Thomas Gibbons: 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: ElginWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Kane County board District 19 Age: 52Family: Married to my best friend for 27 years with one 24 year old son, a graduate of Larkin High School.Occupation: Stationary Engineer for 33 yrs.Education: Associate in Applied Science from Harper College.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers The county commissioned a study to determine which services are mandated and which are not in preparation for a deeper budget cut. Do you believe the county must continue to reduce costs? If so, which non-mandated services would you cut or reduce? Under what circumstances would you support a tax increase?I do not want to see a tax increase. Instead I'd like to work with the budget we have and see if we can cut any across the board spending.The mandated services study said the law will require a reduction in the number of board seats as the county's population grows. Reducing the number of seats might also save money. What is the right number of board seats? How soon should the reduction occur?I am ok with cutting seats in gradual increments. Six seats may have to eliminated over the next twelve years.Do you support adding a sunset clause to any toll created to fund the Longmeadow Parkway?Yes, once the bridge debt is covered there should be no reason for the toll.Was ending the county's GPS and electronic monitoring program the right decision? If not, how would you restore the program?Ending the monitoring program was a short sided solution. The money saved from the GPS monitoring program will cause more funds from the county jail budget to be spent. I believe the program should be restored, but used sparingly for high risk offenders.Do you support keeping the Aurora Election Commission?This is for the citizens of Aurora to decide. I they wish to abolish it, I think the county can step in and run it like they do for the rest of the county.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Spending the money the county has wisely and not raising taxes.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Joe BidenWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?The importance of hard work and diligence for the task at hand.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I'd keep my car from high school, but other than that I wouldn't change anything. I am concerned with what lies ahead, not behind me.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject was Mechanical Drafting. It helped in my career with reading blueprints and with following projects through to the end.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?The same as my father gave me, to work hard and stay focused with what you're working on.