Below are candidate-submitted answers to a survey Wednesday Journal sent out to all candidates running in this year’s elections.
Age: 54
Profession: Advertising Consultant and Residential Inspection Business Owner
Years in River Forest: 18
Married: Lisa Guglielmone Gillis for 25 years
3 children: twins Ethan and Christian who are both college freshman, and Francesca who is a high school junior.
Have you ever run for or served in a local political office before? If so, when and which office?
I was a candidate for Village of River Forest Trustee in 2009, narrowly losing by 16 votes.
If you are not currently on the village board, how many village board meetings have you attended in the last year?
By means of audio streaming which is available on the village’s website, I have listened to most meetings, as well as downloaded the trustee information packets for many years. This allows me to keep well-versed about village activities, including most commissions and boards. I encourage every resident to listen to village meetings this way to keep informed.
Why are you running for trustee? What talents and skills can you bring to bear that will have an impact on village government?
To serve and to preserve. River Forest is a great place to live; we need people on the Village Board who will advocate for continued success and further improvements. I have lived in this village for 18 years and want to help ensure it remains as appealing to residents tomorrow as it is today. Also, I believe that my calm demeanor and common sense approach to problem solving would be a great addition to the Village Board.
Give us your thoughts on Economic Development. Be specific. What are your thoughts about the Economic Development Commission?
When I ran for trustee 6 years ago, I pushed for the creation of an Economic Development Commission (EDC). This last year this commission was formed and I applaud the current board for its creation. The EDC members are a talented group of volunteers with outstanding resumes and we are very fortunate that they want to be an important part of improving our village. Their first major recommendation was for the creation of the North Avenue and Madison Street TIF Districts. This is not a simple or short term effort, but a long term strategy to change tax ratio away from residential sources through the creation of businesses and business districts in River Forest. This commission and their recommendations will require long term support by the Village Board for continued success.
The village is moving ahead to create tax increment finance districts on Madison and North Avenue. What is your understanding of TIFS, how they work and their benefits for economic development? Would you back them?
I understand the basics of TIFs (TIF Attorneys can focus on the details), but most importantly I understand the overall strategy of how to use a TIF to reduce the tax burden on residents. One only needs to look at Town Center I & II to see how a successful TIF can take an area with little or no tax revenue and turn it into a tax revenue center. As we begin to work on the North Avenue and Madison Street TIF Districts, we need to find the right types of businesses to generate the right type of sales tax to maximize revenue. We also need to be cognizant of the look and feel of the area and consider mixed use (residential and commercial).
A major item on the VP’s agenda has been collaboration. What has been accomplished in working with other units of government and organizations? What would you like to see happen? Be specific. Should the village encourage other entities to collaborate among themselves; and that includes District 90 and District 200.
Collaboration is the way of the future for all taxing bodies to lower the cost of government and maximize efficiencies. We should explore collaboration with neighboring towns, as well as other River Forest taxing bodies. We currently have a shared 911 center with other west suburban communities. We are in discussions about a shared police shooting range at Triton College. In the future, we need to discuss fire districts, and perhaps shared public works with other communities. Within our borders collaboration of common services could and should be explored. Payroll, accounting, vehicle maintenance, sidewalk snow removal, and tree removal are just some of the common service each taxing body currently does on its own.
Township – More and stronger collaboration between the township and the village can be one way to lower taxes. How would you make that happen? What areas can be merged? Building manager position, legal and other areas come to mind. Can you think of any others? Be specific.
I think the first step of building a stronger collaboration is to bring the township staff closer to village staff by moving the township staff into space at Village Hall. Township staff is currently housed at the southwest corner of River Forest in the Civic Center building. This move would give the township a centrally located “store front” for residents who require their services, as well as close contact with the police and fire department who often are the first to respond to residents who can benefit from township services. An additional advantage for residents who require services: Village Hall is a 24/7 facility. Combining office space could result in additional cost saving; IT support, telephone, reception, and rent. Utilizing other village services, such as accounting and payroll, would provide additional savings to taxpayers.
The village may be looking at making budget cuts as a result of a drop in the state income tax. What would you cut and why? How would you prioritize what you’d like to cut? Be specific.
Over 7% of our operating budget comes from income tax revenue. In the private sector, staff is usually the first cut. Over the last 10 years, however, the village has already reduced staff by 7% making further personal cuts likely to reduce the quality of services that residents expect. Therefore, the most probable source for reduction would be from the 5 Year Capital Improvement Program. Within this program, department heads have prioritized improvements. I would ask that each department revisit their requests and reduce accordingly. Although Springfield is making changes that will affect local governments, River Forest has stabilized our finances which should allow us to weather this current storm without dramatic cuts that would reduce services.
Should the village keep red light cameras? Why? If you elected to eliminate them, what would you do to cut to make up for the loss of revenue?
Red light cameras have become a necessary evil. People talk about the safety aspect of these cameras, but let’s be realistic, they are an important revenue source as well. In 2014, almost $500,000 was generated by the two cameras in River Forest. This revenue has been used wisely by the village, being placed into the capital equipment replacement fund, which is use for fire trucks, police vehicles, and public works equipment.
The community’s population is diversifying. What would you do to make people of color welcome in River Forest?
Our community is diversifying, and it is an exciting change. We have Hispanics, African Americans, same sex couples, and other minorities seeking out River Forest in increased numbers for its great community and schools. This is great! We need to engage with our new neighbors to welcome them into our community. This starts at the neighborhood level, where neighbors should invite them to dinner, book clubs, and other social events to integrate our new neighbors into the community, just as we do for non-minority neighbors. It continues through their being warmly welcomed at our schools, Village Hall, organized sports teams and the like.