Matthew Vondra: 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: Barrington HillsWebsite: www.mattvondra.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Barrington Hills Village Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Erin, Thomas and MaryOccupation: Logistics and Business Development ConsultingEducation: BS Business Administration, EconomicsCivic involvement: Barrington Area Conservation Trust - SecretaryInt'l Union of Operating Engineers; Health and Welfare Pension Board (past)Grassroots Conservation Leadership Award - Audubon SocietyFriends of Bluff Spring Fen (Elgin, IL)In Search of a Cure - Brian D. Hancock - AutismElected offices held: Zoning Board of Appeals - Village of BartlettQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Our village is truly unique and it is my priority to continue to preserve the equestrian and open-space qualities that make our community special. Local government office requires an open-minded, hard working, and objective fiduciary to represent the interests of all residents. I pledge to listen to the concerns of all residents and groups in the Village and to consider the impacts of local government on their activities.Having operated businesses in multiple communities across the State of Illinois, I have gained a broad range of knowledge about the ways that various municipalities operate. Engaging with local area leaders, municipal representatives, and utility districts has provided me with a detailed understanding of how both rural and suburban communities deal with impacts to their residents.Additionally, my past experience on the Board of the Health and Welfare Pension Fund of the IUOE Local 150 provided me with a great experience as a fiduciary representing the interests of both businesses and organized labor. This $500mm+ fund is one of the most financially sound in the State of Illinois. It manages health benefits and pharmacy access for workers and families of thousands of operating engineers across northern Illinois. The board members are required to understand complex benefit plans, financial solutions, and managing outcomes for large groups of participants.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.As a community, Barrington Hills relies heavily on local property taxes for its operating budget. In order to continue to preserve the open space and equestrian character of our community, we need to spend our public funding wisely. I support the current administration's financial management of the Village, which has resulted in a reduction of our tax levy in three out of the past four years. We need to continue to operate the Village in a fiscally conservative manner and concentrate on operating efficiently to eliminate the need for increasing taxes. Innovative solutions like the 911 call center consolidation has allowed us to stretch budget resources further.Furthermore, I would like to see investment in drainage infrastructure added to the road maintenance plan to make spending more efficient, pavement longer lasting, and help protect the groundwater resource.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?Our current police and fire coverage is adequate and of a reasonable size for the nature of our community. The transition from in-house to a consolidated 911-call center has been a financial success story for our Village with similar response times and reduced cost to the Village.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The current administration has made budget-spending improvements that are still bearing fruit and spending levels are under control for several years running. Additional work can be done to more effectively use the resources of the Village to improve the lives of all of the residents. In the future, pension obligations will increase as a component of the spending and we need to be responsible as we plan for those expenditures moving forward. My experiences on the IUOE Local 150 Health and Welfare Pension board allow me to analyze possible future financial conditions that will affect our Village.Last year's proposal to issue pension benefit obligation bond failed to achieve a majority vote of the board, but this is the kind of innovative thinking that I want the Village to continue to pursue and put in front of the residents for their consideration.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Drainage is an issue in almost every community, but in ours it is a major concern because we have much less developed storm water management methods. As a result of our rural infrastructure (i.e. road-side ditches), more maintenance is needed to promote positive drainage off of our roadway surfaces. The advantages of this practice are improved safety of water and ice management, less potholing and failure, and improvements to the quality of water discharged to ponds and streams.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Property rights are one of the most fundamental sets of rights we have in our country and bind each community together. Proper methods of zoning, including special use, allow for the flexibility of obtaining additional entitlements to property that are desired by individual owners. Each situation can receive the proper level of scrutiny and provide any necessary protections or mitigation.Additionally, a major issue is the proposed Longmeadow Parkway Bridge and the impact to local traffic flows on IL-62 (Algonquin Road) and the local cross streets. Further study of the impacts of these traffic flows and any possible mitigation measures to allow for safe passage within our Village is necessary. We need to consider alternatives for our neighboring communities that make travel through or around Barrington Hills as efficient as possible with the minimum impact to the residents of our village.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Thomas SowellWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Wake up earlier, go to bed later, and put more in the middle.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?My grandfather and I used to spend time trail riding; I would go back and enjoy those times with him.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Economics; it helped me see the world through an objective lens and to analyze micro-markets of commodities.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Beware of camp followers.