Joe Gallo: 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: Rolling MeadowsWebsite: www.josephjoegallo.comTwitter: @josephjoegalloFacebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Rolling Meadows City Council Ward 4 Age: 36Family: Wife, Danielle GalloSon, Luca GalloSon, Marco GalloOccupation: Engineering ConsultantEducation: Bachelor Art - Marketing Communication Columbia College, Chicago, IlAssociates Art - Business Administration William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, IlCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?As a, 36 year old, lifelong resident born to a mother who has been a resident since before Rolling Meadows was Rolling Meadows, I am the best candidate for the job for many reasons. My most important general qualifiers are my professional expertise, educational background, and life experience. Specifically, I have a vested interest in the future desirability of this city as I want my children to live here when they reach an age in adulthood when they'll be choosing a city to make their home. Also, I've spent more than a decade managing complex and highly technical, large scale logistic operations through global supply chains in senior and executive level roles, which has provided an in depth understanding of finance, operations, relationships and accountability. Building off the intense, strategic mindset that accompanied my roles I've also been retained to solve complex issues by applying my business acumen in the philanthropic and nonprofit arena. Much of which relates closely to that of the processes within the city council. In addition, I have always appreciated politics, and wanted to engage in civil service because of the rewarding opportunity to affect change positively.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.Though taxes never go down and aside from proximity to family as a driving factor for why my wife and I chose to remain in Rolling Meadows, it was because the city offers the unique advantage that blends great resources, excellent schools and school districts in a centrally convenient location. Considering the aforementioned factors among others leaves me believing the city's tax rates are reasonable. To reiterate, Rolling Meadows has done a remarkable job offsetting some of the financial tax burden of the resident on to local business in an effective, symbiotic manner allowing taxes for both business and resident to exist at a reasonable rate.What should be done with the long-vacant Dominick's site?Recently we've seen the demolition underway of the vacant structure on the property and that is exciting! This is a step in the right direction. I have always believed the appropriate path forward was to breakdown and rebuild. The world is changing, shopping habits of consumers are changing too. We cannot expect a business entity to have the ability to slide into a facility, which was originally constructed with specific intentions and just work. This in it's nature is square peg, round hole scenario. We need to seek and accommodate/build to suit. As a community we need to solicit appropriate entities to occupy that area. From quality corporations to a familiar neighbor who wants to open a small business. Both of which require custom needs that we can only offer by providing a blank slate to begin with. As the incumbent for the Ward where that property is, it is a primary and fundamental mission of mine to listen to the community, work the city and source business representatives who are interested in developing long-term mutually beneficial agreements that complement both the needs of the business and the needs of the residents.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Let me begin by saying I need to look into the budgets more deeply before offering an applicable strategy. However, in my opinion, you can never give too much money to the schools. We need to spend more and spend responsibly in our schools in the district. I plan on looking closer at this if elected as a council member and suggest adjustments based on my findings and the opinions of other informed community members.Do you support the fire department's plan to replace Fire Station 15 with a new station to the south, and Fire Station 16 with a new station to the east?I support modernization of our city's infrastructure and all necessary corresponding services that enhance our city. Though we cannot turn back the hands of time, I have always said, if the City was seriously exploring plans to build new fire station, they should have made an effort to purchase the property where Ray's Auto once stood prior to my knowledge of Comet's buying the property. (I LOVE Comet's, by the way.) This would have enabled the current fire station on Kirchoff Rd. and Meadow Dr. to expand the existing firehouse creating access to both streets without the potential of leaving another vacant property behind. Should plans proceed to construct a new station elsewhere, the city has an obligation to the community to put a plan in place for finding occupants for the building that the firehouse will leave behind.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Admittedly, I have many opinions on what issues are important in the community I've called home for my entire life but my opinions and personal issues will always take a back seat to the issues my neighbors and the city at large want to address first. However, if you want to hear a few important issues I would like to see buzzing in the community, they are as follows: Smart city initiatives, greater use of green technologies, environmental preservation and restoration within our parks and yards, more small business recruitment in the city and many other topics as my list could go on.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Lilly LedbetterWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You have plans and life has plans for you. It's important to have patience throughout all that happens in your life.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have grown up having more self confidence as a childWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Growing up I enjoyed the physical sciences. They helped me understand very complex things that occur in the world all around us, all the time.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Pursue activities and create goals that make you happy while finding happiness through helping others