Martin O'Connell: 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: BensenvilleWebsite: http://www.changedbensenville.comOffice sought: Bensenville Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 44Family: Married to Sandee and have two childred, an 8th grade son named Martin and a 7th grade daughter named Margaret.Occupation: Systems Engineer at WalgreensEducation: Bachelor of Science in Commerce from DePaul UniversityCivic involvement: I have been involved with the Bensenville Boys and Girls Athletic Association (BBAA) for the last 9 years where I started as a coach. I have run the baseball and softball program for the last 6 years am also the organization's treasurer. I recently received an award from the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) recognizing my commitment to the youth of our community.Elected offices held: Village Trustee 2009 - PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The biggest issue for me will always be the financial shape of the Village. Bensenville was in financial disarray when I (we) took office in 2009. We were almost 80 million dollars in debt, we had no cash reserves, cash was being transferred from one fund to another without any accountability, bills were not being paid, and our pension obligations were not being funded. Our financial nightmare and the uncertainty over the airport kept us from taking care of our village. Today, our budgets are balanced, our cash reserves actually have cash in them, and we have a positive 4 million dollar general fund which is a 10 million dollar turnaround from our 6 million dollar deficit in 2009. This was accomplished with the direction of the board to bring in skilled and experienced professionals to manage the Village. We utilized best practices and we encouraged excellence in our staff. We won numerous accounting awards and were able to raise our bond rating to A+ positive which allowed us to restructure debt at lower interest rates and save our taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.Key Issue 2 Bensenville is at a critical point in time now that the O?hare modernization project is in full swing. The completion of the Elgin O?Hare expressway and thering road? are going to really open the doors to Bensenville. The current board has been working hard to formulate a strategic plan for the Village that will not only improve our Village for the next 5 years but will solidify Bensenville for the next 25 years and make our town a great place for families to live and businesses to operate. Our strategic plan will only be made possible if we continue to work with the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and all of municipal neighbors in the region.Key Issue 3 Bensenville is in dire need of infrastructure improvements as our water treatment facility is in serious need of an overhaul, our police station is antiquated, and our water distribution system is aged and in need of constant repair. We are in the process of addressing the police station and the water treatment facility but these are only the first of many capital improvement projects that our Village needs to initiate. Our focus is the future!Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I consider myself to be the best candidate for the job because my heart and mind are in the right place. I do not see myself as a politician or avillage big shot? but simply a community volunteer trying to make a difference. Being a systems engineer at my day job, it is my occupation to solve problems and make things work. I believe that I offer a great combination of passion andknow how? that serves the residents of Bensenville well.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 a non home rule municipality, we really have little control concerning the taxing of local businesses. Our sales tax rates seem to bejust right? as our sales tax revenue has increased every year over the last four years which has allowed us to save our taxpayers and our businesses money by not passing on the City of Chicago and DuPage County water rate increases and has allowed us to spend more on capital improvements.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.Our crime rates have gone down every year since we have taken office in 2009. Our neighborhood watch groups have increased from one group of 7 members in 2009 to 55 groups with over 400 members today. We have also been able to put more police officers on the street and equip our officers with the equipment that they need with cost saving measures such as the consolidated emergency dispatch center.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?We have trimmed over 10 percent of our administrative staff since taking office and have hired qualified professionals to do the job but at a much higher level which has resulted in huge savings for the village. Our bond rating increase alone will save the Village almost 2 million dollars over the next ten years. We have also made the decision to contract out many of the village services which has resulted in huge savings for our taxpayers and has allowed us to increase other areas of the budget, most notably, capital improvements.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The best way to keep improving the community is to get more community members involved. Whether this is as a coach on our baseball or soccer fields, serving on a village committee, or working with the local food pantry, the key is to increase the number of people serving the community. I believe that we have done a great job engaging our residents with our community survey, our scheduled neighborhood conversations (town halls), and our open houses but we can always do more. I have been looking for more ways to reach out to the community and came across another city that schedules monthly informal meetings where residents and businesses are invited to come and ask questions or air their grievances. We could schedule these meetings away from village hall at one our local restaurants or banquet halls to make it more inviting and less intimidating for our residents.