Thomas Anderson: 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: Fox River GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Fox River Grove Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 58Family: Married to Laura Rae - 30 years, three children one son, Ray daughter,Katie daughter, MargaretOccupation: Assistant Vice President, Fleet Operations, American Steamship Company, Buffalo, NY, 1985 to present.Education: BS '79- Nautical Science, Maine Maritime Academy Certified Safety Professional, CSP, 1987Civic involvement: Fire Service, 20 years, 11 years Fox River Grove FPD including Lieutenant, safety officer - retired Nov. 2012; Member, Fox River Grove Zoning Board of Appeals; Desert Storm Veteran US Coast Guard veteran Coached Little League baseball soccer (Elma, NY) Volunteer VA Hospital (Buffalo, NY) Volunteer City Mission (Buffalo, NY)Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Responsible budgeting and planning for the future needs of the village.Key Issue 2 Retain recruit business, the village's business base. Find out what the village needs to do to retain the businesses we have and attract new businesses. Find out what other towns are doing and learn from the success stories.Key Issue 3 Reliable village services. Examine how services are delivered with an eye to what is the best practice for a village the size of FRG.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?After serving the community as a volunteer firefighter I am ready to continue serving as a village trustee. My experience on the zoning board qualifies me on zoning issues and has given me a good base in terms of workings of the village government as well. I bring a very strong operations background to the table from my 29 years in the shipping industry. My operating philosophy is to build consensus when working on problems and that is my intention when working with a diverse group of trustees and with the village president. Further to that, I strongly believe all residents should feel welcome at board meetings and comfortable in making their opinions known to the board.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 present sales is about right.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.I have not heard much in terms of public safety concerns. We have excellent fire police services. That said, the current approach to winter parking rules and other parking issues seems a bit odd and I do hear a lot of buzz about that.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 current budget seems pretty tight and I am not sure if there are any areas that can be trimmed to a significant degree. Perhaps there are some savings that can be gleaned from consolidation or privatization, if it makes sense. Road repair and resurfacing is an area which needs additional attention.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I would like to see some long range financial forecasting utilized in the budget process.