Lydia Galante: 2021 candidate for Roselle Village Board
Five candidates are squaring off for three 4-year seats on Roselle Village Board in the April 6 election. They are incumbent Barbara Sarno; Thomas Piorkowski, president of the Roselle Public Library District Board; and newcomers Tom Della Penna, Lydia Galante and Cheryl J. Lenisa.
The Daily Herald asked the candidates several questions about issues facing the village.
Below are Galante'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/.
Five candidates for three, 4-year terms
Bio
Town: Roselle
Age: 31
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom
Civic involvement: None given
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: The mayor and trustees of the town should provide leadership during a pandemic to ensure the safety and well-being of its constituents.
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: Roselle adequately served its constituents during the pandemic and is continuing to do so by sticking to a balanced budget and remaining open to the public by phone/email/Zoom.
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: Realistically, I feel that town guidelines to avoid another pandemic heavily rely on state and federal sanctions. In the future, I think cooks and servers should continue to wear masks around the food they're serving/preparing and I would love to see all businesses maintain the level of cleanliness that we have come to expect during the past year.
Q: What cuts can local government make to reduce the burden of the pandemic on taxpayers?
A: Local government structure continues to exist despite the pandemic. For example, roads are being plowed, water service remains uninterrupted as does police and fire response. Local taxation is vital to our town running smoothly and safely. That being said, I think that certain allowances can and should be made for people whose livelihood has been affected by COVID-19. An example would be waiving the utility billing delinquent account penalty fee and administrative fee.
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: I think it is important to stay on track with our 5-year capital improvement plan. If the goal is to bring more revenue to Roselle, we need to ensure that people will be drawn to stop at our wonderful businesses. Why would they stop if the roads are not maintained and if there is no curb appeal?
Roselle's FY 2021 budget has already been approved and balanced without any tax, fee, license, or fine increases. I plan to continue the fiscal responsibility of the current board.
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: Roselle's board has not decided anything definitive on permitting recreational marijuana sales in the community. I support recreational marijuana being sold in Roselle. The tax revenue would only benefit constituents. In Illinois, marijuana is a legal substance just like alcohol and tobacco and should be treated as such.
Q: What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
A: I would love to see Roselle ban plastic shopping bags. Only about 1% of them are returned for recycling and the rest pollute the Earth and litter our beautiful village streets.