Charles A. Rago: Candidate profile
Bio
Charles A. Rego (Charlie)
City: Lisle
Office sought: Village of Lisle Trustee
Age: 48
Family: Married with two children: my wife Jennifer and children Grace (19) and Matthew (17)
Occupation: In-house Counsel, UL LLC (part of the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. family of companies)
Education/Degrees: Masters in Business Administration (MBA); University of Notre Dame; Juris Doctor (JD), DePaul University;
Bachelor of Science, Finance, Boston College
Civic Involvement: Commissioner Lisle Planning and Zoning Commission 2007-2017; Chair Lisle Planning and Zoning Commission; Member of DPAC (Downtown Master Planning Committee) 2016-2018
Previous elected offices held: None
Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? - Not Applicable
Issue questions
* What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?
Enhance Lisle's tax base through:
• Responsible downtown redevelopment with a view toward long term viability. We need to finish the job. Create an atmosphere where developers have certainty as to how their project will be treated.
• Updating our Zoning Code and modernize our requirements for projects.
• Encouraging as a diverse business base as possible given our Village's limitations.
Address the lack of cohesiveness and working together between various taxing bodies;
• Start holding more frequent intergovernmental meetings where real issues are discussed toward an end of solutions that benefit all and a view toward the long term.
• Improve lack of overall understanding of what the Village as a taxing body controls vs. what the other taxing bodies control;
Educate the community on taxing body controls.
Continue to push out information to the population of the Village.
* What makes you the best candidate for the job?
My 10 years on Lisle PNZ gave me the training and skills needed to be on the Village Board.
My various experience for 17 years working for a company that promulgates standardization and works for a safer world. I have unique understanding of Code development and the intersection of model codes and local needs.
My combined business and legal backgrounds will bring a common sense voice focused on reaching solutions that benefit everyone within the Village of Lisle and the greater DuPage County
* 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.
Through my time on PNZ I learned the importance of listening first and developed into a very strong listener; it is key to be able to listen to a variety of viewpoints before zeroing in on a sound recommendation
I see myself as a collation builder that brings people together toward solutions that benefit the greater good of the Village
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?
From my knowledge as a citizen I believe that the Village is being managed is a responsible manner. Not being on the inside I admit I do not know what I do not know.
As a believer in lean management, I know that this is a balancing act that needs a systematic review process. The Village appears to have leaned out its staff and I think we need some time to see if this has created real savings or not. You cannot judge these moves without sufficient time to see these changes have worked.
As I stated above diversifying our tax base should be one of the Village Board's main objectives. That includes responsible development, incentivizing redevelopment that create win-win situations where both the developer and the Village have something in the game. The recent Westside Tractor deal is an example of a win-win where both parties have something at risk without selling out the large citizenry.
What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
Lisle has a Downtown Master Plan it now needs to execute it. I have not heard of anyone talk about execution. The recent boarding up of the Family Square strip mall is a clear example of the complete lack of execution by the current leadership. The Village should be pulling together the surrounding land owners and discussing a variety of options to execute a comprehensive plan to redevelop this site including all of the land East to the Center Street. I am including moving the LWFD out of downtown in the next 24 months. We must to thinking much broader and bigger than we have in the past.
This is a parcel that is central to our Village's image for the next 20-30 years. The Village cannot sit back and wait for something to happen.