Karen Selman: 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: Barrington HillsWebsite: http://www.save5acres.comOffice sought: Barrington Hills Village boardAge: Candidate did not respond.Family: Two adult children, two grandchildren.Occupation: Consultant- Childrens Home and Aid 1985-2009 Children#146;s Home + Aid Chicago, Illinois A private, multi-service child welfare agency Regional Vice PresidentEducation: DePauw University, B.A. English and SpeechDePaul University, MPS Civic involvement: As a Barrington Hills resident, I have participated in the restoration work of the Spring Creek Forest Preserves, and with a group of concerned and caring residents, began the organization, Friends of Spring Creek, which works to restore, preserve and protect the Cook County Forest Preserve District of the Village. I serve as Vice President of Friends of Spring Creek. I was President of The Barrington Hills Riding Club. Most recently Karen assumed the role of Village Clerk, volunteering her time to take the minutes of each Village Trustee meeting.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: Candidate did not respond.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 We need to recognize that we are dealing with a number of issues and there probably is no single #147;#1 Campaign issue,#148; but to be responsive to the question, I would say it is in preserving the 5-acre heritage of Barrington Hills. Barrington Hills is one of the most unique and precious Villages in this country, and if we lose the 5-acre heritage, we can never regain it. Closely linked is the preservation of open space within the Village. There are a number of ways to address this and we need to be open to all options, but feathering is not one of them. Feathering is a euphemism for high-density zoning, and answers no need in Barrington Hills. People come to Barrington Hills to live in close proximity to open space. They stay in Barrington Hills to enjoy the benefits both recreational and adventurous of the natural world our environment provides. 5-acre zoning is how we achieve and maintain that environment. Key Issue 2 The second priority is water. Barrington Hills is positioned atop the aquifers supplying water resources for a large part of the BACOG area and the surrounding areas. Algonquin, Dundee/East Dundee, Carpentersville, Fox River Grove, and the green spaces in Hoffman Estates. (Hoffman is now on lake water).We also accept the storm water from all these places. This is a huge responsibility and requires close attention. Surrounding communities have experienced their wells running dry. The recharge area within the Village is critical to the health of the entire BACOG area, and must be fiercely protected. Essential to this protection is maintaining low-density development within the Village, advocating with surrounding communities to minimize the impact to the aquifer, and actively participating in the BACOG organization to engage others in this effort. The Forest Preserves make up forty two percent of the land mass within the Village and are an important part of the ecosystem service contributing to the Village#146;s clean water supply by providing continuous recharge and absorptive capacity. I#146;m a committed advocate for the conservation work going on in Spring Creek Forest Preserves, which is dedicated to restoring and preserving the wetlands and grasslands of this special place. I well understand the value of this protected open space and its contribution to our way of life in the Village.Key Issue 3 The third priority for me is preserving the equestrian way of life within the Village. The Village, for many, many, years has been focused on equestrian. Many residents moved here for that very reason because there is no other Village quite like Barrington Hills with space for their horses and the equestrian trail system, which links Village properties and preserves the community#146;s heritage of riding from neighbor to neighbor. Other homeowners, many of whom don#146;t have horses, just like seeing the horses going down the road and crossing their properties, in their eyes a scene of rural, quiet, peaceful existence. Yet, at the same time, we have many new residents who have no interest in horses. That#146;s fine, and we need to respect that, but we also need to respect the lifelong needs of many residents and why they moved to Barrington Hills in the first place. It is a matter of balance, and I believe working together, we can achieve that balance. Barrington Hills is an equestrian community, not a residential community with some horses, and it works to protect the rights of both equestrian and non-equestrian landowners.Questions Answers Describe your personal position on the outdoor lighting ordinance.The lighting ordinance has been a difficult challenge for the Village. As the Village Clerk, I was able to watch the entire process. Both sides have had strong points of view. The ordinance is now history. What we need to do going forward is to address any particular circumstances. Ideally, the best solution is for neighbors to talk to neighbors and address individual issues. But from a total village standpoint we have a process. We have a ZBA where specific issues can be brought for resolution. At this point in time, it really serves no purpose to #147;take a position#148; on this matter because it has been settled. We need to all work together as we move forwardGenerally speaking, do you see the village of Barrington Hills as the product of strong regulation or as a bastion of individual property rights? Should the practices of the past be changed or maintained?Quite frankly, I am not an advocate of #147;strong regulation,#148; however, without strong zoning ordinances, we lose our real estate #147; nitch#148; and potentially look like Houston. Relative to individual property rights, I believe that these #147;rights#148; need to be balanced with the needs of the neighbors. I don#146;t believe anyone would want a neighbor erecting a 7-Eleven or anything that was not in the character of the Village on the property line and close to a neighbor#146;s home. We need to recognize that for the most part an individual homeowner does not live on a 200 acre farm, but rather lives in close proximity to another homeowner. Relative to #147;practices of the past#148;, it is not clear what this specifically refers to, however, I#146;m the Village Clerk and have seen firsthand the challenges and processes used by the Village administration to manage the issues affecting the residents. These processes are essentially laissez- faire and don#146;t intrude on residents. Barrington Hills Village has a rich and successful history of management. If we look to the past and learn from it, it will be a good guide to the future. As we make future decisions, we will need to find #147;balance#148; and to be sensitive to surrounding homeowners.Should the village's requirement of minimum 5-acre lot sizes be maintained or should land owners have the right to divide their property as they see fit?I am 100% opposed to any breaking of 5-acre zoning, including feathering. If we allow #147;land owners to divide their property as they see fit#148;, we would have significant issues not only with adjacent land owners but with the overall character of the Village, as well as infrastructure stress. Additionally, indiscriminant property division would threaten the aquifers, open space, and the equestrian way of life, as well as the BACOG infrastructure. Families move to Barrington Hills to be in close proximity to open space - their property values depend on it.Would the village benefit from a modest amount of commercial development? Where, if anywhere, should a commercial area of the village be established?I#146;m in favor of the current Home Occupation Ordinance originally written to minimize commercial activity in the Village. We have some minor parcels that are zoned commercial, and they don#146;t contribute significantly to the Village#146;s tax base.Should equestrian uses of land within the village be further regulated?Horses were here first, and few communities in Illinois, or anywhere else in the United States have a better record for horse management than Barrington Hills. This answer relates to my earlier answer regarding regulation. I don#146;t believe in any over-regulation, and this is a perfect example. With an Equestrian Commission as part of Village Government and a Riding Club with sizeable membership overseeing the equestrian trail system, the equestrian land use has ample supervision.