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Sufiyan Mohammed: 2021 candidate for Glendale Heights Village Board, District 2

Sufiyan Mohammed and Mohammad Asim Siddiqi are squaring off for the District 2 seat on Glendale Heights Village Board in the April 6 election. Sharon Sullivan, who has served on the village board since 1999, is not running for reelection.

The Daily Herald asked the candidates several questions about issues facing the village.

Below are Mohammed's responses.

In-person early voting with paper ballots begins Feb. 25 at DuPage County Fairgrounds Building 5, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. In-person early voting with touch-screen voting begins March 22 at locations throughout the county. Learn more at www.dupageco.org/earlyvoting/.

For more election coverage, visit dailyherald.com.

2 candidates running for one, 4-year seat

Bio

Town: Glendale Heights

Age: Not given

Occupation: Technology analyst, Accenture

Civic involvement: I have volunteered at various organizations in Glendale Heights and the Chicago area.

Q&A

Q: How do you view your role in confronting the pandemic: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents — even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state and federal authorities?

A: I have a track record of serving the community and that spirit to serve will continue to be my motivation as an elected trustee. I volunteer at Food Distribution Centers across the Chicago area including a food bank in Glendale Heights. During the pandemic, I picked up on two crucial volunteering activities: mask distributions and providing free COVID-19 tests.

As a trustee, I will continue to support the implementation of basic prevention techniques in the village. And more importantly, I will work with other government agencies and health care service providers to make sure the vaccine is available to all the constituents at the earliest availability.

Q: Did your town continue to adequately serve its constituents during the disruptions caused by the pandemic? If so, please cite an example of how it successfully adjusted to providing services. If not, please cite a specific example of what could have been done better.

A: I believe the city did take steps to serve its constituents. The city held weekly food drives and had drive-through COVID-19 tests at Camera Park. These services were very beneficial to the community.

Q: In light of our experiences with COVID-19, what safeguards/guidelines should you put in place to address any future public health crises?

A: Keep everyone informed. Address issues when they're a threat, not after the damage has been done. Promote general precautions early on such as distancing, masking, and limited capacities in specific areas. Practice individual screening to check up on others, especially with questions, such as the places they've been in the past 2 weeks. Be sure to have full public transparency. Maybe a means of alerting everyone through text message like Amber Alert.

Q: What cuts can local government make to reduce the burden of the pandemic on taxpayers?

A: Taxes are a big part of how the city gets its revenue. However, Glendale Heights continues to be one of the highest real estate towns in the DuPage County. I would look at opportunities to reduce the real estate taxes that would significantly help the constituents.

Businesses have suffered significantly during this pandemic. I would find ways to give breaks to local restaurants, businesses, and shops in the city so that it can help them bounce back from financial losses.

Q: What do you see as the most important infrastructure project you must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what infrastructure project can be put on the back burner?

A: There are sidewalks around Glendale Heights which aren't paved properly. By fixing them, it will allow for cyclists, pedestrians and their pets to have safe a place to move around.

Q: Do you agree or disagree with the stance your board has taken on permitting recreational marijuana sales in the community? What would you change about that stance, if you could?

A: To the best of my knowledge, village of Glendale Heights has not approved the sales of marijuana in the community. Though there are several pros and cons for the marijuana sales in a community, I believe the cons outweigh the pros and am in support of the decision made by Glendale Heights in 2020.

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

A: I had a few ideas in mind to make our community better, however I had asked the community to get their opinion. A lot of loved the idea of making our downtown more attractive and beautiful; make it look like a “downtown” by giving it a facelift. In addition to making an attractive downtown for the residents, this will also result in attracting more businesses to the area. So, the cost of the facelift should pay for itself in the long run.

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