Mark Senak: 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: Glen EllynWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Glen Ellyn Village Board Age: 52Family: Wife: Laura Son: Alex (20) Son: Nicholas (18) Son: William (16)Occupation: AttorneyEducation: Juris Doctor - DePaul College of Law Bachlor of Arts, Psychology/English- Indiana UniversityCivic involvement: Village of Glen Ellyn Architectual Reviwe Commissiion Member PADS Volunteer President, St. Petronille Parish Council Candidate, District 41 School Board Youth Baseball, Soccer, Basketball CoachElected offices held: President, St. Petronille Parish CouncilQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I will work hard. I will come prepared. I will listen to the concerns of Village residents. I will take action to confront the challenges we face as a community. I will work cooperatively with fellow trustees and the Village staff to improve what has been accomplished by my predecessors. I will challenge people to become involved in our community, particularly the youth of our community. I will look beyond where we are to where we want to be. And, when the vote is taken, I will support the outcome with everything I have.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.For those who have the means, the current tax structure is tolerable. It allows our community to provide quality municipal services, excellent parks, and quality educational opportunities. But, we have to remain sensitive to young families who are just starting to raise a family and the senior members of our community who may be living on a fixed income. We have to be prudent in maintaining an environment where young couples are not dissuaded from choosing Glen Ellyn as the place to settle down because of escalating taxes. We have to be mindful that senior members of our community, who have lived in Glen Ellyn their entire lives, do not feel pressured to abandon their homes because of the economic forces created by the tax structure.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?From my observations, our police and fire departments operate with a high degree of efficiency. While we must remain vigilant and proactive, I believe our community is safe and our fire and police departments should be applauded for their efforts in creating and maintaining this environment. I am interested in listening to the leadership from the police and fire and departments about their future needs and concerns and how we as a community can address them. I would like us to continue building alliances with surrounding communities, DuPage County, and the state and federal government to find ways to avoid duplication of services and create a seamless system for delivering fire and police protection. I want to make sure our schools are safe and secure, and we are prepared to rapidly respond to the needs of our residents should our community experience a natural disaster or some other unforeseen event.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Every part of the budget should be scrutinized to determine whether we are getting the most value for the dollars we spend. Priorities for me will always be police, fire, and emergency medical services, infrastructure maintenance, and economic development.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Volunteerism.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Our challenges are to promote economic, educational, and technological development while preserving the charm, character, and esthetic beauty of the Village; to balance fiscal responsibility with prudent spending to maintain the Village infrastructure and provide quality municipal services to our residents; to develop a strong stable tax base and maintain assessed valuations, while reducing our debt service as a percentage of total expenditures. We can meet these challenges while protecting the environmental integrity of the Village's natural resources, supporting and encouraging development of the cultural arts, and assisting those Village residents who are in need because of age, infirmity or disability.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Mother TeresaWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To those to much is given, much is expected.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Betting my uncle, who was a White Sox fan, the 1969 Cubs would win the division.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?English Literature. It made me appreciate the beauty of imperfection.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Listen to people who have what you want.