Greg Schwarze: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Greg Schwarze

City: Carol Stream

Office sought: Village Trustee

Age: 53

Family: Married to Julia, Daughters McKenzie (23), Lauren (22); Stepdaughters Rachel (21), Erika (19)

Occupation: Carol Stream firefighter/paramedic & Carol Stream Fire District public education coordinator

Education: BS/Psychology from Illinois State University

Civic involvement: Carol Stream village trustee since 2007; various involvement past/present include: Rotary Club, Chamber Of Commerce, Character Counts Coalition, CS Seniors team, youth softball coach, youth basketball coach, Sunday school teacher, church council.

Previous elected offices held: Carol Stream Village trustee 2007-2019; Bloomingdale precinct committeeman 2009- 2013; Wayne Township Precinct committeeman - 2016-present (appointed); Carol Stream Professional Firefighters Association executive board 2004-2007, 2012-present

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Yes - since 2007 (3-terms)

Website:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Greg-Schwarze-Carol-Stream-Village-Trustee-108506806767519/

Twitter:

Issue questions

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

The most important issue facing our community is continuing to provide the excellent services (police, street, water) and quality infrastructure our residents have come to expect despite not having a secure funding source. With Carol Stream being one of the few Illinois towns without a municipal property tax, the majority of our revenue comes from sales tax. Our elected officials and staff have done an amazing job over the past 12 years continuing to provide excellent services to our residents despite economic hurdles, which include the Great Recession of 2008, the state of Illinois withholding (and eventually cutting a portion) of our shared income tax in 2014, and local top sales tax producers moving their accounting offices to other communities. Despite all of this, we have no debt, and we have never had to lay anyone off. I will seek incentives to encourage businesses to relocate here, and I will continue preaching that residents "shop in Carol Stream" (which has been my slogan since my very first board meeting in 2007). The more gas, food, autos, appliances, etc. purchased in Carol Stream, the more revenue we have to provide the excellent services our residents have come to expect.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

Experience! So much has been accomplished during my 12 years as Trustee. The Armstrong Park Flood project, many environmental initiatives, and remodeling of Village Hall (without borrowing any money) are just a few examples. I'm most proud of the financial accomplishments made during my time in office. In the history of Carol Stream, no elected board has had more struggles financially than we've had during the past 12 years. But through hard work, we were able to combat financial hurdles without enacting a village property tax or sacrificing the basic services provided to our citizens. I believe the experience gained during these tough economic times, will give me an advantage in dealing with the economic decisions facing us over the next 4 years. On a more personal note ... I truly care about the people of our community. As a Firefighter and Paramedic, and as the Fire District's Public Education Coordinator, I have a very real understanding of the people who live here. Whether being invited into homes or businesses to teach fire safety or CPR, or responding during terrible emergency situations, I've had opportunities to see and hear concerns from all walks of life in our community.

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 describe my leadership style as strong, fair, but also empathetic. The ability of leaders to understand, relate to and be sensitive to the thoughts and concerns of our residents is an underrated skill. It is important to realize not every decision is black and white. Every decision made will impact somebody. Part of the strength of this type of leadership is not only listening to the vocal minority, but also understanding impacts on the silent majority. When issues do arise, I do my best to research how they will affect our community and the people living here. I believe my style of leadership has been successful over the past 12 years. During this time, my fellow Board Members and I have not always agreed, but our mutual respect allows us to get good 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?

(See question 1 above). First of all, our budget has always been in solid shape due to the fact that we pay as we go; we don't borrow or overspend. But because Carol Stream has no Village property tax, it is a double-edged sword. The majority of our revenue comes from sales tax, so during tough economic times, people aren't buying as much, thus our budget tends to be fluid throughout the year. Our finance department has to constantly monitor sales tax projections to be sure we continue to stay within our means. Because of this, for the past 12 years, I've been preaching every chance I get to encourage our residents to "Shop in Carol Stream". As long as we continue to spend within our means, we should be able to continue providing the best Police services and Public Works services in DuPage County.

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

We need to focus again on our senior population. With multiple independent and assisted living facilities already in Carol Stream and with the possibility of more coming, it is a population that continues to grow. As a Firefighter/Paramedic, I see firsthand the issues seniors face on a daily basis. The Village, Fire District, Police Social Services, Park District, and local businesses and pharmacies, along with leaders in our senior community, used to meet as a group to discuss and promote senior issues. And while each of these groups continues to work with our senior community, we have gotten away from the collaborative effort that I feel is so valuable for our older population. I will push for re-creating a community wide "Seniors Team" to advocate for this important segment of our community.