Denise Mandigo: 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: AntiochWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Antioch Township Supervisor Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married, our son was born and raised in Antioch. He now lives in Antioch and is a full time Firefighter/Paramedic.Occupation: Former Technology Leader - Responsible for $15M budgetEducation: Graduated with honors (Presidents Scholar) from SIU - Bachelor of Arts DegreeCompleted corporate sponsored MBA coursesCivic involvement: Most recently led a successful effort by the community to elevate the quality of education at Grass Lake School while simultaneously ensuring fair property taxes. GLS's tax levy has decreased by 17% in the past two years while the school has implemented new programs to enhance the quality of education.Elected offices held: I have never run for office. I am a grass roots candidate that is fed up with the status quo. My candidacy will give local voters the chance to choose a new candidate who is passionately committed to improving the community and will end the practice of passing political offices down to family members or based on family names.Questions Answers Name the three most important goals or objectives this board should tackle in the coming term. Prioritize them, and briefly discuss why you believe each to be critical, and how the board should go about addressing them.1) The township board should provide the most value to the taxpayer for the lowest cost. The board should work for the future of our community and for what is right, what is fair. THE BOARD SHOULD EARN THEIR SALARY! The board should expand our duties beyond the current focus, without increasing taxes. We should be advocates for the taxpayers and be ambassadors for our great community. The board should work with local government bodies who make decisions that have a direct impact on our taxes and/or quality of life. EXAMPLE: Almost 30% of the land in Antioch Township is now tax exempt reducing the tax base which supports our schools, village and township services. In the last few years, village, township, county and state agencies have purchased Antioch Township land at a price equivalent to 18% of Antioch township tax base. This means that even if all tax levies were frozen, the Antioch property taxpayer per dollar payment increased to $1.18. Concurrently, funds are not being allocated to improve the Antioch taxpayers quality of life. Lake County Forest Preserve has less than 2% of their ten year budget allocated to improvement projects for land purchased within Antioch Township. 2) Fiscal responsibility and soundness is critical I will maintain a balanced budget, evaluate programs for effectiveness, and assess the needs of the township.3) Communication, accessibility and transparency are critical. Township finances and plans should be current and easily available. Changes impacting our residents and businesses should be shared.What should be the primary responsibility of township government?The role of townships vary within Illinois depending on the needs of their community. Antioch township office maintains roads and bridges, provides property assessments and provides services and allocates funds for general assistance. I believe that the township should also act as a liaison to other government agencies to advocate for their residents economic well being. Additionally we should be ambassadors who promote the benefits of living and doing business in our beautiful township.In the 21st Century, with municipalities gobbling up vacant land, why are townships needed? Should they be serving a new role? If so, what?Antioch Township retains a rural existence with less than 1000 residents per mile with a large percent unincorporated. As such, it is critical to have government representation for our unique concerns. However, I would support merging the township with a municipality if ever the municipality could effectively represent the residents plus provide more economical and better services.Are there any township offices that should be eliminated or consolidated?I plan to evaluate the efficiency and cost benefit of the programs administered by Antioch Township. To date, I have found that Antioch Township spends the lowest cost per mile maintaining 83 miles of roads and bridges, as compared to the county and to the seventeen other Lake County townships. However, the salary per person is ranked the third highest, which I intend to evaluate.Can you identify some township expenses/programs that could be trimmed or eliminated to reduce the tax burden?I will use my corporate experience where I have led large teams of people (over 200) and managed a $15M budget. I will leverage these business skills using fiscal conservative values. I have strong analytic skills which will enable fact based decision making. As such, I will be looking at the current programs and assess the effectiveness and need, look for waste or duplication of services, search for grant opportunities, pursue partnering with other agencies evaluate costs and benefits, and assess the risks to determine liability and adequate insurance coverage.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Antioch Township contains unique and extraordinarily beautiful natural resources not found elsewhere in Lake County. We have a downtown which has retained its vintage charm. Our property values are not reflective of these assets causing the property taxes to become unaffordable. It has become a vicious circle. I want to make living and doing business in Antioch affordable and promote its desirability.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Even though I am not Catholic, Pope Francis is my inspiration. He dares to go against bureaucrats in his passion to help the forgotten.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Work hard, be kind, enjoy life and believe in yourself. Never stop learning. Listen before acting.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I have had a fulfilling life although I wish I my career allowed me more free time with my family and helping others.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math taught me logic and the ability to solve complex problems by breaking them down into the basics.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be honest. Help others. Surround yourself with true friends and choose a career that makes you happy to go to work.