John Shea Lehman: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: Sugar GroveWebsite: NoneOffice sought: Sugar Grove fire protection districtAge: 47Family: Married and 4 daughters Occupation: Deputy Fire Chief, City of Aurora Fire DepartmentEducation: Bachelor of Science, Fire Service Management. Southern Illinois UniversityCivic involvement: Aurora Kiwanis and West Aurora Sports BoostersElected offices held: Previous six years as a Trustee Sugar Grove Fire Protection District.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Successful wrap up of initial contract negotiations.Key Issue 2 Medium range goal for district land acquisition to site future stations.Key Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have 26 yrs of experience in the fire service and in my position as Deputy Chief of a city of almost 200,000 residents I have also gained much human resources experience. I have a good pulse on current trends in the industry and am active on a state wide level with both training of fire fighters and networking with administrators. I have direct experience with the growth of the District over the past 6 yrs and have been Treasurer for both the District and the pension board for most of that time. Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it? It has been very interesting to be in a position to have the base of knowledge and experience to be able to contribute to the community in which my family and I reside. To be able to assist with the growth of a Department from the creation of a career service that I have been a part of for the last 26 yrs. Is exciting and I still have a passion to work for the community.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest fire safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.I believe that our greatest concern is to balance the protection level of the district with the development. Response to calls for emergencies need to be answered within an acceptable period of time and as the number of calls grows with the population and development so must the level of protection. We need to be able to project that growth and get in front of it so we can acquire the necessary sites for future stations within our 40 plus square mile district.In these tight economic times, budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Candidate did not respond.Would you support sharing/pooling resources (i.e. printing, vehicles) with other local governments (school districts, village, etc.)? If so, what areas would you consider combining or merging to save money or improve efficiencyCandidate did not respond.