Gary Fasules: 2021 candidate for Glen Ellyn Village Board

Four candidates are squaring off for three 4-year seats on Glen Ellyn Village Board in the April 6 election.

Incumbent Gary Fasules is a member of the Civic Betterment Party.

The other candidates are newcomers and fellow Civic Betterment Party members Anne M. Gould and Kelley M. Kalinich, and independent candidate Jeremy Boynton.

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

Below are Fasules's responses.

In-person early voting with paper ballots began 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/.

Bio

Town: Glen Ellyn

Age: None given

Occupation: Vice president of sales administration and support, School Specialty Limited

Civic involvement: Village trustee and acting Village President, with experience on serving on numerous Glen Ellyn committees including those of District 41 and 87; has been a board member and vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, as well as, a member of the planning commission and the zoning board of appeals.

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 goal in a pandemic must be to keep the village safe and operating at all levels across all entities in the village, while encouraging and maintaining the financial integrity and stability of the village during these trying times.

If this means implementing policies which are unpopular with residents/businesses or against state/federal guidelines, we need to take a leadership role and do so.

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: Basic services where not greatly disrupted over the last 12 months. This was mainly due to the foresight of the trustees and staff to cut expenses along with several street projects early in the pandemic. At the same time (April/May), we quickly started to provide assistance to our village business by implementing a business support grant program for COVID-19 related expenses, waived business registration fees, reduced liquor licensee fees, and expanded outdoor dining.

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: The village has emergency management task force with processes/procedures currently in place. We need to review these processes/procedures to make sure they encompass handling of pandemics in the future, including making sure that clear lines of authority and powers are defined for this task force in any future pandemic.

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

A: To reduce the burden on taxpayers, we abated this year's property tax levy by using part of our CARES funding.

Glen Ellyn receives a substantial portion of its revenue through property taxes, because of this and having adequately fund reserves we are in a much more stable financial situation then most Illinois municipalities. Also, compared to other municipalities we did not see substantial declines from our budgeted tax amount.

Our income tax revenue saw no effect, whereas our real estate tax actual was above budget. However, we are not out of the clear with COVID, we must continue to wisely invest in essential village services that meet the needs of our residents while assisting businesses to survive.

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: They are one and the same — the Downtown Streetscape project with a proposed budget of $28 million, to fund this project additional bonds will be needed in addition to using revenue for various village street, water, and sewer funds. However, we need to be cautions on these bonds will be paid for, we need to modernize but not mortgage the village's future, for a project that we possibly over designed.

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: We have no official position as of today. We are working on a position through the proper governmental process. We have a resolution to consider at a later date- resolution expires in June.

We have gone to the public through a nonbinding referendum to get their opinion- approved. But, there is many questions answered and more information provided to the village board for the board to make an informed decision for the community.

It is my hope that the board will send questions for answers to the plan commission between now and June, so when the issue is discussed this summer, the board has the information it needs.

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

A: At the state level, we need to make sure that the state, in this year's budget, does not pass any unfunded mandates on to municipalities which might be difficult to pay for given COVID-19. We also need to push for the state to increase the Local Government Distributive Fund to the agreed upon levels.

Update the village policies and village code on housing to include affordable, accessorial and stay in place policies.