Deborah Wilson: Candidate profile
Bio
Name: Deborah Wilson
City: Wheeling
Office sought: Wheeling Trustee
Age (on election day): 51
Family: My family moved to Wheeling when I was 4 years old in 1971. My aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents all joined us in the years that followed. My parents owned homes in Dunhurst, Meadowbrook West, Meadowbrook East and the Arlington Club. I rented my first apartment in the West Strong neighborhood, spent some of my early adult life living in Hollywood Ridge and am now in the Arlington Club where much of my family has eventually settled to downsize after raising children. Additionally, I have no family members who own land or businesses in town who will be petitioning the Board so I have no conflicts of interest in serving as Village Trustee.
Occupation: I was employed as an elementary school teacher for 22 years serving as a classroom teacher, a Title I Reading Specialist; a Vocabulary Enrichment teacher; and a Literacy teacher. I enjoyed working with children of all ages, and ran an after school jump rope club for grades 3-5. I was fortunate enough to travel much of the southwest regions of Alaska when my middle and high school cross country teams competed. I enjoy using this season of my life to volunteer in my community as an engaged citizen using the research skills I developed as a teacher to draft Freedom of Information Act requests to learn how our local government currently operates and to study the Illinois Municipal Code to learn all of the ways that our state legislature intended for our Village to operate and then informing and encouraging Wheeling Trustees to utilize the authority given them by the state legislature when they evaluate the Village Manager's performance especially in light of his specific job duties outlined in our own local code so we get the most bang for our buck from anyone the Board employs as Wheeling's Village Manager
Education: I was educated right here in Wheeling from kindergarten all the way through high school. I am a proud Wheeling High School Wildcat- member of the "Class of '85." My desire to become a teacher was developed during my years as a Holmes Hornet, "Class of '81" due to my admiration and appreciation of my most beloved English teacher, Mrs. Burke as well as by the tremendous influence of my science teacher Mr. Klatecki, Ms. Jacoby's deep fascination with understanding how we came to the solutions to the problems she gave us in her math class and by the recognition of my social studies teacher, Mr. Bethard, whose words built me up in ways he never knew. I completed my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Trinity College in Deerfield, IL (now called Trinity International University). I earned my master's degree in Reading from National Louis University in Evanston and took additional classes beyond my master's in ELL (English Language Learning).
Civic involvement: Most residents know me as the local watchdog who, in 2016 and 2017 poured through years of Wheeling's financials to expose the former Village President's private use of the public credit card and numerous Village owned vehicles, providing the records I obtained through the Freedom of Information Act to the Edgar County Watchdogs and Daily Herald, galvanizing several residents and a former Trustee to make public comments at the 3-20-2017 meeting resulting in that Village President in losing the 2017 election and obtaining an admission from the Village Manager that it was the Trustees who "granted [Argiris] the use of the vehicle." More recently, Wheeling residents might recognize me as the woman who collaborated extensively with C.A.R.E's (Citizens Against Runway Expansion) sub-committee leaders, meeting with state representatives, training its members in FOIA and providing social media video to document Chicago Executive Airport's meetings and "Open House" that gained them a much larger audience resulting in local officials to state they have pulled back on runway expansion. For two years I have also attended numerous meetings of various commissions to learn more about Village operations.
Previous elected offices held: This is the first time I have ever submitted nomination papers to be on the ballot
Incumbent? No.
If yes, when were you first elected? Not applicable
Website: My website has been delayed. I hope to have it up later in the week. I will provide it in a "reply" to this email survey soon.
MY chanel on YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7qeCd8HCHR2YuXeyYj9Y4w
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wilson4Wheeling/
Twitter:
Issue questions
• What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them? We have a Village Board that consistently ignores the advice of our Village Finance Director, Mr. Mondschain, making decisions that go directly against his expertise and advisement, resulting in the huge spike in the Village's property taxes between 2015 and today. I believe I have already addressed this issue because after making several public comments, using the bar graphs published by the Village of Northbrook, showing Wheeling's taxes right next to Buffalo Grove, smack dab in the middle when compared to 26 nearby and adjacent villages to now being the 2nd to the highest. After drawing attention to the issue, Wheeling made a dramatic change in direction at the most recent annual budget hearing, finally changing direction from their most liberal use of TIF funds that have had this negative impact to our property taxes. I will continue to address this issue if elected by using my position to speak when I see the Board diverting from the direction given them by our highly skilled finance director. Also, discriminatory practices. I have addressed this by recruiting minorities to serve. I will pursue the most talented representatives of the various people groups living in Wheeling to serve in local government.
• What makes you the best candidate to serve as Trustee? I am the best candidate to serve as Trustee because I understand that it is not a job but a position of trust whereby residents look to you to act for the greater good for all Wheeling residents as was seen in my tremendously successful work with C.A.R.E. against runway expansion even though my home's location I am rarely impacted by airport noise. My commitment to equality: recruiting Latinos to run for Trustee and after losing two District 214 employees to relocation, finally persuaded Maryann Rodriguez Ligouri. I have not wavered in my commitment to act compel Wheeling officials to comply with law all while each of the 3 incumbents expressed private concern over the previous mayor's private use of public vehicles but not one of them acted in their official capacity to stop it until the Daily Herald exposed it on the front page Feb 21, 2017. These same incumbents were often named guests of the previous Village President in his private use of the public credit card and each incumbent voted to "approve" of all of those expenditures during the "approval of bills" portion of the public meetings, month after month, demonstrating their willingness to break the law
• 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 demonstrated as that of a facilitator, using my research skills to put before the Board undeniable case law and news stories exemplifying the consequences experienced by municipalities that have engaged in risky ventures, skirted the rule of law or failed to heed the advice of their highly educated and skilled finance director. I have already accomplished a great deal in 2 years as an engaged citizen and if elected, I will be able to accomplish much more if voters choose me. The effectiveness of my leadership style has been demonstrated in my collaboration with the various sub-committees of CARE (Citizens Against Runway Expansion) which recently compelled both municipalities to make public statements that they would not approve of any runway expansion beyond the current roadway boundaries of Chicago Executive Airport, something that was attempted but not achieved until I led CARE's sub-committee leaders to gather their teams to over flow the airport's February 20th meeting which prompted both municipalities to rethink their position on the runway expansion portion of CEA's Master Plan and to ultimately put out a news release. The airport followed up with a similar statement soon thereafter.
• 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?
Poor and it is discussed widely at un-televised meetings. Even worse, Wheeling's agreement with the other taxing bodies sacrificed most sales tax revenue to be generated by the Wheeling Town Center to the other taxing bodies. Additionally, until this most recent budget hearing, our Village Board has consistently ignored the advice of our Village Finance Director, Mr. Mondschain, making decisions that go directly against his expertise and advisement, resulting in the huge spike in the Village's property taxes between 2015 and today. I have addressed this issue by making several public comments, using the bar graphs published by the Village of Northbrook, showing Wheeling's taxes right next to Buffalo Grove, smack dab in the middle when compared to 26 nearby and adjacent villages to now being the 2nd to the highest. After drawing attention to the issue, Wheeling made a dramatic change in direction at the most recent annual budget hearing, finally discussing openly what their most liberal use of TIF funds has done to the property taxes. I will continue to address this issue if elected by using my position to speak when I see the Board diverting from the direction given them by our highly skilled finance director.
• What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
It is time to part ways with the Village Manager. He has been advanced to a position beyond his competency. The Board has spent huge money contracting-out his specific job duties specified in our own municipal code and a fortune defending a FOIA lawsuit because they don't want to release records of his electronic key card swipes that would provide taxpayers a general idea of what time he strolls into work. Why? If those records reveal a pattern of late arrivals then this would prove they are failing in their duty to act as his supervisor. We pay him to do a job that he is both unable and unwilling to do and we have a Board who indulges his incompetency and lax work ethic. Most worrisome, Trustees vote to approve of the expenditures outsourcing duties that his job description says warrant his $200,000+ a year salary. I would only hire a Village Manager with a master's degree in "Public Administration." MOREOVER, Wheeling voters need to "vote out" Trustees who see the Village Manager as someone they must answer to, and "vote in" those who will make him answer to us.