Guy A. Patterson: 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: StreamwoodWebsite: http://www.voteguy.comOffice sought: Streamwood Village boardAge: 60Family: Married, three childrenOccupation: President, Web Site Communications, Inc.Education: Attended Texas Christian UniversityCivic involvement: Involvement in the community includes Summer Celebration volunteer, Adopt a Park volunteer, Streamwood Stride volunteer, Luminaria volunteer, Summer Celebration Commission (Past member) Illinois Association of Park Districts Technology Committee (Past member)Elected offices held: Park District Commissioner, Streamwood, 1999-2007Village Trustee, Streamwood, 2007-PresentAs Trustee I have served on the Public Safety, Finance and Public Works committees and am presently President Pro Tem of the Board.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Streamwood has one of the lowest property tax rates in the suburbs, a balanced budget, strong financial reserves and it pays for infrastructure and capital improvements without tax increases. My primary goal will be to provide guidance to ensure that we continue on that path.Key Issue 2 One of the biggest challenges the Village faces involves the budget. Personnel costs, services and infrastructure maintenance and improvement all put pressure on the budget, while we must at the same time deal with the reality of decreased revenue.Key Issue 3 The fact that there is very little land to develop in the Village will create challenges for planning economic corridor development and continued business development. I plan on continuing to explore new and innovative ways to attract businesses to the village.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I believe that my experience with helping guide the Village#146;s budget during the current economic crisis will be invaluable going forward. My record clearly demonstrates that I believe in balanced budgets, quality Village services, ensuring public safety and diversified, responsible growth.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Just right. Streamwood has taken a moderate approach to sales taxes. In comparison, Streamwood#146;s local sales tax is at the same level as other home rule communities in the Northwest suburbs. The barrier for businesses in Streamwood is the out of proportion Cook County sales tax that puts them at a competitive disadvantage with businesses in the collar counties. Since Streamwood is adjacent to DuPage and Kane Counties the disadvantage is more pronounced.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.The latest statistics from the 2010 Total Crime Index reported that crime is down 14.7% in Streamwood. The biggest public safety concerns expressed by most residents involve traffic and gangs. Residents want to maintain the safety of their neighborhood so that children playing at home or in parks are not at risk. The concern about gangs is that one gang member in a neighborhood is one too many. The Streamwood Police Department delivers services through the practice of neighborhood based policing. This requires dividing the Village into specific areas called beats. A Beat Sergeant is assigned to each section, and these sergeants are responsible for the community needs in that specific area. The sergeant will track activity, analyze crime trends, monitor traffic issues, identify and respond to neighborhood problems and serve as a conduit between the community and the Department. The village board passed a #147;Nuisance Abatement#148; ordinance to give the police an additional tool in the area of gangs. Nuisance Abatement programs are intended to define and identify chronic nuisance property locations and, to then hold the #147;person in-charge#148; and/or the owner of record responsible for the unwanted and unlawful activities.In these tight economic times, municipal 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?During this year#146;s budget meetings the board went through a #147;line item#148; audit to insure that there were no areas in the budget that needed to be trimmed further. Streamwood has operated with a bare bones philosophy that provides only those services that are needed so that the taxpayers are not burdened with programs or services that are not necessary. The budget process and structure allows the village to fund services while maintaining the lowest possible cost to the resident.What#146;s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I have proposed several measures to increase revenue without raising taxes such as #147;Buy Streamwood#148;, a joint initiative with the Village and Chamber of Commerce encouraging residents to shop within the village and thus keeping their tax dollars at work in the village. In addition, I plan on continuing to provide residents the most cost effective services possible while seeking to find improved ways to attract businesses to the Village.