Reid Foltyniewicz: 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: LombardWebsite: http://www.reidfolty.comOffice sought: Lombard Village Board District 3 (4-year Term)Age: 29Family: Wife: Rachel Two Sons: Reid Finley age- 2 1/2 and Ryder Allen age- 6 monthsOccupation: Police Officer for the Village of Oak Brook.Education: State of Illinois Certified Firearms Instructor, 2012 FIAT Swat School, 2012 Suburban Law Enforcement Academy, 2006 Drake University, 2004 Wheaton Warrenville South H.S., 2002 Glenn Westlake M.S., 1998 Manor Hill Elementary, 1995Civic involvement: Volunteering with the First Church of Lombard, Home Owners Association Liaison Officer with the Village of Oak Brook, donated to several causes including American Cancer Society, Special Olympics, AmVets, and Vietnam Veterans of America.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No, I have never been arrested or convicted of a crime.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Keeping Ken Loch G.C. open land instead of developing. A hotly contested issue in Lombard's District 3 is the proposed sale and development of the Ken Loch Golf Course. Reid maintains that developing this space into homes is both short-sighted and dangerous to the local economy. With an economy in a fragile recovery, and over 350 vacant homes in Lombard, adding more empty homes and apartments could have a debilitating effect on home values in Lombard. This area in Lombard is also prone to flooding, which development of the space will only compound. Reid promises to work for a fair solution that will protect the neighbors of the golf course, and provide a plan for the space for the future. Reid believes that with the infusion of special interest money to local politicians, the process is already unfairly ignoring the will of Lombard's people, and that new leadership is needed.Key Issue 2 Keeping the Lombard Fire Department instead of a private company. As a police officer, Reid knows that a key element to any village is strong, well trained, publicly funded emergency services. Reid vows to fight against any effort to privatize Lombard's Fire Department and ambulance services. Protecting Lombard's citizens and businesses should never be handed over to any private firm. Reid pledges to work with the village to find ways to strengthen its already strong emergency services, without selling the safety of Lombard to the highest bidder. Reid's focus is the People, not profits.Key Issue 3 Village Management The Village of Lombard goes to great lengths to hire the best and brightest administrators to manage daily operations of the village. The current leadership's micro-managing of village operations hinders Lombard's employees from doing their best work. Reid believes that village leadership must focus on larger issues with more detail, and allow our village employees the breathing room to fulfill their responsibilities. Reid asserts that a Trustee's role is to encourage Lombard's employees, not interfere with every detail of their jobs.Questions Answers Should the Ken-Loch golf links remain open space or be developed? Why?The Ken Loch G.C. should remain open space. This is my number one campaign issue.Village government in Lombard has been sharply divided and the board has been deadlocked on several key issues since Bill Mueller's death. How will you help unify the board so it can better address Lombard's needs?The lack of leadership is a problem and my number three campaign issue. We desperately need leaders on the village board. After President Mueller passed away, we clearly lost our leader and direction in the village. I will help unify the board with fresh ideas and no political ties.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.After speaking with several businesses and residents, I believe I got a feel for both sides of the issue. Although residents care about sales tax, they are more concerned with the increase in the property taxes, which were high to begin with. When it comes to the business side, I believe Lombard should be a haven for companies. From small, family owned businesses to larger operations, companies that make Lombard their home provide countless benefits to our citizens other than just goods and services. Businesses provide revenues which help keep our village working, as well as the jobs which provide work for our citizens and attract talent to our village. A village with a healthy business community is a village moving in the right direction.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.There are two public safety issues concerning Lombardians. The first issue is Ken Loch and the second issue is the push for a private Fire Department. The solution for Ken Loch is to keep it open land and prevent severe flooding which has been a problem for years. The solution regarding the Lombard F.D. is to keep an excellent service over saving a few dollars.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I would love to see an expansion to the Lilac festivities. I have always had an enjoyable experience during Lilac time, but felt like we were holding back. We need to promote Lilac time throughout DuPage County and then expand to the State of Illinois. When speaking with non-Lombardians, most people don't know we have sixteen days of events. We need to bring in must see attractions and activities which will bring in additional people into the village. I want to create an atmosphere were attendees can't wait until the next Lilac festival.