Mary Papantos: Candidate Profile

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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: WheelingWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Wheeling Village Board Age: 60Family: Son: Matthew Papantos Daughter: Katherine Papantos-KolnikOccupation: Candidate did not respond.Education: BS in Biology MBA with emphasis on ManagementCivic involvement: Secretary/Treasurer of Wheeling Pavilion Senior Foundation (WPSF) Member of Citizens Against Runway Expansion at Chicago Executive Airport (CEA CARE)Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I review all issues in the Village of Wheeling and communicate and listen to fellow residents to determine their opinions regarding any upcoming expenditures, new ordinances or new developments. I am adamantly opposed to any expansion of runways at Chicago Executive Airport. I don't want to see TIF dollars used to displace homeowners around the airport. I am a fiscal conservative and want to make sure that tax dollars are spent for the good of the community overall. I don't believe that just because someone is an incumbent it makes him or her the best candidate. I grew up in this community and chose to raise my children here. I have watched Wheeling grow over the years and want to see that growth continue without infringing on the rights and amenities that current and future residents have. I believe it is more important to fill vacant property than it is to build new, I don't feel the Village should be a real estate developer. Currently, Wheeling owns land parcels on Milwaukee Avenue for development. Doesn't this put the Village in competition for tenants/builders with current land/building owners?What is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales and property taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Wheeling sits right on the border of Lake County (in fact a small portion of Wheeling is in Lake County) so we have to compete with lower county sales tax "just down the road". Our current sales tax rate (9%) is competitive with other Cook County municipalities, however it is higher than some Lake County municipalities. I would be against any increase in the current rate, however I would not suggest lowering the rate at this time. The 2015 tax levy for Wheeling went up 10.5% from 2014. This increase is due to lower increases in previous years that were compensated for by not fully contributing to all funds such as CERF. Like most taxpayers, I would have preferred to not have such a large increase, but we need to get back on track so as not to deplete the General Fund reserves below 25%. The Board needs to look at a 5 year plan to determine a level of increases that will meet expected needs without causing hardship for residents and businesses. We also have to be careful to hold various fees and taxes (water rates, utility taxes, phone taxes, food and drink taxes) to a reasonable level.Rate the efficiency of your town's police and fire coverage. Are the departments well prepared for the next decade? What, if anything, should be changed? Do you have specific public safety concerns?Luckily I have never had the need for emergency response from fire/paramedic or police so it is hard to rate their efficiency from a personal viewpoint. From reports delivered at VOW meetings I know the police department is operating 6 officers below suggested staffing levels yet I have not heard reports of lack of necessary police coverage due to this shortage. This means to me that the department must be operating at a high rate of efficiency. As the Village grows it is important that these safety departments grow proportionately. I believe all Village departments are well prepared for the next decade. Wheeling is currently in the process of replacing two fire trucks and is systematically replacing police vehicles. These vehicles are replaced using CERF funds which prevents large, unexpected expenditures from the General Fund. Public Safety concerns I have include flooding and lack of pedestrian crosswalks. Flood prevention can only be partially addressed by Wheeling, as surrounding municipalities (especially those to the north) continue to build, there is a greater potential for flooding as less permeable land is available to handle rain water. I would not endorse any reduction in required compensatory storage for new building. The Village board has addressed the issue of lack of pedestrian crosswalks across major Village roads (especially Dundee and Milwaukee) yet little progress has been made. I think it is time to think outside the box and see if there are alternative solutions available. Contact with state agencies has yielded little success.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The Wheeling Village Board voted to spend $114,475 to join the Chicago North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau (CNSCVB). There was no discussion regarding how the VOW will measure the success of enrollment in this agency or how much additional revenue is expected to be generated due to joining the CNSCVB. Yearly dues after the initial enrollment is expected to be $81,075. I question if this is the best way to spend tax dollars. What businesses will benefit from this? The background information indicates that the Westin Hotel brought this to the attention of the Economic Development Department. How many additional rooms must be booked or conventions/events scheduled before Wheeling sees a Return on Investment? Conversely, the Board rejected the establishment of the Crime Free Multi Housing Program. This program would make the VOW safer for all residents and visitors. Success of the program could be measured by analyzing police calls to Multi Housing areas before and after program start-up. I think this program would have been a better use of Village funds.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Currently Chicago Executive Airport generates very little revenue for the VOW. I would like to see landing fees for itinerant traffic. (Fees would have to be equally shared by the Village of Wheeling and the city of Prospect Heights, co-owners of Chicago Executive Airport.) I would also like to see curfews at the airport. Unless an emergency can be proved, fines should be levied against any pilot landing or taking off during curfew hours. This would provide a better quality of life for airport neighbors.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Listening to the residents. Recently (October, 2014) a request was made to put an advisory referendum on the April 7, 2015 ballot to determine if Wheeling residents want to expand (or construct new) any runway to 7000 feet at Chicago Executive Airport. This request has been ignored by current Village officials. The VOW board needs to listen to residents. Wheeling must continue to do everything possible to curtail flooding in our Village. Reducing the amount of required compensatory storage is risky. Just because other municipalities have less stringent requirements is not a reason to change our standards. I think it is very important to work with the other taxing bodies in Wheeling. The recent restructuring of two TIFs in the Village caused many hard feelings and probably large legal fees for all the taxing bodies, not to mention delays in development plans in Wheeling. Wheeling residents deserve to know that all the taxing bodies we pay taxes to are working together to make our town the best that it can be. I believe in complete transparency from our elected officials. Wheeling made a good start 5 years ago when agenda packets were posted online prior to Village meetings, I wish the packets were more complete.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis. This man has reached millions of Catholics across the world and is starting to change the old-world views of the Catholic church.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Treat others how you want to be treated. Be honest and work hard, there is no such thing as a free lunch.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Nothing. I haven't always been happy with all my decisions, I learn from them and use any mistakes to change my behavior in the future.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Both Math and History. Math gives a definitive answer to a problem and History lets us see how the past has shaped the present.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Follow your dreams and don't let anything stop you. My children are 33 years old and always make me proud.