Susan George: 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: Campton HillsWebsite: http://www.Vote4CamptonHills.comOffice sought: Campton Hills Village trusteeAge: Candidate did not respond.Family: two childrenOccupation: Watershed Assistant for The Conservation Foundation Swim Instructor for Delnor Health and WellnessEducation: BBA in Marketing and Advertising, Iowa State University, 1986Civic involvement: Lazarus House meals team - Christ Community ChurchJoint Environmental Resource Management Committee Chairman - Village of Campton Hills Campton TownshipElected offices held: Campton Hills Village Trustee- currentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I will continue to ensure to residents that fiscal responsibility is paramount. My voting record clearly reflects a small government preference and a desire to exhaust all avenues to achieve goals for the community by seeking resources that were not available to us prior to becoming a village. During the past four years, I have been successful in bringing over $37K in grant funding and thousands of dollars of in-kind contributions to protect our natural resources through the development of the Village#146;s Green Infrastructure report. This report significantly improves the village#146;s planning process. Due to having completed this report I have been successful in being awarded $35K in funds to the village to complete a thorough comprehensive plan for the village through our Plan Commission. I have also voted to increase funding for the village#146;s reserve fund and to use the reserve fund before taking on additional debt. I have also voted down increasing elected official#146;s wages over the next four years.Key Issue 2 Stewardship of our natural resources continues to be a top priority and is a close second to fiscal responsibility. As trustee for the past four years, I have initiated and established the Joint Environmental Resource Management Committee (Joint ERMC), a committee of members from both the village and the township. The residents in the Campton area have routinely demonstrated their desire to continue the semi-rural heritage that brought them here. The Joint ERMC was formed to work with the village and township to aid them in improving community planning via the plan commissions and trustees of both public bodies, protect our water supply, educate our residents on environmental issues and to explore cooperative partnerships with other communities.Key Issue 3 Communication along with the education of emergency preparedness are also high priorities. With the flooding that took place three years ago as well as the earthquake of 2010, the village needs to continue to strengthen the foundation that was started by our law enforcement department. We need to better communicate with each resident how they can be best prepared for different emergencies. Also ongoing education will strengthen the village#146;s ability to act efficiently and effectively when the need arises. During the 100 year flood, we witnessed hundreds of village citizens coming together when our community and surrounding areas had a great need for assistance. It is time to build on that success. If every resident and business is prepared much can be accomplished for all.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I love serving. The number of hours I put in to being a Village Trustee and Chairman of the Joint Environmental Resource Management Committee can exhausting at times. Yet, I love it. To enjoy being an elected official and chairman you need a servant#146;s heart and I believe the public knows it when they see it. Yes, I have a degree in business from a large university. I've worked for both for-profit and non-profit businesses in both prosperous and difficult economic times. It is from these educational and professional experiences that I have been able to contribute much in a short period of time so that our area continues to be vibrant and our resources are preserved for current and future residents.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.Currently 1% of the 7% sales tax returns to the village to benefit our residents. We have worked to do everything we can to keep the budget conservative, and we have been successful. To change the sales tax, it would need to come before our residents for a vote. I would not change our local sales tax on businesses. Compared to neighboring communities, we have the lowest sales tax. I believe a lower tax structure strengthens our business community and makes our area attractive to businesses considering to locate here. We have a healthy mix of both retail and commercial businesses in the downtown Wasco area and I intend to continue to support them as Trustee and as a 12 year resident of the immediate area and a 20-year resident of the great St. Charles area.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.Thanks to our local law enforcement department, our public safety concerns are very low. The Campton Hills Police Department have done an outstanding job of servicing and communicating with residents. They have also brought thousands of grant dollars to Campton Hills to provide new technology and awareness programs which helps the village to be fiscally conservative and effective. Recently, a portion of our community has being affected by the recent changes brought on by the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District. The great part about being a village is that when issues such as this come about, we have mechanisms, such as public hearings for zoning changes, to assist residents in getting their voice heard by all parties involved.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?Our overall budget is very conservative and I support keeping it small. A key to our future revenue is our census. We are currently waiting for it to be certified. When we know our total census, we will be better positioned to plan appropriately. Like all municipalities, the state of Illinois is five months behind on returning our portion of the state income tax. Money is coming in but very slowly. The other primary areas of revenue from the state - motor fuel tax, sales tax, and local use tax - have been timely and are not of a concern. I am a big proponent of seeking as many alternate avenues of funding, including grants, and have proven to be successful in stretching our dollars over the past four years. This will continue to be a priority for me.What#146;s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I would like to bring to the forefront exploring energy conservation ideas for our residents and businesses. There is so much that can be done both on a large or small scale. Exploring Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for commercial buildings, grants for individual or collective energy initiatives as well as permitting a variety of uses of residential and commercial energy sources such as solar, geothermal and wind, while being sensitive to resident#146;s preferences, will be a few of the ideas I will be exploring and bringing forward during my next term.False13451812Susan George, running for Campton Hills Village trustee False