. Are the departments well prepared for the next decade? What, if anything, should be changed? Do you have specific public safety concerns?Through the process of qualifying to be a Safe Community, I feel that the police and fire departments are very well prepared for the next decade. They have been challenged to maintain their efficiency as a result of budget and headcount constraints over the past several years. As part of maintaining the Safe Community status, the departments need to regularly review their status and consider any changes or new issues to include in their preparedness plan. I have no public safety concerns.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Over the last several years, through the economic downturn, the Village Staff needed to scrutinize every dollar in the budget to decide what could be trimmed in order to stay within our budget limits. For that reason, I think that the budget has been pretty well trimmed. We also limited our capital spending in order to minimize spending. We have a long list of capital projects that we would like to do, but have limited room in the budget.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?We usually have pretty open discussions about the issues affecting the Village, and what could be done to make things better. Any ideas I have are typically shared with the rest of the Board and are discussed among everyone.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The biggest issues facing the Village at this time are 1) the construction of the Elgin-O'Hare Tollway (I390) and 2) O'Hare Noise. We need to continue cooperation with all of the other surrounding communities affected by these issues to communicate our needs and impacts from these projects. Staying involved and speaking up to be heard will help mitigate any undesired impacts to our residents and businesses.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I am inspired by Bruce Rauner and the way he is willing to take on the problems of the state.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To get involved in your local community to contribute and participate - through church, sports, or community events.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend it traveling to every state in the country and all of the National Parks.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject was math - and it has helped me in my career as an Engineer.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Treat everyone you encounter in life with respect and dignity.