Colleen Konicek Hannigan: 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: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Barrington Hills Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Michael P. Hannigan, spouse; Frank and Marimarie Konicek, Barrington Hills, parents; many siblings and nieces and nephews in the Chicagoland areaOccupation: AttorneyEducation: Bachelor of Arts, DePauw University, 1988 Juris Doctorate, John Marshall Law School, 1992Civic involvement: Citizens for Conservation Barrington Honor Ride and RunElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 We must to return to the community we all once knew - As a person who moved to Barrington Hills in 1969, I feel that we need to come together again as residents and neighbors. We cannot continue to be divided over purely political issues ostensibly created by politicians in our Village seeking to gain, or maintain a power-hold. Each and every resident of our Village is entitled to a government that treats our citizens with respect and deals with each citizen's concerns with an even-handed approach, that conducts its meetings efficiently with an eye toward serving the people it represents.Key Issue 2 Fiscal Responsibility - There are generations of families that live in Barrington Hills who desire to continue that tradition. However, the current generations are finding it more difficult to afford living in this Village. Larger scale estates which have been passed from generation to generation that offer significant opportunities to conserve the open space we pride our Village on are in jeopardy. As a Village, we need to trim or eliminate costs wherever possible without jeopardizing essential services. Maintaining our local tax levy at the same level for 4 years is just not enough in these economic times. Property values have decreased and taxes must decrease commensurate with those decreases in value.Key Issue 3 Transparency Communication - We need to strive to better inform our residents of what is actually happening in our Village government through providing everyone an open and unintimidating forum to ask Village Board members questions or provide opinions without suffering through 4 to 6 hour long Village Board meetings before being given our 3 minute maximum timeframe to address the Board.Questions Answers Is the village taking appropriate steps to maintain its uniqueness in the region, or has such uniqueness become too costly to maintain?Our minimum five-acre zoning distinguishes our community from others, and it must be protected at all costs. We need to be more considerate in future dealings, however, regarding how we can best leverage all resources available before legal action. Our current administration has lost two significant battles and deannexation from our Village boarders has resulted. Counting ourselvesfortunate? that the economy has kept development on those properties at bay is clearly not a solution for successful protection in the future. Most villages, regardless of minimum zoning, are struggling financially. Our financial issues plus the cost of maintaining our five-acre zoning are not necessarily related. Many of our current financial burdens are related to the adversarial stances taken with our neighboring communities.The village has debated various forms of regulation in recent years. Is there a general philosophy on regulation that should be applied toward all present and future concerns?Less government is always the best philosophy. Our current administration seems to go to considerable efforts to discover controversies where none exists. This is most exemplified by the failedExterior Lighting Ordinance? which was virtually unilaterally opposed by residents, and fodder for local and national press during the deliberations. Our Village can never suffer such local and national exposure of this kind again. We need to openly solicit and objectively respect our residents? thoughts and opinions regarding any future regulations. We cannot post ambiguous, sometimes vague, code changes without first informing residents of the true objective of the regulation and how it will benefit them as residents and a community. There are many means to gain a consensus for proposed regulations. Resident surveys or interactiveTown Hall? type meetings should take place before significant regulation changes, be it lighting rules orHome Occupation Amendments? affecting all residents? property rights are pursued.What is your position on the horse-boarding controversy? Explain.My family moved to Barrington Hills when I was 4. Our home came with a barn, a horse, and sheep. Over the years, my parents added another horse, a pony, a bunny, and several dogs. While we haven't owned a horse for decades, horse boarding was never seen as an issue, let alone acontroversy.? The fact that the Editor has chosen to frame this question by referring to horse boarding as acontroversy? is evidence that the longstanding practice of horse boarding in Barrington Hills has been hijacked into a political weapon used to divide neighbors. This is truly unfortunate, as in the past the presence of horses on a neighbor's property has been regarded as pleasing by most non-horse owners. The recentHome Occupation Amendment? specific to horse boarding, regardless of scale, was handled in an extremely clumsy fashion by our current Village government, and once again, garnered controversial exposure in the press for our Village. It was destined to turn horse owner against non-horse owner as a political ploy that is continued to be played out today.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?The cost of operating this Village can be reduced over time and should be looked at across the board. As a lawyer, I believe our legal fees are out of control. We've also spent a good deal of money on consultants when we have an intelligent group of individuals in this community who are likely willing and able to volunteer the same or similar services.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I propose to implement a semiannual Town Hall meeting to allow residents an opportunity to engage their village government in an open forum. The residents of this community bring a wealth of knowledge and passion to the table. It is my belief that open discourse will not only resolve many of the issues that have resulted in protracted litigation, costly FOIA requests, and squandering of village resources, but will allow our village to utilize its best assets - the wisdom and knowledge of its residents - to solve many of the challenges that will be faced by us in the years ahead. I believe neighboring communities have been listening to their residents in this manner for years. So, while this may not necessarily be an original good idea, it is one that's been ignored by our Village government.