Daniel Petersen: 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: Buffalo GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Buffalo Grove Village Board Age: 52Family: Wife Karen - Married 28 years Daughter Carolyn - Honor Roll Student at Stevenson Son - Michael - 3rd gradeOccupation: Environmental ConsultantEducation: BS Geology - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign MS Geology - University of Cincinnnati PhD Geology (Sedimentology, Quantitative Paleobiology, Geochemistry), University of CincinnnatiCivic involvement: Cofounder Save Buffalo GroveElected offices held: Have not held public officeQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have been a member of the community for over twenty years and have lived in the area for almost my entire life. I have been involved in the debate over redevelopment of the golf course since it was first proposed. Throughout this process, the disconnect of the board to the residents of Buffalo Grove was readily apparent as they simply dismiss opposing viewpoints as narrow-minded NIMBYs, conduct business behind closed doors with little transparency, do not appear to have a well-developed strategy for dealing with the village's economic issues, and address issues in a non-creative, linear process based on simple logic rather than compassion and creativity. I believe in the transparency of government, the right of the citizens to have a say (e.g. referendums for large projects like failed downtown proposal), and that the village should always consider compassion in its decisions. I like to see debate and hear people's viewpoints. I think board decisions should be made after public input rather before it in behind-the-scene negotiations. At a Partner in a world-renown environmental consulting firm, I have provided solutions for complex problems by understanding the variables, working with teams of experts to develop creative solutions, setting goals, and being accountable for the work. I have directed multimillion dollar retail, commercial, and industrial acquisitions and developments in Illinois and around the world. I will use this knowledge and expertise to drive a proactive approach of cutting red tape and highlighting our gems to bring retail back to Buffalo Grove.Should the Buffalo Grove golf course and municipal campus ever be re-developed? Now that the downtown proposal is dead, tell us what is your vision for that property going forward.Given our underutilized retail and commercial space, I do not desire to further reduce green space in the Village, especially since the course also acts as flood control. With the current economic conditions, such a development could cause further harm to existing retail and negatively affect commercial and residential property values. I believe that the golf course should remain public open space and the municipal buildings occupied for their useful life. There should be a long-term plan to continuously inspect, enhance or reconstruct the buildings that make-up the municipal campus and action taken when necessary. The course is extremely popular and serves a critical function of flood control in our area. I favor an ordinance to convert it from open space to other use. Given the severe flooding present in the village, I would consult with the Army Corps to determine if federal funds are available to improve flood control using the course, which would improve the quality of the course. With upgrades to the course and the building, this space could ultimately become and bigger attraction generating higher revenues through greens fees and facility rental. Current golf operations management that has impressively improved the finances and believes they can create a significant profit within the next 12-24 months. An acceptable alternative would also be to create an open area with bike paths, jogging paths, nature areas, a skating rink, and flood control. We must address flooding issues in the village and the property could solve many of the problems.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?In a best case scenario, I would initially try to minimize budget cuts for the village, while we refocus on improving the economic stability of the retail and commercial sectors. Thanks to sound fiscal management, the village does not have some of the problems that other municipalities have. There are potential financial hurdles in the future that we need to plan for now. We need to be cognizant of identifying state and federal funds to help us with these problems and continue to maintain fiscal responsibility. By implementing a successful retail revitalization plan, we can improve the occupancy rate of store fronts, and increase the amount of sales tax revenue generated per square foot, as well as the revenue generated from property taxes due to increasing values. This viewpoint varies from the current linear logic of the board who estimates potential revenue as available retail space multiplied by current sales tax revenue per square foot. The village needs to continue to look for ways to save money such as outsourcing labor where appropriate and streamline as appropriate. The Board needs to direct the village staff to identify such opportunities and implement them were feasible. As we continue to work on the economic revitalization, we need to evaluate the effectiveness of the responsible persons and make sure that there is accountability for their successes and failures.According to the village engineer, Buffalo Grove faces enormous street reconstruction costs due to faulty road materials used in the 1970s and 1980s. How important is this for the village, where should Buffalo Grove find the money and how urgent is it to fix the roads?As a matter of public safety, it is important to properly maintain roads. While the road base has not failed at this time, evidence suggests that there will be significant costs in the future. The repair of the roads is not an urgent issue, but preparing for the expense is. We need to take steps to improve the business climate in Buffalo Grove in order to attract more tax revenue to pay for these expenses. In addition, the village should monitor for county, state, and federal funding to find opportunities to offset some of these costs. Further, we need to carefully plan for the upcoming work in order to optimize the useful life of the roads, get the most favorable contracts, and spread out costs to minimize the impact to the residents.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?We need to highlight and expand the successes of our Village. We have businesses that have operated in the village for years despite our current economic client. Further, the Farmer's Market, the Art Fair and Buffalo Groves Days also contribute to the community. We need to highlight these businesses and events, figure out why they have been successful and find others like them to shine a light on the Village. We could leverage the farmers market to help our retail partners by holding it at a local mall to increase traffic to restaurants and other businesses. Buffalo Grove days has proven that our residents like to get out for events. With our cultural and ethnic diversity, why can't we create one or two more community events? Such events draw people to the community and help our economy.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Our community is composed of diverse, intelligent, caring people who have great insight and many ideas. They are also very busy and need to trust that the Board will be transparent and act in their best interest. There does not appear to be a healthy level of debate in our current board. Rather we have seen a lot of decisions that are made with unanimous votes with the only debate being between the public and the board. If there are disagreements, they appear to be solved behind closed doors. I believe in the transparency of the government. Working behind the scenes can generate distrust. We need to debate these issues in public and get the public's input. I believe that more people would participate if they felt that they actually had a say. It is important to listen to the residents of the community and not stand behind words like the "silent majority". Our board appears to have been in office too long and no longer represents the will of the people. We should be happy when people come out to test their board, instead of shutting them out and not considering their ideas. There are many people in Buffalo Grove that are a lot smarter than I am, and I want to hear what they have to say.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bill Gates - A self-made billionaire who changed the world and now strives to improve education, fights to improve health, and acts to reduce poverty.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You can accomplish anything, if you try hard enough and you don't give up? - Success comes in cans not cant's.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have bought Apple in 1980!What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Science - it taught me how to analyze problems and create solutions - a process which I use in my everyday life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Always try to do what's right even if it's painful or difficult, you will feel better afterwards knowing you did the right thing.