Gregory Pike: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Gregory Pike

City: Buffalo Grove

Office sought: Village of Buffalo Grove Trustee

Age (on election day): 44

Family: Married and have three children who attend Pritchett (twins in Kindergarten) and one in Meridian (Pre-k)

Occupation: Banker. Covering Commercial Banking and Institutional Markets (includes municipalities)

Education: Miami University - B.S. and DePaul University - MBA

Civic involvement: Accion Chicago - Current Chair for both the Board and Executive Committee. Formally Vice Chair of Board and Chaired the Portfolio Review and Lending Committees. Board Member since 2008. Prior Civic involvements include CPS Real Men Read, CPS Principal for a Day, Chase Saturday Scholars (preparing Chicago intercity kids for college).

Previous elected offices held: None (assuming it is publicly elected office)

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? No

Website: pikefortrustee.com

Facebook: Gregory Pike for Village of Buffalo Grove Trustee

Twitter: N/A

Issue questions

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

Buffalo Grove is in need of a Village Trustee who brings a new voice, has a business background, listens to all sides of an issue and can make difficult decisions. I have worked with hundreds of businesses and municipalities across the Midwest to provide financial solutions. We have excellent schools and parks. It's time we make Buffalo Grove and exceptional Village through economic development and reduced tax burdens. As I see it, our community is in need of the following improvements:

•Reduced property tax burden on households and businesses through economic development.

•Cutting wasteful spending and excess regulations out of Village government.

•Development of a "new downtown" that includes retail, restaurants and green space/parks.

•Long-term infrastructure plan.

•Financial leadership and fresh ideas at the Trustee level.

•Improve diversity outreach within the community.

I have worked with hundreds of businesses and municipalities across the Midwest to provide financial solutions. We have excellent schools and parks. It's time we make Buffalo Grove an exceptional Village through economic development and reduced tax burdens. I offer a new voice, business background, and the ability to make difficult decisions.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I'm a proven leader with a fresh perspective, new voice, and personal drive to help make Buffalo Grove an exceptional village. Additionally, I have the following attributes:

•Understanding on how to promote economic development while reducing the tax burden on existing property owners and businesses.

•Experience working with numerous municipalities to finance complex projects.

•History in finding financial solutions to enable building expansions and physical relocations for small to publicly traded businesses

•Ability to thoroughly review Village financial operations, identify "real costs" tied to projects and look for ways reduce regulations.

•Great listener

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

My finance background and experience with advising businesses and municipalities will enable me to be an effective Village of Buffalo Grove Trustee. I'm a great listener. I seek out diverse perspectives and make difficult decisions

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?

The Village Manager and his team have done an excellent job cutting expenses and streamlining Village operations. This is difficult as we have a Village Board that isn't decisive and doesn't fully understand the importance of "real" economic development, and the needs for a long-term infrastructure plan. It is important that we retain the outstanding services we already provide for children, senior citizens and diversity outreach. In addition, the following actions should be taken:

•Pass a plan to begin development on a "new downtown" that includes retail, restaurants and green space/parks.

•Pass a long-term infrastructure plan. In the last few budgets have not allocated enough funding for aging/outdated buildings, roads, and water lines. Projects have been put on hold due to the outcome of the Lake Cook Corridor plan. We cannot keep kicking the can down the road.

•Bringing more businesses into Buffalo Grove in order reduce the tax burden on existing property owners and business.

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

Diversity outreach. As a community we need to do a better job reaching out and actually engaging the various cultures within Buffalo Grove. Right now the composition of the Board, committees and Village sponsored programs are not represented by cultures such as Asian, Indian or Hispanic. These groups need to play an active role in developing the new downtown.