Rezwanul Haque: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Rezwanul Haque

City: Streamwood, IL

Office sought: Village Trustee

Age (on election day): 59

Family: I have a beautiful wife, Nuzhat. She is the executive chef at our banquet hall, Lazzat Banquets, located in Streamwood. My eldest son, Sameeul, is in his final semester of law school at Chicago-Kent College of Law. My daughter, Saman, is also at Chicago-Kent College of Law as a second year law student. My youngest son, Razaul, is in his final semester at UIC and is studying Political Science and Criminology. He also plans on a career in law. Razaul is a part of the Honors College at UIC as well.

Occupation: Entrepreneur (Owner of Lazzat Banquet, Eastern Halal Food and Groceries, and East Ave. Plaza. All of which are in Streamwood)

Education: I graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a Bachelor's of Science, with a Major in Computer Science and a Minor in Accounting. I also have a degree in Civil Engineering from when I grew up in India.

Civic involvement: For the last ten years, I have been involved in voter registration efforts with communities in the Northwest Suburbs.

Previous elected offices held: Midwest Islamic Center, Treasurer from June 2016 to Present, President from June 2012 to June 2014, General Secretary from June 1998 to June 2012, Funeral Coordinator from June 1998 to Present, Chair of Fundraising Committee from 1998 to Present, Al Huda Academy from June 2006 to Present, Weekend Islamic School from June 2004 to Present, Council of Islamic Organization of Greater Chicago, Member of the House of Representatives from January 1998 to Present, Member of the Executive Board from September 2007 to September 2009

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? I am not an incumbent.

Website: N/A

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Issue questions

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

While the Village of Streamwood has made strides over the past few years, it needs to continue to make efforts to stimulate the real estate market, specifically with respect to residential real estate. I address this in further detail below, but in summary, the Village should use increased revenue to reinvest in the residential real estate market by providing incentives to purchase homes in Streamwood. Also, Streamwood is continuing to increase in diversity, with nearly 20% of the population being Hispanic and over 10% being Asian. Which such large portions of the community being of diverse ethnic backgrounds, Streamwood needs to be better about diversifying its leadership to better understand the needs of its community. My candidacy addresses those concerns. I have servedunderrepresented communities for a long time, and will continue to do so.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

While I of course live in Streamwood, I have also been doing business in Streamwood for a decade, when I began construction on my plaza near the corner of Irving Park Road and East Avenue. From there, I opened my grocery store, Eastern Halal Foods & Groceries, and banquet hall, Lazzat Banquet. Throughout my time in Streamwood, I have employed a large variety of people and have helped contribute to Streamwood's growth. I even purchased the unoccupied bank building at that same intersection and finalized a deal which brought more business back to the Village. But my involvement with this area is not strictly commercial. I have been involved in community outreach and service for most of my life. Even from my time as an adolescent in India, I would ensure that the dead, who died from Tuberculosis, received a proper burial. Now, I have helped establish a private school at the Midwest Islamic Center and helped personally fundraise millions of dollars for construction costs and community programs. I have also been on the Executive Board of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC). All of these experiences have led me to run for Village Trustee in Streamwood.

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

I have always taken a hands-on, lead by example style to leadership. Where it is appropriate, I first try to get myself involved at a grassroots level to understand the nuts and bolts of how any market, organization, or community functions. For example, a service the mosque offers the local Muslim community is preparing the body for funeral services, which involves working with a funeral home to wash the body. I am usually the person making the calls, coordinating with the family, and being present during funeral preparations to ensure the family can mourn without having to worry about the logistics of a process they are usually unprepared for. Of course, I also know when I am too far out of my element, and will seek the advice of those who understand a topic, to increase my knowledge over certain subject matter as well, such as law enforcement or emergency service policies. This style ensures that when I have suggestions for the Village, my fellow board members know I have done my due diligence in understanding the issue first, either through first hand experience or second-hand knowledge through trusted sources.

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 state of the budget is very healthy. The 2017 Comprehensive Financial Report for the Village of Streamwood, shows that the Village continues to make strides in improving the budget, both through increased revenue and effective cost cutting measures. Part of that increase has been from revenue from property taxes. However, I do think the increased revenue could be put to better use in aiding the residential real estate market and continuing to foster the growth of commercial real estate in Streamwood. While the real estate market has made improvements over the past few years, the growth can be improved to better the Village by providing incentives for purchasing a home in Streamwood. Furthermore, the Village should also increase civic engagement in municipal elections, by showing why voting at the local level matters and increasing voter participation, especially at a time where we see more and more young people interested in politics. The last municipal election had roughly 1,500 participants. For a village of over 40,000, Streamwood can and should do better. Finally, while cost cutting is a good method of trimming the budget, it should be used in conjunction with providing increased services, especially if there is increased revenue being generated by the Village. Having strong reserves is great, but having them at the expense of strengthening the future of the Village seems misguided.

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

The Village needs to examine its policies for approving changes to commercial properties. I have seen first-hand how the outdated policies of the Village led to frustrating exchanges between myself or members of my team and the Village, because the Village would ask for information ancillary to the issues at hand. For example, when I was trying to subdivide a commercial property adjacent to my banquet for the purpose of expanding a parking lot, the Village asked for documentation regarding potential future expansion projects of my banquet hall that had nothing to do with the subdivision I requested. Of course, I understand the need for proper documentation and due diligence by the Village, however these kinds of policies slow down economic growth while exploring issues and concerns that are well beyond what the Village should be looking at. While my situation was eventually resolved, it considerably delayed the sale of property to owners who were ready to use property for their business.