Kate Duncan: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Kate Duncan

City: Barrington

Office sought: Village trustee

Age: 40

Family: Married to my husband, Lee, since 2003. We have two children who both attend school in Barrington

Occupation: A partner at Akerman LLP in Chicago and a member of my firm's land use and development practice

Education: Bachelor's Degree from Butler University and J.D. from The John Marshall Law School.

Civic involvement: Appointed to the Barrington Zoning Board of Appeals in 2013, currently serving on the Barrington Plan Commission, and I also currently serve on the Board of Directors at Atonement Lutheran Church in Barrington

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent: If yes, when were first elected? No

Website: BarringtonProud.com

Facebook: Barrington Proud

Twitter:

Issue questions

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

We must protect Barrington's heritage and enhance the residents' quality of life. Barrington is a special place and we can celebrate our village through unique and enjoyable events. As a mother of two young children, this is important to me and many families. We will continue to grow this effort, using data to invest in the most popular and successful events while exploring new experiences to replace any events that are less successful.

Additionally, we have such a vibrant downtown. Our downtown highlights the character of our village, drawing people from within our community as well as from surrounding communities. We will maintain this unique feel, ensuring we continue to bring in businesses that fit within the character of our community. As we move into the future, we will continue to seek out new exciting restaurants and business that will thrive in our village.

Lastly, we must continue the village's tradition of fiscal responsibility. This is very important to our residents. With issues of high property taxes across Barrington, we will have to keep a close eye on our finances to put our village in the best possible position.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

As a resident of Barrington for 14 years, I feel connected to this village. We have such a strong sense of community here where we care about our neighbors. From my time on the Barrington Zoning Board of Appeals and Plan Commission to being an active volunteer and member at my church in Barrington, I have come to know why families and business come to Barrington, but more importantly, why they choose to stay. I want to see my children grow up here and see them put down their roots here. I will bring my professional and community experience to the Board of Trustees to ensure all residents are heard.

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 am a thoughtful leader who researches and understands the facts first before taking any action. By being prepared and informed, I am better able to make thoughtful and thorough decisions.

I want to be able to understand the thoughts and opinions of those around me and ensure I am accurately representing their interests. I believe that being transparent allows for other people to understand my beliefs and helps them understand the issues we are facing, the choices we have, and how to handle those issues.

I am also an independent thinker which a strong leader should be. I make my decisions based on the research I have done but keep an open mind by making sure I listen to all perspectives. I will continue these traits as a Trustee to ensure that all concerns are heard and that my decisions are well informed.

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?

A source of pride within our community is the village's strong tradition of fiscal responsibility. It's been a top priority for our residents and village.

A shining example of our village's fiscal responsibility is the recent expiration of our bonds because they were paid off on time. The village did not seek to renew additional bonds and instead passed the property tax savings back to our residents and businesses. If we want our children to put their roots down here and start families of their own, we must ensure that we don't pass on unnecessary debt to them. I will continue this same sense of fiscal responsibility to ensure the taxpayers money is being used with the utmost respect and reason.

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

We need to enhance sidewalks around our neighborhood and schools to create safer walking paths for our students on their way to school and back home. For example, my neighborhood does not have a bus route so the students have to walk to school. The issue is that there are not sidewalks connecting to the school, so the children have to walk on the street which creates safety concerns. We need to ensure safety is a top priority for our students and adding in more sidewalks not only is a benefit for students, but for all residents.