Mike Reid: 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: HampshireWebsite: https://www.facebook.com/MRVIllageTrustee/Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MRVIllageTrustee/Office sought: Hampshire Village Board Age: 30Family: I married my wife Jenn on June 2, 2012., we welcomes our son Michael to the world on December 23, 2016. My Mom Patricia and Dad Mike Sr. are both residents in the Village of Hampshire as is my brother Bob. I also have two sisters, a brother, 3 nieces and 3 nephews that live in northern Illinois.Occupation: Technology Support SupervisorEducation: Graduated from Hampshire High School, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, SMART Technologies Certified Technician / Installer. I also have been working towards a degree in computer sciences.Civic involvement: I have tried to be as active as I can be with any and all groups or organizations in the Community. Coon Creek Days is really important to me and my family we try to volunteer to ensure that others can find enjoyment in the festival. of I am also a member of the Hampshire White Riders Snowmobile Club. I have been a big proponent of utilizing technology as a method of communication for the community, recently I have started the Hampshire Community Network on Facebook to help residents and see what is going on in our town.Elected offices held: Hampshire Village Trustee 2013 - presentQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Over the last 4 years I have really tried accomplish goals that make the community and its residents better. We had struggled with communication with our residents before I was elected. I promised to increase the communication with our residents and with other organizations that are a part of our community. I do think we are better, but still have some work to do. I make an effort to work everyone and have found that no matter what the issue is or no matter how tense the conversation gets I have always been able to not only work with person, but end the conversation pleasantly. I try to be approachable, honest, and hold true to my beliefs and promises. I look back on some of the things we have been able to accomplish in the last 4 years and realize that the only way we were able to get so much done, was because we did it together. Whenever there is an issue or opportunity I always try to put the Hampshire Community as the primary stakeholder. I really am honored to serve on your board and hope that I continue to have the honor of serving you and the community in the future.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 being in Kane county already poises us to have higher taxes than our neighboring counties. I am pleased to say that there has not been a substantial increase in taxes from the village. Any time we raise rates of services, or increase fees of any kind it causes impact to our residents. I can promise not only do I not like rate increases of any kind, but I have to pay them too. Sometimes I need to remove myself from the equation and voice my opinion as I look at the community as a whole. This past year we had to raise water rates, no one liked that myself included. I had to look at the whole picture and I saw that if we did not raise rates we would not have the money necessary to perform crucial upgrades and repairs to our water system. If something catastrophic would have happened and we could not pay for it, I would be more upset with myself because I voted because I was thinking about how the increase was affecting me and not the community.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?I have had the honor of being involved with the Police Department, the Fire Protection District, and the Kane County Emergency management office. I always knew that we had dedicated first responders, but never really understood how dedicated everyone is until I got elected. Our Police and Fire departments do not just have ordinary firewomen and firemen, or police officers, every person in either department are the heroes of our community. We are extremely to have as many talented women and men to be serving our community so selflessly for so many years. Both organizations are always working to keep us safe, and try to find innovative ways to connect with the community including things like Facebook, Nixel, and the Police Explorers Program and also try to keep response times as low as possible. Being a first responder is a thankless job 99% of the time I have noticed, I have always tried to do my part to make sure that each hero has the tools and support they need to not only do their job, but to feel that we as a community are thankful for all of their long hours and dedication.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Hampshire is a great community filled with great people, but we are still lacking the businesses that people in our keep asking for. I really believe that while we are doing a lot of good things in our community we are missing the mark as far as development goes from not only retail perspective, but from a housing perspective as well. I know the staff tries hard to help as many people as they can, often times working long hours to try to accomplish tasks that may not be a part of their job responsibilities, but do so because if they do not, it will not get done. The elected officials are not full time employees of the village and we do not currently have a Village administrator, I am a firm believer that we need someone at the helm of the village for day to day operations. This not only help the staff complete their assigned tasks, but will also help us grow our community because there will be someone at the village hall during normal business hours that can answer any questions potential businesses and/or developers may have. This person will also be able to attend meetings and functions that we currently do not because we are all part time increasing our opportunities for responsible growth and exposure.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Over the past year or so we have been taking steps to make Hampshire a Dementia Friendly community. Our community has many residents over the age of 65 that have made Hampshire the place we all know and love. Many residents besides being wonderful people have all given back to our community over the years. Whether it was serving on boards or as members of various organizations in our community, former first responders, teachers, former employees or owners of businesses in our community we owe it to them to give back to them as they have given and continue to give to us. There are several guidelines for a community to become dementia friendly some of which we have already started. Maureen McGreevy is a resident that has worked tirelessly with the Hampshire Township, Fire Protection District, and Village to raise awareness of this. Our first responders have been trained and we have even started a Bring Me Home Safe Registry. This cause is really important to me and to our community. Our next step is to get all of the leaders of our community together and discuss awareness and all try to do our part to make this goal a reality.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?We need to do a better job engaging our community, and build our brand as a village. Hampshire needs to stand out to the crowd so to speak. Our board meetings are empty unless there is some kind of rate increase or restriction to be voted on. I would love to have more community involvement in our choices and not just the unpleasant ones. I always tell people that this is our town and that I am here to work for the community, and I truly mean it. I personally am honored that I was chosen by the community to serve them. I believe there needs to be a level of professionalism that should be expected by the community and I believe that every elected official should believe the same and treat anyone that approaches, calls, emails, texts or post with respect.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.My mother Patricia, she is the head of our family and no matter what she is always there for all of us no matter what.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?I was always taught to be honest, humble, and to treat people with respect.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I lost my grandfather in 2003 and grandmother in 2005, I was at work both times, I wish I was there when they passed.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I always appreciated history. So much can be learned from the past, even if you don't necessarily agree with it.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?My son is about a month old, I want him to know how important it is to be a man of your word.