Carolyn Pinta: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Carolyn Pinta

City: Buffalo Grove

Office sought: Village Trustee

Age (on election day): 41

Family: Husband, Bob, 41, Math Teacher at Stevenson and daughter, Molly, 12, student at Twin Groves

Occupation: Spanish Teacher at Twin Groves Middle School

Education: BA in Spanish from the University of Illinois and MA from National Louis University in Curriculum and Instruction

Civic involvement: Co-Lead of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America of Buffalo Grove and President of The Pinta Pride Project Inc, non profit

Previous elected offices held: none

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected?

Website:

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Issue questions

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

I see two very important issues facing our community at the moment. One is the large number of empty retail space and blighted areas in our beautiful village. This is a very prosperous, educated and caring community. There has to be a way to develop our economy more successfully to raise revenue and to afford our residents more retail options. The second area that I would like to work on is community outreach. I do not feel that our residents are involved in our local government and would like to see a diverse group of people become interested and activated. As a local teacher, I get to see first hand how our demographics have changed and want to see our government reach out to engage this diverse group. The way to work on both of these issues is to get out in the community to have conversations, and lots of them. I do believe that our current board wants these things for our community as well. Perhaps fresh faces and voices are needed to make these changes a reality. Social engagement and interaction is a strength of mine.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I am a strong candidate for a Trustee position because I have already proven that I can successfully engage residents of Buffalo Grove to make positive changes and to work together for a cause. I get people to act, not just to talk. I am also a very passionate leader and a thoughtful person who has the ability to listen and make logical decisions.

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

My leadership style is with kindness, respect and humor. I also lead while being part of the community, in a warm and welcoming way. I am very approachable and friendly. I seek the opinions and ideas of all and find that folks are comfortable getting involved in my initiatives because I constantly show them the respect that they deserve. Also, I lead by example. I initiate, follow through and encourage others to do the same.

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?

I have read the budget and believe that our Village Manager and staff as well as the board have us in a secure place for the moment. I feel, however, that tough times may be coming as the village ages and repairs need to be made in many different areas. I would like to see a progressive approach to economic development put us in a strong position to take on the cost of what is to come. I also believe that much more can be done to reach out to citizens in the village to get them involved in making decisions in our community- specifically, town halls, surveys and even door to door interaction may be good tools.

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

People are talking about how to engage the citizens of our community more, but this is an area of strength for me. I would get out amongst citizens of all diverse backgrounds on a consistent basis and as a local teacher, I already do. People forming relationships with the folks running our local government and feeling that these people are both approachable and wanting their input is key. It is not enough to say that folks can "call you with any questions." You must get out there yourself to engage them.