Jody Remakel: 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:BioQA Bio City: HampshireWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Hampshire Township Supervisor (4-year Term)Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married, 2 ChildrenOccupation: Mom, Hampshire Township Clerk, and Hampshire Fire Protection District - Bookkeeper,Education: B.S. Finance, Northern Illinois UniversityCivic involvement: Member V.F.W.,Hampshire Middle School Parent Volunteer Club - President, Boy Scout Troop 22 - Treasurer,Elected offices held: Hampshire Township Clerk - CurrentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions Answers Name the three most important goals or objectives this board should tackle in the coming term. Prioritize them, and briefly discuss why you believe each to be critical, and how the board should go about addressing them.I believe Hampshire Township's 3 most important goals, should be to: 1) Our community was lacking a gathering place for the residents. The Township recently built an Administration building that includes a wonderful community room. One of our primary goals should be to get the word out to the people and let them know that building is available for their use. I would also like to expand our Senior programs to take advantage of the space we have and get more Seniors from the community involved. 2) Increase community involvement. Many residents confuse Township Government with the Village. The Township currently does a wonderful job of taking care of the Township Roads and servicing some of the Senior's in the community. However, the residents that do not participate in the Senior programs or live outside the Village, really do not benefit from our services. One of our goals should be to educate them on some services that we can provide for them and listen to them to make sure we are providing services that are helpful to them. 3) Review and update our record keeping. I have been working with a Trustee the past couple of years to convert our financial record keeping to an accounting system. With my education and background in governmental accounting I feel we can continue to expand that program and streamline the processes.In the 21st Century, with municipalities gobbling up vacant land, why are townships needed? Should they be serving a new role? If so, what?Township Government is important because it is the Government that is closest to the residents and can service them the best. There is still a sense of community pride within our Officials and Employees. As with most smaller organizations, you can provide better service because you are not burdened with the larger overhead that is incurred in larger Businesses and Governments.What should be the primary responsibility of township government?Hampshire Township's statutory responsiblity is to provide Road Service, Assessments and General Assistance for our residence in need within the Township. In addition, Hampshire Township also provides service for our Seniors.In these hard economic times, can you identify some township expenses/programs that could be trimmed or eliminated to reduce the tax burden?Hampshire Township currently runs a very lean, conservative budget, as most Township's do. If elected, my hope is to make the programs that we have more efficient and assessible to more of the tax payers in our community.What specific background or experience do you bring that makes you the best qualified candidate to serve as an elected official in the township?The Township Supervisor's primary job is the Treasurer of the Township and Road District. My education is in Finance. Furthermore, Township and Fire Districts are very similar in their statutory requirements. As the Bookkeeper for the Hampshire Fire Protection District, I am currently responsible for the financial reporting, the preparation of the Levy, and Budget and Appropriations Ordinances, which are all requirements of the Township as well. I am currently the Township Clerk and have familiarized myself these past 5 years with the processes and procedures that are currently in place with the Township.