Ekwutosi Ufodike: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Ekwutosi Ufodike

City: Hawthorn Woods

Office sought: Village Board of Trustee

Age: 43

Family: Husband and 2 daughters

Occupation: Self Employed

Education: BS Degree & MBA Degree

Civic involvement: Volunteering at Church and my Children's schools, Mentor to young women & girls, & Champion for women in business

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? N/A

Website:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tosi.ufodike

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrsufodike

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?

Hawthorn Woods population is growing fast with an annual growth rate of 2.57% in 2017. As a result, there is pressure on our schools and our roads. We must preserve the high quality of public education by working closely with our school officials and parents. We must maintain the roads and infrastructure to ensure Hawthorn Woods remains an upscale community. The lines of communication with our residents must be ongoing and transparent. Any tax increases should be voted on and approve by the community. I believe in democracy.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I am a good listener. My style is inclusive and I believe in putting the needs of our residents first. I am not a Politician. I am a Mom who loves to roll up my sleeves and get things done. Being new to the area, I bring a fresh perspective and I am not tied to how things were done in the past. My campaign is 100% self funded and I only answer to the people of Hawthorn Woods.

Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing actions and decisions with your village board or city council.

I believe everyone has a voice. I am a collaborative leader that believes in TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More. I love goal setting in a team environment and working with people to get things done.

How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services people want?

Hawthorn Woods has a balanced budget. We must continue to monitor expenditures and revenues. We must listen to the residents and ensure our budget allocations are in line with the wants and needs of our local community.

What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?

Breakfast with the Board. I love transparency and open communication. I want to hear from our residents. Breakfast with the board would be an open forum where residents could come and discuss any item of interest with the Board.