Quin O'Brien: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Quin O'Brien

City: Gurnee

Office sought: Village Trustee

Age: 55

Family: Wife, we've been married 15 years. Son, lives in Idaho. Daughter and Son-in-law, live in Bloomington. Cat.

Occupation: Semiretired. REALTOR, CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist)

Education: Associate of Science, McHenry County College

Civic involvement: Volunteer leader of the Go Gurnee Walking Club (with the Gurnee Park District), Volunteer at Northern Illinois Food Bank, Volunteer at Feed My Starving Children, Volunteer at Woodland Elementary School, Member of the Gurnee Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association, Faithful attendee every Sunday at Immanuel Church in Gurnee plus we spent Christmas Day (at Immanuel) helping 53 Navy recruits from Great Lakes enjoy a Christmas while away from home.

Previous elected offices held: None

Website:

Facebook: FB.ME/QuinForGurnee

Issue questions

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

Balanced Budget: The village does not levy a property tax and roughly 85 percent of our operating revenue comes from 3 forms of taxes: Sales Tax, Amusement Park Tax, and Hotel Tax. The 3 largest contributors to this revenue are Gurnee Mills Mall, Great America, and Great Wolf Lodge. There are 2 major potential concerns looming. 1) A potential slowdown in the general economy. 2) A general trend to online shopping. While we are in great shape, a watchful eye needs to be maintained to ensure that we keep Gurnee as an entertainment & shopping destination. Safety: I continue to support the efforts of our police department. The Visitor Oriented Policing (VOP) initiative is just one fantastic example. We have a dedicated force created to ensure that the 70,000+ people visiting the Gurnee Mills, Great America, and Great Wolf feel safe and also that the residents feel safe. Growth: Tied in with the taxes and budget will be getting our vacant stores leased and attracting new businesses.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I used to own a business. I started it from scratch and then I sold it. I know what it takes to run a profitable enterprise. I personally am debt free and live a fiscally conservative life. I believe in responsible spending and saving for a rainy day. I'll bring those same values to the board. I am semiretired. I have time to devote to the board and a desire to serve.

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'm collaborative yet independent. I enjoy research and will dig to find solutions which will benefit many. I listen to all sides and respect the opinion of those speaking. I prefer to have a fuller understanding of a situation before making a decision and then I also try to consider the future ramifications of those decisions on the greater populace.

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?

Our budget is in great shape. It's balanced plus our police, fire, and municipal pensions are fully funded. We have significant reserves and the Village does not have a property tax levy. But, 85 percent of our operating revenue comes from 3 forms of taxes: Sales Tax, Amusement Park Tax, and Hotel Tax. The 3 largest contributors to this revenue are Gurnee Mills Mall, Great America, and Great Wolf Lodge. There are 2 major potential concerns looming. 1) A potential slowdown in the general economy. 2) A general trend to online shopping. While we are in great shape, a watchful eye needs to be maintained to ensure that we keep Gurnee as an entertainment & shopping destination.

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

The location of a 3rd fire station. The Village was recently awarded a $2 million SAFER grant. That grant was for the Village to hire 6 full time firefighter paramedics. The fire department now has sufficient equipment and personal to protect our village. With that extra staff, there has been cursory talk of opening a 3rd fire station. I have come up with a proposal to place that 3rd station on Milwaukee Avenue just North of Route 120 (across from the main entrance to Heather Ridge). I chose that location for several reasons. 1) It will provide quick access for rapid response to the Tollway plus anything along Milwaukee Avenue or Route 120. That means we will be able to quickly handle calls from Park City to Wildwood. That matters because there is a separate taxing district called the Warren Waukegan Fire Protection District (WWFPD.org) which exclusively uses the Gurnee Fire Department resources. The WWFPD has no equipment nor personnel of their own rather they pay a fee to Gurnee for the use of our resources. Part of my proposal is to have WWFPD share in the cost of the new station. 2) It will be a great back up location to cover overflow calls from either of the other 2 stations. 3) The infrastructure (sewer, water, electric) is either in place or close. 4) We may be able to petition the State to install a traffic light providing safe egress to the residents of Heather Ridge.