Asif Yusuf: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Asif Yusuf

City: Oak Brook

Office sought: Village Trustee

Age: 56

Family: married to Azra Yusuf, 31 years; 4 children Zain 29, Farah 25, Neha 23, and Ali 19

Occupation: Real estate and farming

Education: Bachelor's degree Accounting and economics, additional coursework for professional licenses

Civic Involvement: volunteer at Brook Forest School, former member of the Oak Brook Civic Association Board. Former member Oak Brook Autumnfest Committee

Previous elected offices: none

First elected 2003, served 03-07, 2011-19 seeking re-election

Issue questions

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

Most important-the biggest challenge we face is how to protect or even enhance the quality of life our residents enjoy without imposing new taxes. We have done a lot but the board has to continue to try and be innovative in finding new ways to work smarter

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I believe experience counts, I have a historical perspective that reaches back further than anyone else on the board. I believe in doing more talking than listening, and I believe in working with people rather than fighting them, I don't tell people what I think they should do, I work with them toward a vision we all believe in

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 think I covered part of it in the last answer but I would describe my leadership style as respectful and collaborative, I consider myself a team builder.

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 village budget is in decent shape each year our cash reserves have increased despite undertaking substantial improvements in our village infrastructure. We must stay vigilant and examine every cash outlay to ensure it is cost effective. It is easy to tax your way out of a problem. But to me that is a last resort, not a first choice.

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

It would be very arrogant for me to say that I have a viable idea no one else has thought of, so I won't do that. I will say I believe it is more important to be able to evaluate the ideas of others rather than it is to come up with them yourself.