Paul Mulcahy: 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: Lake in the HillsWebsite: http://www.paulmulcahyprez.comOffice sought: Lake In The Hills Village President (4-year Term)Age: 61Family: Widower - Wife of 29 years - Debbie - passed away in 2011 4 grown children 5 grandchildren 1 great grandchildOccupation: Retired from US Postal Service after 38 yearsEducation: High School GraduateCivic involvement: LITH Youth Athletic Assoc. - 1995-1997 Chairman, Citizens' Airport Advisory Committee - 1995 Village Administrator Search Committee - 1995 Chairman, Planning and Zoning Commission - 2001-2007 Founder and Chairman, Summer Sunset Festival - 2001-2011Elected offices held: LITH Village Trustee - 1997-2001 and 2007-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 In the 1990's Lake in the Hills experienced rapid growth - nearly tripling in size in just a few years. With that growth came growing pains and political instability. The last decade, we have moved forward from those problems and into a period of calm and stability. There will be a new Village President this spring, and it is crucial that that person be experienced in Village Government, have established relationships with other elected and appointed officials and Village staff, and be a demonstrated leader and consensus builder.Key Issue 2 In the near future, the County will be building a Park and Ride facility in the Village, and the interchange improvemements at I-90 and Rt. 47 will be completed. Both of these will offer opportunities for commercial development for Lake in the Hills. The Village must position itself to be ready for development and to recruit and welcome new economic opportunities.Key Issue 3 Improvement of the Randall and Algonquin Roads intersection must be planned and implemented in the near future but cannot include a Continuous Flow Intersection that would remove access to Lake in the Hills businesses. The Village needs to continue to oppose the CFI while establishing a dialogue with the County to find an acceptable, workable design for the intersection improvements that will protect the best interests of the residents and businesses of Lake in the Hills.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have the experience, and the demonstrated leadership skills to keep the Village moving forward. I have been involved since 1995, have been Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission for 5 years and a Village Trustee for 10 of the last 15 years. I know where Lake in the Hills has been, where it stands today, and where it needs to go in the future.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.The sales tax rate is about right. We need to focus on economic development so that we can increase sales tax revenues without increasing sales tax rates.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.In a recent online survey of residents the most frequently mentioned public safety issue was parked cars blocking sidewalks. We issued warning tickets for a month this past fall, and then began writing citations. Very few citations were actually written - the majority of residents who recieved a warning immediately began to comply. There are some neighborhoods where the problem is more difficult to resolve than in other areas, and we are working with those residents to find solutions.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?Municipalities, like most other entities, have felt the impact of the economic downturn of the past several years. In Lake in the Hills, we have stretched capital programs over longer periods of time to reduce the annual cost, frozen some salaries, delayed some purchases, and paid off some Village debt to save on interest costs. We have also managed, through all this, to reduce the property tax levy two years in a row.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I have begun, with Trustee Russ Ruzanski, to look into the possibility of building a Veterans' Memorial in Lake in the Hills