Dawn Abernathy: 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: MundeleinWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Dawn AbernathyOffice sought: Mundelein Village Board Age: 51Family: Mark - HusbandAkaysha - DaughterMaggie - DaughterOccupation: Trustee - Village of MundeleinEducation: BS - U of Miami,Coral Gables,FL.MAT - National Louis Univ. Skokie, ILCivic involvement: Mundelein MainstreetMundelein PrideMVH RotaryGLMV Chanber of CommerceBGL Chanber of CommerceElected offices held: Village TrusteeBoard Lake County Housing AuthorityQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?The job of trustee is about representing each and every member of the community. We have to look at the larger picture and not what is going to best serve the small, vocal few. As a trustee, we are the decision-makers, planners and dreamers for the residents. We have to be out in the public, meeting them, talking with them in order to know their needs and desires for their town.Being a trustee is my full-time job. I am at almost all community, business and educational events. I attend trade shows, conferences and I am continuing my learning about new and innovative ways communities are evolving. I was a small business owner and I can understand the struggles of the small business owner which is why I am a strong proponent for the BIG- grant program. I think it is an asset that I am able to meet with the younger generation in the classroom and the older generation at coffee's and lunches and everyone in between. It is important to know everybody's needs. I hear their struggles; celebrate their accomplishments and fight to make sure that everyone is treated equally with respect.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.While talking to residents, the number one topic is property taxes. People are being taxed out of their homes, especially the elderly and people on fixed incomes. Our property taxes in Mundelein, and the entire state of Illinois, are too high. We need to find a way to relieve the residents of this burden. One way is to increase the amount of sales tax that we collect. As a board, we have done well in being able to attract more businesses to town. In 2013 our sales tax revenue was 7.2 million, 2014 was 7.4 million, 2015 was 7.9 million and we are projected to have a little over 8 million for 2016, almost 1 million more in 4 years. We have many developments that are being presented to the board for approval. With the new retail and residential developments, I am hoping that we can relieve the residents of any further increases to their property taxes. The property taxes in Mundelein are too high. I fought the proposed increase last year and we kept the levy the same, this year, the board decided to increase the levy for property taxes. This was something that I was against.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?Public Safety is a concern of every village. Our goal is to make each and every resident feel safe and secure in their home and out in the community. I am proud of our police department, Neighborhood Scout ranked Mundelein 57th out of the 100 safest cities in the USA. Our Police Chief, Eric Gunther is one of the finest Chiefs in the State. He has taken the role of Public Safety Director and has been able to combine leadership between both the fire and police departments. In an age where people are questioning the police and their methods, I am proud to say our police are some of the finest individuals anywhere in the country. I do have some concerns about the western edge of the village. I would like to see better response times to the area of Grand Dominion and Mundelein Crossings Shopping Center. I would like to see us start planning a satellite fire station to the west. This is where there are open lands and areas that might be annexed into the village. There is already housing and retail development being proposed on Rt. 60/83 and Rt. 176. Our response time to get there is acceptable, but in the case of life saving measures, acceptable is not good enoughWhere, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Up until this year, our property taxes had remained the same. We have collected $11,850,000 for the past 4 years. I was against this last property tax increase of $700,000. This was not a necessary increase. $436,000 is going into the roads fund and the remaining $264,000 into the general fund. There are projects that are unnecessary at this time. I believe that you need to decide between needs and wants. This is a time where we have to support our needs, and if there is extra, decide on the "wants" that can be tackled. Gateway signage, monument moving is something that we should not be raising taxes to accomplish. We were given a study that to have an effective road program, we would need to spend a little over $4 million a year. This should be put in a referendum to the residents, let them make the informed decision. Most people I speak to do not want taxes raised for anything. If we needed to trim the budget, we have a vehicle replacement program. If we kept vehicles a couple years longer, we would be able to absorb the pension and healthcare increases that are affecting the budget.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I have been working to get movement on the area in town I call the "diamond in the rough" Diamond Lake waterfront. The east side of Diamond Lake is currently maintained by the park district. I would like to partner with the park district and a developer to acquire most of the land and develop the property to be a beachfront with outdoor restaurants, a boardwalk, public beach access, outdoor live music venue and make this area a destination for people all across Lake County.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?We have been working hard to fill empty storefronts, work with developers to bring more investment into Mundelein and it is starting to show. We have great momentum, and I want to see this through. With the new downtown development plan, a new TIF district and developers coming to express interest, there is a bright future for Mundelein. Our residents are some of the most devoted, invested people that any town would be proud to have as a backbone to the community. Our high school has a state-of-the-art STEM lab, we have events that bring people from all over Lake County to Mundelein and we are one of the safest cities in America. We have set the stage for growth and it is exciting to keep this going strong. The one area that is lacking is affordable senior living. Since many of our residents can't afford to pay the ever increasing property taxes, but want to stay in Mundelein, we need to have a place they can live, close to shopping and transportation. I am hoping that we are able to see this come to fruition over the next 4 years.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis has been an inspiration. He is a humble man and has chosen to forgo the luxuries of the papacy and live simply.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Honesty is the most important lesson. People need to know that your word is something they can believe and trust.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?There is nothing that I would do-over. I believe everything that we do and experience shapes us and makes us into the person we are.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject was government in high school and it later became one of my majors in college. An informed electorate is so important.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Make sure that whatever you chose to do in life it makes you happy. Do not settle for a life that makes you miserable.