Karen Darch: 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: BarringtonWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Barrington Village President (4-year Term)Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married -husband Doug, 6 children aged 15-27 yearsOccupation: not employed full time at this time, attorney (Illinois license)Education: B.A. College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 1977 JD University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 1980Civic involvement: St. Anne's Catholic Church-volunteer, former school PTO President and school board member. Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital Development Council member Samaritan Counseling Center of the Northwest, board member Barrington Junior Women's Club associate member, past Pres. Barrington Area Drug Prevention Coalition board member Healthier Barrington Steering Committee Barrington High School volunteerElected offices held: Barrington Village Trustee 1995-2005 Barrington Village President 2005-2013 BACOG chair 20012-20013(current) Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, Exec Board chair 2013(current) NWMC President2008-2009,Exec Bd member (current)Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The 3 issues listed for these next 3 questions may be similarly weighted in importance. 1 The need for pension reform by our state legislature-which makes all the rules for pension-of its own systems AND ESPECIALLY locally funded,paid and guaranteed public safety employee pensions as they are/will consume local gov budgetsKey Issue 2 2 Continued economic development in our Village -- Completing TIF projects which are underway to utilize the 10 years remaining in that tool and to continue to support local business (events,local merchant's group, grants where available) to achieve our goal of a more vibrant communityKey Issue 3 3 Continued effort to mitigate and minimize the impact of increased and increasing rail freight traffic through our community caused by CN's acquisition of the EJE line including grade separation mitigation , hazmat and accident prevention, awareness and response and other issues which come to light during the remaining 2 years of the Surface Transportation Board's oversight of this transactionQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Desire to serve the community--Having lived here 28 years and having 6 native Barringtonian children raised here,coupled with sweat equity in many community endeavors and witnessing the example of many before me has engendered a sense of community which makes me wish to give back and complete some important tasks. My education and experience gained over the past 8 years as Village President and prior to that as a Trustee.The lessons learned in those roles and in my regional and statewide roles are valuable in fulfilling the office.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.We have not imposed any additional local sales tax and that is fine by me. The state and county imposed sales tax(although potentially problematic when different amounts are charged on different sides of the Village) do not appear to be problematic currently.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.Village residents feel safe I believe for the most part. Issues of school safety,drug/alcohol abuse awareness or train safety are some of the topics discussed these days. Ongoing Village programs to address these--police officer in the school, emergency planning,drug enforcement/prevention programs,and continued CN/EJE related activities---receive positive feedback from the community.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 staffing has been reduced by about 20% since the economic downturn began in 2009, and the budget has thus decreased as well. Careful planning has minimized the reduction in services experienced by residents.Reform measures(public safety pension reform,prevailing wage reform) are needed at the state level to further control costs placed on local government and local revenues from the state must not be withheld from local government.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Although reflecting the good ideas of many, completion of the new downtown projects underway and preparation for our 2015 Sesquicentennial celebration will bring some new improvements to the community which will enhance its economic and cultural life and perhaps make it more of a destination for some.