Shawn Vogel: Candidate Profile

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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: GrayslakeWebsite: http://www.electvogel.comOffice sought: Grayslake Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 38Family: SingleOccupation: EngineerEducation: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), 1996Civic involvement: Boy Scout Troop 96, Grayslake, IL Grayslake Chamber of Commerce (Volunteer) Grayslake Historical Society (Volunteer) JAYCEE's, Grayslake ChapterElected offices held: Trustee - Village of GrayslakeHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Expanding Retail Development: Market surveys conducted by the Economic Development Commission indicate that Grayslake residents want more retail choices in the town. By encouraging retail development, the Village meets the needs of its residents and provides sales tax to the Village.Key Issue 2 Diversifying the Property Tax Base: Similar to the first point, expanding retail, commercial, and industrial development increases the property tax base without impacting schools, the park district, and other taxing bodies. In addition, these types of developments provide opportunities for Grayslake residents to work within their own community.Key Issue 3 Traffic Projects and Improvements: The Village is committed to improving and maintaining our road infrastructure, including the expansion of Atkinson Road, which is part of a larger State infrastructure project and funded mostly by Federal transportation dollars. The Village also aggressively seeks grant funds to improve roads within town, such as Lake Street and Highland Road.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am experienced and engaged in the issues before the Village Board. I am a life-long resident of Grayslake, and maintain a passion for improving the community. I work with various groups and charities in the area. Also, I bring a real-world experience and examples to my governance that benefits the tax payers by providing a business focus to the issues before the Village.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.As stated in my first campaign issue, the Village needs to grow retail businesses to increase the amount of sales tax revenue to the Village. As the State continues to constrain the reimbursements to income tax and looks to shift more costs to local governments, the Village is most able to offset these reduced revenues/increased costs by increasing the amount of sales tax generators in the Village.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.The Village is consistently reviewing the allocation of police resources. The command structure of the department has been established to direct the officers' time toward certain key objectives during the course of a week, broken down into certain activities. This allows the police to work on various structured activities, thereby lowering tax payer costs, while maintaining maximum flexibility to respond to citizen needs and investigations.In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The Village of Grayslake uses its revenues to pay for certain line items first (pensions, retirement funds, road resurfacing, long-term asset replacement, etc.). Afterwards, the Village funds the general operations, and lastly, the capital program. As a result, as revenues are constrained, the Village is less able to carry out capital projects. Additionally, the Village aggressively seeks to find improved efficiencies leveraging technology and through contracting. These lower costs within the organization, allowing the Village to continue providing the services expected by the residents.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The Grayslake Heritage Center is gaining notice, and in this coming year the Center will be one of eleven museums nationally to host Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America (beginning March 23). This event will bring people from various communities to Grayslake, which is hoped to translate into return and repeat trips to the town. The costs of the exhibit have been covered by private donations with little-to-no tax payer funds.