Mary Beth Canty: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Mary Beth Canty

City: Arlington Heights

Office sought: Village Trustee

Age (on election day): 38

Family: Chris (husband), two kids - ages 8 and 5

Occupation: Management Consultant

Education: Undergraduate at The College of William & Mary, law school at University of Arizona

Civic involvement: League of Women Voters (board member); PTA (board member); Our Saviour's Lutheran Church: Adult Education Committee (member) and Policy beyond Our Walls: Education and Response ("P.O.W.E.R.") (founding member); Election Protection (volunteer), Bridge the Black/White

Divide Education Task Force (committee member), Metropolis Gala Planning Committee (prior member), William & Mary Alumni Association (board member), ARISE Chicago (volunteer)

Previous elected offices held: None

Website: marybethcanty.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBCantyAHTrustee

Instagram: marybethforah

Issue questions

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

Storm water drainage, infrastructure (streets and sidewalks), and the changing nature of retail are just three of the important issues facing our community.

The rain barrels were a creative idea to engage the community in addressing the storm drainage issue

and we should continue to look for ways to keep the community involved in our solutions. We want to be sure that the solutions we find and construction we approve don't negatively impact our waterways. This will take research and creativity, including discussions

with similarly situated towns and villages, but I believe we are up to the challenge.

Keeping the retail we have and attracting new retail is going to be a challenge in the coming years,

and we should strive to keep Arlington Heights as a premier destination in the northwest suburbs. That will require us to work with the Chamber of Commerce and business owners to help understand trends in retail and how we can continue to keep our spaces filled

creatively.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I bring a different view to the Board than currently exists. I represent some of the changing demographics

in the Village; I am a biracial woman, with a young family that relies on two working parents. I am originally from the east coast, but I'm a ten-year resident, so I bring a balance of fresh ideas mixed with knowledge of the Village.

I am a proven leader, and I am willing to listen and learn.

In addition, my legal background and consulting experience allow me to see issues from different vantage points that may have been previously discounted.

I see the great Village that exists, and I also have a hope for what it will be 10 years from now. I

have never shied away from a challenge, and I am adept at listening to people carefully and finding ways to compromise.

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

I have a team-oriented leadership style.

While I have expertise in certain areas such as construction, insurance, and program management, I tend to seek counsel and

advice from a diverse group of experts when I need perspective on issues outside my knowledge-base. I think this makes for better and stronger leadership, as the team knows they are valued and respected. I think that works well in a Village Board environment because ultimately the Board relies on input from the community, staff, and other experts. We cannot operate in a vacuum, and we need to be willing to admit when we may not know all the answers.

I hope to drive an increase in community engagement both in terms of voting and in local government participation through

my leadership style.

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?

We are lucky to live in a Village that is well run financially. That said, our budget is paid primarily through property and

sales tax. To continue to provide the caliber of services we offer - first rate police and fire, library, schools, parks, programming - we need to continue to evaluate the revenue mix and look for creative opportunities to drive additional revenue. No one wants

to see an increase in property taxes, so we will need new and creative ways to attract retailers and other businesses to our area, in addition to other potential revenue streams.

I would like to see us enhance some of our digital payment systems. For example, I would like to see the ability to pay for parking electronically in our downtown garages and automated renewal and payment processes for more of our Village fees and collections.

The easier and more convenient you make such processes, the more you increase compliance and, thereby, revenue.

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

I would love to see more collaboration across the various Boards (Village board, school boards, park district, etc.).

Working together to create a common brand for Arlington Heights that each Board could then use in their own way for programming,

advertising, etc., will help show the strength of our community and provide a sense of pride to our residents. In addition, it would make it easier for visitors to identify us and associate Arlington Heights as the desired destination we all know it to be.