Alison Hertz: 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: Hoffman EstatesWebsite: http://www.alisonhertz.com/Office sought: Hoffman Estates Village boardAge: 40Family: My husband, Lee, and I have two children under six years old, Alex and Erin, and two dogs.Occupation: I am currently a mom who is active in the community. I am a former elementary and middle school teacher, and a summer camp director. Prior to being a teacher, I was a professional toy designer. As a toy designer, over 200 of my designs were produced and sEducation: Master of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Colorado, 2001Bachelor of Toy Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, 1995; Received Tyco Industry Award in 1995Bachelor of City Planning, University of Colorado, 1992; minor in Population SociologyCivic involvement: I have been a member of the March of Dimes Planning Committee for the Northwest March for Babies for several years.Elected offices held: None. This is my first election. I will bring outside objectivity onto the Village Board.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal Responsibility. In these difficult financial times, the board has continued to spend money on large infrastructure projects that have not been needed. One of the most recent and prominent is the new west side water tower near I-90 and Beverly Road. Originally designed to support community expansion on the west side, the estimated 200 home sub-division and shopping complex that was planned between Shoe Factory Road and I-90 never materialized. Rather than place the project on hold, the project was moved forward. The skirt alone, built around the tower, cost the tax payers $500,000. The city will now be burdened with tower and facility maintenance for decades to come.The fiscally responsible action would have been to reassess the need for the tower when developers delayed their plans to build, and either cancel or postpone its construction. The money spent for this project could have been used for road repairs throughout the Village.Key Issue 2 Increased Government Transparency. To conduct business with #147;fiscal responsibility#148; the Village needs to increase government transparency when entertaining bids from prospective vendors and awarding contracts to them. Many communities now post contract solicitations, proposals, bids, and awards online as a means to foster competition and control costs. This past year it appeared that some contracts had specifications written around a single vendor. This is akin to awarding a no-bid contract. More transparent behavior would discourage this.Key Issue 3 Public Safety. In 2010, in an effort to balance the budget, the Village proposed a reduction of both police and firefighters. As a concerned citizen, I spoke at that meeting to retain those positions. In a city with multiple retirement communities maintaining ambulance and paramedic services is essential.Questions Answers Are you satisfied with the village's progress in luring business development? Has the village's willingness to offer incentives set a bad precedent, or is that just the cost of doing business?Without passing judgment on our promotional activity, I am not a fan of tax breaks and such financial incentives to lure in new business. These were popular in the 1990#146;s in many parts of the US and have proven not to be cost effective in the long-run. Our community is safe, beautiful, educated, and diverse. We have a lot to offer without providing free infrastructure or tax breaks to prospective businesses and mortgaging our future.Assess the number of village employees: just right; too many; too few? If some departments are over- or under-staffed, which ones? What should be done? How did the village handle its latest negotiations with police, fire and public works unions?The needs of the city are dynamic in nature and ever changing. At any given time, some departments will be over, while others will be under funded and staffed. With that said; it was the proposed reduction in police and firefighting officials that the present board tried to approve at a spring 2010 meeting that solidified my decision to run for Trustee. As a concerned citizen, I proposed modifying the budget in other areas to preserve those necessary public safety positions. My opponents were either silent or favored the reduction in force. That meeting was just one example of a lack of quality decision making by the Board.Is the village doing the right thing with the Sears Centre? Evaluate the changes the board made in the past year and tell us what still needs to happen.Assuming ownership of the Sears Centre, and the 54 million dollars in debt that came with it, was a mistake that will continue to drain financial resources of the Village for years to come. In the past year, decision making has NOT improved. Sears Centre contracts have been awarded with only superficial bidding and review. If the Sears Centre is ever to be profitable for the Village, the decision making process needs to change. When large issues are at stake, consultants with true industry expertise need to be hired to review contracts and proposals and advise the Board. Large corporations function this way to improve decision making in areas outside of their expertise. How should the village develop its west side? Are the complaints that some residents living in that area feel neglected legitimate?Development should be at a pace that does not exceed economic growth of the area. Hoffman Estates needs to attract businesses that Village residents can use. I have heard many complaints about the lack of a hardware store and a need for more grocery stores. The properties on the west side that are being developed for retail would be appropriate locations for those businesses.Currently, the west side has no representation on the board. In 2010, the board approved development plans for over 200 homes in a compacted area on the west side. This was an obvious move to build up the west side with large single family homes and increase the Village tax base. To do this, while citizens from that area protested, was an example of not listening to the desires of those residents that would be most affected by the decision.The village has placed employee salaries online, but is the village doing enough to be transparent? If not, what else should be available online for public viewing?This is a broad category so I will focus on two specific issues. First, the forms to run for Village positions are not available through the Village of Hoffman Estates. This lack of availability makes it much harder for people who are not #147;insiders#148; to get into the system. Anybody who wants to run for an elected position within the Village should have easy access to the forms necessary to become a candidate. Second, the Village#146;s requests for bids, contract solicitations, and awarded contracts should be available to be viewed by residents online. An increase in transparency of these bids would increase competition among vendors, while potentially lowering Village costs.