Carl Sorgatz: 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: WinfieldWebsite: buildingwinfieldsfuture.comOffice sought: Winfield Village Board Age: 62Family: Wife and three adult sons.Occupation: Credit Union Vice-PresidentEducation: Executive Development: The Wharton School: Executive Ed. Program: University of Pennsylvania The Johnson School of Management: Executive Ed. Program: Cornell University Darden Graduate School of Business Administration: Executive Ed. Program University of VirginiaCivic involvement: Winfield Plan Commission Naperville Sunrise Rotary Winfield Park District-Referendum Treasurer Winfield In Action-Coached Baseball, Basketball, and Soccer Treasurer-Village of Winfield Winfield Police Pension Board TrusteeElected offices held: No prior elective officesQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I currently serve as Treasurer for the Village of Winfield, and I am also a member of the Police Pension Board. My experience in having served as Treasurer for the village for the past four years will prove invaluable in terms of my understanding of the budget challenges we face and the solutions we need to address them. In my role on the Police Pension Board, my unique insight into the pension funding dilemma that we face in Winfield will be a great asset in addressing this issue at the Village Board level. Prior to my work in these capacities, my experience also includes previous service as a Plan Commissioner for Winfield, during which time the Klein Creek golf course and subdivision were presented and approved. My 35 year background in the financial services industry includes successful strategic direction and executive management, covering accounting, ALM, business development, compliance, facility management, finance, human resources, investments, lending, marketing, retail delivery, technology, risk management and security. My business experience also involves serving as the chairman of the board for the trade association and business entity for Illinois credit unions, as well as my current role as Vice-President of a large suburban Chicago area credit union. Winfield faces obvious fiscal challenges in the near future, and I have the ability, professional, and civic background needed to help address these challenges while doing so in a professional, respectful, civil, and collaborative manner.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.Our current level of local sales tax is at 7.75% which is below what most of our surrounding communities are currently charging. Being that Winfield is a non-Home Rule community, a referendum process is required for approval of any incremental increases to the sales tax rate. Two referendum-approved .25% increases were completed over the past 24 months. This was done to enhance the village's sales tax revenue position. If Winfield can attract new retail development, this, coupled with the current level of sales tax, will improve the village's revenue/budget position. Total property taxes in DuPage County and Winfield, overall, are high. Winfield's share of the overall property tax bill is 3.6%, with a slight variance depending on which school district a resident is in. By comparison, Winfield's Park District receives 6.14% of the overall tax bill. And compared to other surrounding communities in DuPage County, Winfield's share of property taxes is one of the lowest. Along with this low property tax rate for Winfield comes revenue challenges and budget issues. Our need for more revenue is clear, but going back to our residents and asking them to pay more (where two previous property tax referenda have failed) without first pursuing sustainable commercial development, including retail, is short-sighted. We need to increase sales tax revenue through smart, quality development to address our revenue shortfalls.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?Winfield's Police Department is run very efficiently and is respected by both the residents and surrounding police forces. A 2012 police study conducted by REM Management Services revealed this, even as Winfield's Village Board was aggressively looking for areas to cut. In fact, Winfield's Police Force, according to professional standards, is probably short three sworn officers given the size of our town. As far as being prepared for the next decade, according to a 2013 study the municipal average is 1.93 officers per 1,000 residents. With a population of about 9,500 people, Winfield should have 18 sworn officers, although we currently have 15 plus a chief of police. This does put a strain on the current coverage capacity of our officers. And if body cameras become a requirement in Illinois, that would be an added cost that our village may not be prepared for. With regard to public safety concerns, Winfield must continue to coordinate with the DuPage County program on heroin abuse, including officer training in the administration of opiate antidotes for overdose victims. Each Winfield squad car should always be stocked with heroin antidotes.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Having spent the four-plus past years working on Winfield's budget, I can say that we have consistently trimmed any areas that do not impact public safety and delivery of essential services. Our village manager and administration deserve much credit for having an extremely lean staff and being very pro-active in cost control. It is obvious that our police department, infrastructure, and roads have been inadequately funded for many years. While the recent roads project in Winfield was a prudent thing to do, given the long term cost savings, it points out the revenue shortages we continue to face. The bond that was voted in by our village board was needed, but represents a long-term loan that will be paid back over 20 years by the residents of Winfield.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Inclusion of the major actors, collaborating and coordinating with the various interests affected by major projects, is not something Winfield has historically done very well. Local businesses and homeowners, the DuPage forest preserve district, the park district, fire district, village hall, the hospital, local businesses, and Cantigny should be at the table when these ideas and discussions occur. A recent example would be the Town Center negotiations, and the sentiment among many that they have an interest in the outcome but have been excluded from these discussions.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am an independent thinker and I believe in the importance of professional discourse, and hearing diverse views. Civility is important in Winfield, and we need to commit ourselves to civil discourse. But it must not occur at the expense of healthy debate and new ideas. I have friends and professional acquaintances on both sides of Winfield's recent debates, and I pride myself on being an independent thinker focused on solutions that benefit all residents of Winfield. Additionally, on top of my continued concerns about sustainable revenues, the police pension fund, and other topics I have addressed here, I am also concerned about residents' escalating water and sewer rates, and the strength of our relationship with Northwestern Medicine/CDH.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Congressman Peter Roskam because he is strong in his ideals and is a very open listener and respected representative of our state.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Work hard, be honest, and treat others as you would like to be treated.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have spent more quality time with my father, who passed away when I was a young man.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History, because it points out our future by learning from events in the past.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Challenge yourself always, do not fear failure, learn from life's lessons, and share your love for life with all around you.