Voting? Think Moynihan

Daniel Patrick Moynihan

With the 2019 election entering the home stretch, I am reminded of something the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, once said: "everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts."

And this was before the age of rampant social media.

I shudder to think what Moynihan, who died in 2003, would have to say about the information, make that misinformation, about candidates and issues flying around on mostly on various social media platforms.

It seems the more candidates there are, the more misinformation, or potential for misinformation, exists. Which raises the bar for voters to become educated about the candidates and the issues being tossed about. This seemed apparent during the recent Chicago mayoral primary when 14 Chicagoans ran in a bid to replace Rahm Emmanuel as Chicago’s boss. The glut of candidates, some pundits say, may have made it difficult for voters to decide for whom the should vote or, worse yet, if they would vote at all.

Tuesday’s Buffalo Grove village election faces similar challenges. Village Clerk Jan Sirabian has been reminding residents to vote for weeks. She has noted, and if anyone would know, Sirabian would, that a low voter turnout could result in a candidate winning by five or 10 votes.  Granted, that could happen in a large turnout, but with nine candidates vying for three spots as village trustee, the opportunity for a slim margin of victory is a real possibility.

Which is why Buffalo Grove voters need to note Moynihan’s pontification. The April 2 election is for Village Board, not student council. The village, and this is not breaking news, has some hefty issues in front of it from business and economic development to aging infrastructure.

The village doesn’t need cheerleaders or candidates with personal or business interests. It needs elected officials who are strategically acute and mindful of issues facing both sides of Lake-Cook Road.

People have asked me if I will endorse any candidates.

The answer is no. While I’m flattered that some people may value my opinion, it is, in my mind (which some people think could be a dangerous place to be) incumbent upon residents to do their own research and make up their own minds. This, by the way, means going beyond the Silly Putty that has been bouncing around on the aforementioned social media.

In any election, candidates have ideas, as well they should. The unfortunate reality is that in many cases the ideas are, as the late Al McGuire would say, little more than “seashells and balloons.”

There is plenty of information available about key issues facing the village online, at Village Hall and at the village’s website. The bottom line is this -- informed citizens make the best voters.

Conversely, transparent candidates make the best elected officials.  It’s one reason that when I decided to post candidate profiles, I posted their responses verbatim because it’s important for voters to hear directly from the candidates without my interpretation.

Do I have views about each candidate? Absolutely. They are based on not only what I have learned from their ideas, but how I think they would meld into what I know about village plans. A few people asked me if I had plans to run for Village Board. The answer was a quick no.

That’s not because I am not interested in serving the community, but because even though I attend nearly every Village Board meeting (yes, I must be crazy) I know my limitations in some key areas that would limit my effectiveness as a village board member.

If nothing else, in addition to learning about village plans for everything from economic development to the renovation of storm sewers, I have learned that being an elected village official takes more, as noted, than touting personal interests. It requires understanding the needs of the entire village and being prepared to learn the details and make logical and practical decisions – not emotional ones.

There is, however, a more important position in the village. As the late Louis Brandeis noted, “"The most important political office is that of the private citizen."

And to successfully hold that office, especially as election day approaches, it requires careful review of candidate’s positions, backgrounds and ideas so the officials we elect, whether to the village board or a school board, are the most qualified to serve the entire village.

Meet the Candidate: Mike Terson

Editor's note --This is the last in a series of profiles of candidates for Buffalo Grove Village Board positions.  Candidates for Village Trustee will be featured first followed by candidates for Village President. All candidates received the same questionnaire.  Their answers appear verbatim without any added editorial comments or interpretation. This is done so readers can read direct answers from each candidate.  Profiles will be posted in alphabetical order.
  --- Stan Zoller

Candidate's name 

Mike Terson

Candidate for:

Village Board President

How long have you lived in Buffalo Grove? 

This time around, since 2005

Please provide brief background information. 

I graduated from Buffalo Grove High School in 1988, and since moving back to the community, have worked at the Park District and served on many community organizations.

Have you served on a village committee or commission before? If yes, which one and how long did you serve? 

Yes - 50th Anniversary Commission for 3 years

What other civic activities, if any, have you been involved with? 

I served on the Link Together Coalition Executive Board. I currently volunteer on the Lake County Youth Empowerment for Success Coalition Board, the College of Lake County Southlake Campus Advisory Council, the High School District 214 Alumni Council Board, the Buffalo Grove High School Parents Association, and I volunteer as a mentor to 2 college students with the One Million Degrees program at Harper College.

Why are you running for a Village Board position? 

To bring better and a more modern style of leadership to our community.

In general, what do you see as the most pressing issues facing Buffalo Grove? 

Increasing revenue, so that we can pay for the needs of a failing infrastructure, while continuing to provide a high level of service. Improving how we accomplish economic development is how we will accomplish that.

There has been considerable discussion for years about economic development in the village. What kind of economic development (retail, commercial, industrial) do you think should be a priority and why? 

Industrial is successful; so, while it's not unimportant, it's not a "priority" that needs our focus right now. Retail/commercial is the issue and high priority. Why? Because we only generate $208 per square foot in retail sales. We need economic development to double that number. Until we change that number, we are running up the down escalator.

Which business development plan do you think should be a priority? Lake-Cook Road corridor, Dundee Road, Milwaukee Avenue or the Prairie View concept? 

I think they are all important; but, the Lake-Cook Road corridor is the priority because it has the potential to be the game changer that has the biggest impact on how the other corridors get redeveloped. That being said, the Dundee Road corridor is right there too, because it is in such bad need of redevelopment. The car dealerships have got to be redeveloped; we cannot wait on that.

How do you think the village should encourage redevelopment of existing retail areas that are struggling? 

The short answer is economic incentives. But I also think there is opportunity for the elected leader of the community to create better relationships with commercial property owners. Sometimes it's those little things, like open communication and networking that get things going.

Should the village limit development to preserve green space? 

No. Here's why... We already exceed the recommendation by the federal government on the amount of usable recreational open space for the size and population of our community. And, with the federally required increase in water storage capacity (20%) to develop the only "green space" in question, doing a project there would actually increase the amount of usable recreational open space in the community even more. That doesn't mean I am unilaterally in favor of developing the golf course just to develop the golf course; it would have to be the right project that would significantly and positively impact our community and quality of life. But, if I am answering the direct question, the need to limit is not there.

Some of our volunteer groups (commissions, committees) have seen shrinking membership. What would you do to engage the community on a broader scale? What would you do to encourage broader demographic participation? 

I will look to engage the community in the places they engage, not wait for them to come to Village Hall or fill out a form. My plan is to be everywhere often, as well as accessible on social media. The role of a Village President is different than that of a trustee. I will bring that role to a new level of engagement with residents.

There is a proposal to add a "Community Engagement Director" to the village staff. Do you think it is needed? Explain why or why not. 

While I don't think it is "needed," I am not convinced that it is a bad idea either. This is definitely something I want to discuss further with both the staff and Village Board. I definitely don't think it would be fair for me to criticize it from the outside as a candidate. I think it's a valid concept that has merit and needs to be looked at and discussed. From experience, I know that not every position within an organization is easily quantified on paper; however, I also know that there are a lot of roles within an organization that significantly impact the success of those positions that are easily quantified. I think this situation calls for patience, due diligence, asking relevant questions, followed by logical decision making.

Do you think the Village communicates well with residents? If not, how can it be improved? 

Yes, and I think it can always be improved as well. As technology advances, so are ways to communicate. I love that our Village staff are so proactive in finding these ways to improve communication, and I look forward to being an asset to them in achieving those goals.

Final thoughts -- Add any information or comments about your candidacy. 

There is no logical reason why residents of a community with the kind of median income, average education level, highly rated schools, beautiful parks, and number of existing homes with high property values should have to go to other towns to spend their money when they want to shop or dine in nice restaurants. With the exception of groceries, we are constantly leaving Buffalo Grove to spend our money. And, our reward for going to these other towns to spend money is higher property taxes. I want to change that; and, I have a plan to do it.

Meet the candidate: Beverly Sussman

Editor's note --This is the tenth in a series of profiles of candidates for Buffalo Grove Village Board positions.  Candidates for Village Trustee will be featured first followed by candidates for Village President. All candidates received the same questionnaire.  Their answers appear verbatim without any added editorial comments or interpretation. This is done so readers can read direct answers from each candidate.  Profiles will be posted in alphabetical order.
  --- Stan Zoller

Meet the candidate: Beverly Sussman

Candidate for: Village Board President

How long have you lived in Buffalo Grove?

47 years

Please provide brief background information.

I am running for Re-Election as the President of the Village of Buffalo Grove. My husband and I have lived in Buffalo Grove for 47 years. Two of my three sons live in Buffalo Grove with their families. I was a sixth -grade science teacher in School District #96 in Buffalo Grove and Commander of the Space Shuttle Club. I was an Adjunct Professor at National Louis University where I taught science methods classes in the Masters’ Degree Program. I have served the Village of Buffalo Grove for 25 years Including my 10 years on the Village Board. I have been very active in Buffalo Grove and I have a history of service to the Village of Buffalo Grove. I was a Presidential winner and represented the state of Illinois in Washington, D.C. (PAEMST- Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math Teaching). I was President of our family owned business in Buffalo Grove, and I know what's involved in running a business, balancing a budget, writing RFPs, finding ways to save money, hiring good employees, actually doing business with the Village of Buffalo Grove as a business owner and being involved with all entities of the village. I have had a very productive and successful four-year term as President of the Village of Buffalo Grove; I am asking to be re-elected to continue serving the residents of Buffalo Grove.

Have you served on a village committee or commission before? If yes, which one and how long did you serve?

President-4 years, Liquor Commissioner-4 years, Member NWMC (Northwest Municipal Conference)-4 years, Member SWANCC (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County)-4 years, Trustee-6 years, Commissioner with the Commission for Residents with Disabilities-15 years, 50th Anniversary Committee-2 years, Liaison to the Plan Commission, Health Commission, Commission for Residents With Disabilities, Arts Commission, Buffalo Grove Days Committee, Member of the Sign Code Committee, Member of the Appearance Review Team, Involved with Buddy Baseball and Fun and Food For Residents With Disabilities.

What other civic activities, if any, have you been involved with?

Advisory Committee to Stand Strong Coalition, Board Member of Kildeer School District #96 Foundation For Excellence, Recipient of the United Way Participation Award, Recipient of the Best Friend Award from the Buffalo Grove Park District, Represented the State of Illinois in Washington D.C. as the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence In Science and Math Teaching (PAEMST), Served on a committee for Senator Matt Murphy, Presenter at Career Night for School District#214, Presenter for the Girl Scout Badge-Science Around Town, Presented at School District #96 and School District #102, Presented for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Sponsor for the Shuttle Bus for Buffalo Grove Days and the Buffalo Grove Art Fair, Sponsored Baseball Teams for the Thoroughbred League, Palomino League and Buddy Baseball, Sponsor of the Illinois Special Olympics with the Buffalo Grove Police Dept., Event Sponsor for the Science Olympiad at Buffalo Grove High School, Judge for the Illinois Junior Academy of Science (Science-Fair), Presented Science Workshops for Teachers on a local, regional, state, and national level. Presented students to the Village of Buffalo Grove to proclaim Earth Day in Buffalo Grove, helped write brochures for the CRD (Commission For Residents With Disabilities), wrote and published articles in journals to help teachers in the State of Illinois and USA to use hands-on science activities in their classrooms: SPECTRUM, Science and Children, The Science Teacher, Member of the Buffalo Grove Chamber Of Commerce -Gold Member for 15 years, , sponsored events for Stevenson High School and Vernon Hills High School, donations and contributions to the Village of Buffalo Grove, Buffalo Grove Chamber of Commerce, Buffalo Grove Park District, and misc. school districts

.

Why are you running for a Village Board position?

I've been a resident of Buffalo Grove for 47 years. For 25 years, I have a history of service to the Village of Buffalo Grove; I have mentioned many of these above in civic involvement. I am qualified for the job. I am honest, competent, intelligent, independent, experienced, knowledgeable, organized and passionate in what I do. I have excellent communication skills and decision-making skills. I listen to all sides of the issue before making a decision. I want Buffalo Grove to remain a safe community where we respond to people's needs. I want to maintain a good level of services while controlling the cost to the residents. Our employees and volunteers are a big part of the village; I value them. I want everything to be transparent. Residents should always know what's going on in their village. I am here for the residents of Buffalo Grove. I am their voice. Thanks to the Village Board and staff, I am very proud of our achievements in the past four years. And I hope to continue adding to this list in the next four years. Just to name a few: 1. The Village of Buffalo Grove issued more than 10,527 residential and commercial building permits. These permits represent a total project valuation of approximately 230 million dollars invested back into the Village of Buffalo Grove. 2. Four businesses alone are bringing in 10 million dollars in 7 years: Woodman’s Food Market, BITS (Business IT Source), ThermFlo/Zonatherm. 3. One of my campaign issues and one which I will continue in this election, was to involve our residents in the decision-making process for the first time ever. Our citizens participated in the largest study ever done in the Village of Buffalo Grove for the first time ever, the Lake Cook Road Market Study and Plan (Citizen Engagement). They were also involved in the Prairie View Metra Study. Our residents were asked their opinions and for suggestions. They attended meetings to see drawings of what the plans were for these sites. 4. For the first time ever, the Village Board went on a field trip to a possible new business in Buffalo Grove. We travelled to Woodman’s in Kenosha, Wisconsin. We held a public meeting at Woodman’s. We hired a bus to accommodate any residents who wanted to join us. This meeting was advertised according to the regulations of the OMA. We were very aggressive in our pursuit of convincing Woodman’s to come to Buffalo Grove. Phil Woodman was thrilled that we did this. On Labor Day Weekend, 2018, Woodman’s opened up in Buffalo Grove! 5. We have received many awards in the past 4 years, to name a few: one of the best places to live in America, one of the best places to live in Illinois, one of the best places to buy a house, one of the best places to raise a family and one of the safest cities in the country. Even our residents received an award; Out of 2500 cities rated on 10 indicators they ranked in the top 2% for their money management skills. 6. The village has a balanced budget for 2019 and reduced its property tax rate to $.993 per $100 of taxable property value.

In general, what do you see as the most pressing issues facing Buffalo Grove?

Infrastructure, economic development and pensions. The more economic development we have, the more money we have to put into our infrastructure and pensions.

There has been considerable discussion for years about economic development in the village. What kind of economic development (retail, commercial, industrial) do you think should be a priority and why?

Economic development is economic development. Whether it’s retail, commercial or industrial, as long as it brings revenue into the village. Commercial and Industrial bring in more tax dollars than retail. However, being a priority is not an issue. We are always proactive and looking at all possibilities.

Which business development plan do you think should be a priority? Lake-Cook Road corridor, Dundee Road, Milwaukee Avenue or the Prairie View concept?

The Lake Cook Road corridor is already underway. NWCH (Northwest Community HealthCare) is in the process of tearing down two buildings and putting up two new state-of-the-art buildings on Lake Cook Road. An entrepreneur has already approached the village about the Prairie View Metra Plan. So, we are ready to start working on the Dundee Road and Milwaukee Avenue corridor studies.

How do you think the village should encourage redevelopment of existing retail areas that are struggling?

First of all, we have to answer this question, why are these properties struggling? The village does not own any of these properties. Even though we don’t own the following properties, we are constantly trying to get the owners to sell them so we can move forward and encourage development from there and increase our revenue streams: Town Center, Rohrman Property and the Dominick’s in the Chase Plaza.  Rohrman property - Rohrman wants 1 million dollars per acre for his property. He is in no hurry to sell that property. There are 16-17 acres which means that the property will cost 17 million dollars to buy it. We have shown this property to some businesses. So far, no one is willing to spend that much money on the property. There is a rumor going on that Mr. Rohrman is in the process of selling this property to Warren Buffett. If that is the case, something might finally work out! Town Center - We had someone interested in buying the Town Center, However, the owner wants 20 million dollars for the property. It is not worth the amount of money he is asking for the property. At some point, the owner might lower the sale price or be unable to pay the taxes on the property. At that point, a deal could potentially be worked out. We have great plans for this property. Dominick’s  - I attended several meetings with the owners of Dominick’s. I also attended a meeting with other municipalities to discuss the problem of empty Dominick’s Stores in our villages. I took part in the panel discussion that was televised. The village has been very active in communicating with the owners. The village further passed an ordinance preventing restrictions that prohibit grocery stores and pharmacies on this and other sites. Jewel will not rent, lease or sell the property to any business that will be in competition with Jewel. Since the village does not control the property, the only thing we can do is try to find potential tenants for the owner. “In order for business to take place, three things are needed:  1. a willing property owner who wants to sell his property  2. a viable business who wants to buy the property 3. a proactive municipality like Buffalo Grove” In all of those businesses above, we are missing the following: a willing property owner who is willing to sell his property. It is not for lack of trying on the part of the Village of Buffalo Grove. We need our residents to get the full picture of why these properties are still vacant. Buffalo Grove is very proactive: we offer tax incentives when applicable and reduce the cost of permits for businesses to open, relocate to Buffalo Grove or to expand their businesses and remain in Buffalo Grove. Several businesses have expanded and remained in Buffalo Grove. NCH (Northwest Community Healthcare). Burdeen’s, Connexion, ThermFlo/Zonatherm and FLEX have already expanded in Buffalo Grove.

  

Should the village limit development to preserve green space?

This is a very broad question. It depends upon what green space you are referring to and what kind of development you are including in this question. Not all green space lends itself to development. If this question is referring to the Buffalo Grove Golf Course, we must remember that the Buffalo Grove Golf Course is a flood control area with lots of water running off from it. Just visit the BGGC after a heavy rain or thunderstorm. There is water everywhere! The cost to fix this is anywhere from $100,000,000 to $180,000,000.

Some of our volunteer groups (commissions, committees) have seen shrinking membership. What would you do to engage the community on a broader scale? What would you do to encourage broader demographic participation?

Some of our committees and commissions have been around for a very long time. We need to update them, make changes, encourage new people to join and start some new committees and commissions. Just today (March 6), I told the village manager, Dane Bragg, that I want to have a new commission for the purpose of welcoming new residents into the village and providing new residents with information about the village. I would encourage broader demographic participation on this commission. I will look into coming up with new Committees and Commissions for the Village of Buffalo Grove.

There is a proposal to add a "Community Engagement Director" to the village staff. Do you think it is needed? Explain why or why not.

Community engagement is very important. This was one of my campaign issues four years ago. Our residents are now involved in important decisions made by the village Board in Buffalo Grove. Our residents were involved in the Prairies View Metra Station Plan and the Lake Cook Road Market Study and Plan. Lake Cook Road was the largest study ever done in the Village of Buffalo Grove. Our residents filled out questionnaires and shared their opinions and pros and cons of the projects. There were meetings where they could see the renditions of the plans. The citizen engagement was very productive and successful. We have accomplished all of this without a Community Engagement Director. Now, I need to see more information about the job description of the Community Engagement Director they want to hire and why there is now computers technology involved with the job. That’s not how this job started out.

Do you think the village communicates well with residents? If not, how can it be improved?

The village communicates very well with its residents and is very transparent. We communicate in the following ways: The village sends out E-news every Thursday, village Newsletter Magazine 6 times a year, Twitter, Facebook. Our Board Meetings are televised. Our COW Meetings (Committee of The Whole Meetings) are not televised. The meetings were moved from downstairs up to the main meeting room. In this way, more people could be comfortably accommodated. These COW meetings are very informal and have a workshop type of environment. We don’t sit on the dais and have a more unstructured approach. The village is the only taxing body that televises any of its meetings; the village also publishes the entire agenda on line. The other taxing bodies publish a one-page agenda, just listing the items to be discussed. The village includes all of the pages and documents that each Board member will receive, no matter how many pages are in the agenda. Our residents see what the Board sees. We are also the only taxing body that publishes the entire budget on line. No final decisions are made at a COW Meetings.

Final thoughts -- Add any information or comments about your candidacy.

I am the best candidate for President of the Village of Buffalo Grove. I have a history of service to the Village of Buffalo Grove. I listen to all sides of an issue before making a decision. I want to maintain a good level of services while maintaining a balanced budget and keeping our taxes down. I want everything to be transparent. I have leadership skills, abilities and expertise necessary to do the job. I am a leader when I have to be. I let our manager do his job and staff do their jobs. I don’t micromanage them. To be a good leader, everyone should be heard. I am available 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. I have had my personal telephone number on my business card for ten years, since I was first elected as a Trustee. I am very proud of the fact that we have involved our residents, citizen engagement, in the decision -making process for the first time ever. For the past four years as President, I have been very successful and have had many accomplishments and successes for the Village of Buffalo Grove. I will not run the Village of Buffalo Grove as I, but as we, not forgetting the Trustees, Village Manager. Department Heads and staff who all work together to make this village the wonderful place it is. These people are all responsible for all of my accomplishments and successes. It takes a village!

Meet the candidate: Dave Weidenfeld

Editor's note --This is the ninth in a series of profiles of candidates for Buffalo Grove Village Board positions.  Candidates for Village Trustee will be featured first followed by candidates for Village President. All candidates received the same questionnaire.  Their answers appear verbatim without any added editorial comments or interpretation. This is done so readers can read direct answers from each candidate.  Profiles will be posted in alphabetical order.
  --- Stan Zoller

Candidate's name:

David Weidenfeld

Candidate for:

Village Board Trustee

How long have you lived in Buffalo Grove? 

Since 1985

Please provide brief background information.

I started practicing law in Illinois in 1977. I spent almost five years in the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office, primarily focusing on civil matters and representing various elected officials. I also handled virtually all of the office’s matters in federal Court, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Subsequent to that I worked in various roles at McDonald’s Corporation for 24 years, initially managing litigation matters and eventually becoming Managing Counsel for Global Technology acquisitions. After McDonald’s I became the Vice President for Business Management at ACS (subsequently Xerox Business Services), where I managed a staff of approximately 150 people around the world who focused on acquiring technology for internal use and external use for clients.

Have you served on a village committee or commission before? If yes, which one and how long did you serve? 

Village Trustee from 2015 to the present.

What other civic activities, if any, have you been involved with? 

OMNI Youth Services 1985 to the present. Served on the Board of Directors from 1985 to 1993 and since then on the Board of Ambassadors. Chaired the annual benefit four times. Member of the Remy Bumppo Theater Company Board of Directors for seven years. Served three years as the Board Secretary. Current volunteer at Young at Heart Senior Pet Rescue. Selected as a Guardian for a Vietnam Veteran for a Lake County Honor Flight.

Why are you running for a Village Board position? 

I believe that I played a significant part in changing the Village Board from a reactive body to a proactive body that defines goals and needs before making decisions. Bringing Woodman’s to Buffalo Grove is an example of the benefit of this approach. For decades anyone driving along Deerfield Parkway saw a “Coming Soon—Berenesa Plaza” sign and a large vacant piece of property. Instead of continuing to wait, the Board convened a meeting at Woodman’s in Wisconsin and met with Phil Woodman to talk about opening in Buffalo Grove. Mr. Woodman indicated that this was the first time a town had come to meet with him in this manner. When the ground-breaking in Buffalo Grove occurred Mr. Woodman cited the Village’s effort to come to Wisconsin as a factor in his decision to open in Buffalo Grove. I also drove the effort to include real citizen engagement as an integral part of the decision-making process on major Village initiatives. This has translated into hundreds of Buffalo Grove residents participating in drafting the vision and plans for both the Lake Cook Corridor and, more recently, the Prairie View area. I want to do what I can to ensure that these changes become part of the Village’s standard operating approach.

In general, what do you see as the most pressing issues facing Buffalo Grove? 

There are a number of critical issues facing Buffalo Grove. The most obvious one is the dire financial situation of the State of Illinois and the impact that it is likely to have on Buffalo Grove and other units of local government throughout the State. The Sate’s ongoing failure to properly fund pension systems places continual pressure on it to divert local revenues to solve its self-created problems. This makes it increasingly difficult for municipalities to maintain infrastructure and provide basic services as they have to divert very large sums just to keep pace with the underfunding of the pensions. The second major issue is the maintenance of the water and sewer infrastructure. For years Buffalo Grove did not charge a sufficient fee for water that would have enabled it to build a reserve to pay for that maintenance. Over the last couple of years, a stormwater management fee has been implemented to begin to build that reserve and water rates now reflect actual costs to the Village.

There has been considerable discussion for years about economic development in the village. What kind of economic development (retail, commercial, industrial) do you think should be a priority and why? 

As I’ve said numerous times, economic development encompasses everything contributes to the overall economic health and well-being of Buffalo Grove. Given that, I do not believe that any one approach (retail vs. commercial vs. industrial) should be prioritized over another because they are all essential to Buffalo’s Grove’s economic health. Instead, we should look at all of them on an ongoing basis and plan on growing all of them. These efforts will likely bear fruit at different times, but that does not mean we should lose focus on those areas that take longer. As various efforts come to fruition (Woodman’s, various new tenants in the Industrial area, development south of Woodman’s) they will by necessity receive more immediate attention to ensure that they get completed and succeed. At the same time, we have to keep up efforts in other parts of the Village to do what we can to help those areas grow and succeed.

Which business development plan do you think should be a priority? Lake-Cook Road corridor, Dundee Road, Milwaukee Avenue or the Prairie View concept? 

The four examples cited will likely proceed at different paces. The Village has sufficient staff to focus on each one of them in the timeframe that is needed, so I do not believe that any of them should be ignored because another area has a more immediate need. For example, the Village has just begun the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan. As part of that effort specific focus will directed toward both the Dundee Road and Milwaukee Avenue sub-areas. The process will include significant opportunity for the community to participate and contribute to the end result. While the process does not preclude redevelopment from occurring prior to the completion of the process (such as is occurring in the area on Milwaukee Avenue adjacent to Woodman’s) it is essential to the success of the Comprehensive Plan process that the Village not decide on a final overall strategy before all the facts and data are in. In regard to Lake Cook and Prairie View, those plans are either complete or on the verge of being finalized so more immediate attention is needed. Some progress has already been made on the Lake Cook Corridor with the planned redevelopment of the NCH property on Lake Cook between 83 and Weiland. The Prairie View concept looks to be the smallest in scale so it may produce more immediate results.

How do you think the village should encourage redevelopment of existing retail areas that are struggling? 

Updating the Comprehensive Plan will provide some direction. We learned a lot from the Lake Cook study that is applicable across the entire Village. The Village was basically built as developments and strip malls, and what we learned in the Lake Cook process told us that strip malls have a tendency to place the actual business so far from the road (literally separated from the road by a sea of parking spaces) that the business itself has limited visibility and is thus less able to attract customers. A lot of research was provided by our commercial real estate experts that we can use to work with local commercial/retail property owners (some of whom were involved in drafting the Lake Cook Corridor Plan by serving on the Steering Committee for the effort) to make sure that they can take advantage of that information.

Should the village limit development to preserve green space? 

I think the preservation of green space is essential to maintaining the quality of life in Buffalo Grove. It so important to recognize that the Village’s ownership of green space is primarily limited to the two golf courses, both of which serve multiple purposes. In addition to providing visible green amongst housing and commercial areas, they provide recreational opportunities for residents and also attract visitors from outside of Buffalo Grove and importantly serve as flood control and/or water diversion areas. Anyone who has ever played golf at Arboretum has noticed that errant shots have an annoying tendency to roll right into the creeks that flow through most of it. That tendency also directs storm water away from the homes in the area of the course and into the same creeks. Likewise, at Buffalo Grove Golf Course heavy rains tend to produce a phenomenon commonly referred to as “Lake Buffalo Grove”. This again keeps water in an area that can absorb it or allow it to eventually flow into Buffalo Creek instead of ending up in the surrounding homes’ basements.

Some of our volunteer groups (commissions, committees) have seen shrinking membership. What would you do to engage the community on a broader scale? What would you do to encourage broader demographic participation? 

There is no doubt in my mind that we have to do more to reach out to the community to broaden the membership on committees and commissions. The Board recognized this and made increased community engagement one of its goals for this year. Community Engagement itself means that the Village will develop and maintain connections to all segments of the community. Those connections will be the starting point for how we can build committee and commission membership to more closely resemble the community and provide everyone in the community with a sense of ownership of the overall health and wellbeing of the community.

There is a proposal to add a "Community Engagement Director" to the village staff. Do you think it is needed? Explain why or why not. 

The Village has already adopted a goal of improving community engagement. The real question is how. There are two approaches that the Board is still debating. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Hiring an additional person provides the benefit of retaining knowledge and having someone dedicated to creating and maintaining relationships that are created. It also reduces the budget for projects within the Village that require community engagement to be successful. On the downside, a staff position is added, with all of the short- and long-term costs associated with doing that. Village staff has indicated that there is inadequate existing staff time available to manage this function. The alternative is to manage community engagement via consultants, to be done as projects come along that require community engagement. No long-term position is created and none of the short- and long-term costs associated with doing that are incurred. The downside to this approach is the difficulty in maintaining the knowledge and the relationships that may be created. It also means that given the existing staff limitations it will be difficult to achieve all of the defined tasks that are a part of community engagement. I do not believe that we can be successful by continuing to engage consultants to achieve our goals. We either need to rearrange staff workloads or hire someone. That decision needs to be made soon because I do believe that improved community engagement is essential.

Do you think the Village communicates well with residents? If not, how can it be improved? 

I think that the Village is currently using every available avenue to communicate with residents, from mailing the Village News to everyone and also sending e-copies to anyone who asks for it, to post on social media, from Facebook to Nextdoor, to forwarding information to local groups such as the Chamber of Commerce for them to publicize. This approach also applies to every project of significance such as the Lake Cook Corridor Study and the Prairie View study and will be utilized in the Comprehensive Plan update process. Given the large turnout at the various sessions for Lake Cook and Prairie View this approach was successful. If other communications vehicles become available, we need to pursue them.

Final thoughts -- Add any information or comments about your candidacy. 

I believe that I’ve been a significant contributor in changing how the Village does business in terms of being proactive instead of reactive in the area of economic development. I also believe that I have contributed greatly to the inclusion of substantial community engagement as part of the decision-making process on projects that will create the future of Buffalo Grove.

Meet the candidate: Lawrence Steingold

Editor's note --This is the NUMBER in a series of profiles of candidates for Buffalo Grove Village Board positions.  Candidates for Village Trustee will be featured first followed by candidates for Village President. All candidates received the same questionnaire.  Their answers appear verbatim without any added editorial comments or interpretation. This is done so readers can read direct answers from each candidate.  Profiles will be posted in alphabetical order.
  --- Stan Zoller

Candidate's name:

Lawrence Steingold

Candidate for:

Village Board Trustee

How long have you lived in Buffalo Grove? 

30 years

Please provide brief background information. 

I live in Buffalo Grove with my wife Eva, our three daughters, and dog Gizmo. I have a degree in Biochemistry (Indiana U.), master’s in chemistry (Washington U., in St. Louis), and Law Degree (Chicago Kent College of Law). I have been a practicing attorney for close to 16 years, Prior to law school, I was a nuclear chemist. Currently, as an attorney, I negotiate and deal with retail property development on a daily basis, including leases and build out of properties. In my free time, I tutor high school students in Chemistry, Physics, Math, Biology, ACT and SAT.

Have you served on a village committee or commission before? If yes, which one and how long did you serve? 

I have served on the Zoning Board of Appeals for about 2-3 years.

What other civic activities, if any, have you been involved with? 

I served on the Board of Directors for the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, along with the Board of Directors for JCYS. In addition, I was the past president of my local synagogue.

Why are you running for a Village Board position? 

I am running for Trustee to bring experience, knowledge, and direction to the Board. I have experience and direction on retail economic development. I believe that spending millions of dollars to redesign a flood plain does not make economic sense, so keep the golf course green. Finally, I have the legal experience and knowledge on how to effectuate the economic development the village needs.

In general, what do you see as the most pressing issues facing Buffalo Grove? 

The most pressing issue currently is the village's future economic development. I anticipate the increase in tax revenue with help ease the property tax burden. The village has a plan but needs a trustee with experience and direction on how to place the plan in action. I believe my experience in retail development can help the village.

There has been considerable discussion for years about economic development in the village. What kind of economic development (retail, commercial, industrial) do you think should be a priority and why? 

The recent trend around the country is towards mixed use development. Mall foot traffic is substantially down for a number of reasons (internet sales and mixed-use developments). As an attorney, I work for retail development and negotiate against property management. I hope to bring experience, knowledge, and direction on dealing with the three vacant property sites to the Trustees.

Which business development plan do you think should be a priority? Lake-Cook Road corridor, Dundee Road, Milwaukee Avenue or the Prairie View concept? 

The initial focus should be the Lake-Cook Road corridor. This can set precedence for the remaining locations. We need to negotiate from the strongest position and use the momentum of one location to influence the others. Granted each location has its own issues, the overall direction of economic growth starts at the center of our village, Town Center.

How do you think the village should encourage redevelopment of existing retail areas that are struggling? 

As an attorney, I have knowledge of the legal resources available for redevelopment, including business district redevelopment laws. We should consider using the taxation power, and even eminent domain. When negotiating with property management and owners, the village must negotiate from a position of strength. Once you reduce your options, you negotiate from a weaker position.

Should the village limit development to preserve green space? 

I am against any development on the BG golf course. The cost to redirect the flood plain is too substantial. The potential benefit is minimal compared to the costs involved.

Some of our volunteer groups (commissions, committees) have seen shrinking membership. What would you do to engage the community on a broader scale? What would you do to encourage broader demographic participation? 

Inclusion and diversity is an absolute necessity for our village to run. I believe we should start with the high schools and become more cooperative with the schools and entice students and their families to become involved.

There is a proposal to add a "Community Engagement Director" to the village staff. Do you think it is needed? Explain why or why not. 

The village must consider the salary, description of job, and expected results. There is a purpose and benefit of a community engagement director but needs to be defined and within a reasonable budget.

Do you think the Village communicates well with residents? If not, how can it be improved? 

I believe we should have a broader use of social media can help communicate more information with residents.

Final thoughts -- Add any information or comments about your candidacy. 

I am running because, after 30 years, I want to see economic growth in our village. When I went to Stevenson ('92), Town Center was still Town Center. I am running to use my knowledge, experience, direction, and love for Buffalo Grove to build a community my children to call home. 

Meet the Candidate: Eric Smith

Editor's note --This is the seventh in a series of profiles of candidates for Buffalo Grove Village Board positions.  Candidates for Village Trustee will be featured first followed by candidates for Village President. All candidates received the same questionnaire.  Their answers appear verbatim without any added editorial comments or interpretation. This is done so readers can read direct answers from each candidate.  Profiles will be posted in alphabetical order.
  --- Stan Zoller

Candidate's name:

Eric Smith

Candidate for:

Village Board Trustee

How long have you lived in Buffalo Grove? 

30 years

Please provide brief background information.

I moved to Buffalo Grove in 1988. I established my chiropractic practice here and immediately joined the B.G. Chamber of Commerce and B.G. Rotary Club. I have been a member of both organizations since then and have served on the Board of Directors for each, including as President. My wife Judie and I raised our three children here. My daughter, Alexis, and her husband are raising one of my grandchildren in B.G. Alexis currently serves on the Commission for Residents with Disabilities.

Have you served on a village committee or commission before? If yes, which one and how long did you serve? 

I have served on many Village committees and commissions. I served on the Board of Health, Appearance Commission, Plan Commission, and as Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission. I also served on the Lake Cook Corridor Plan steering committee and the Prairie View Station Plan steering committee. Up until my appointment as Trustee, I have served on these various commission during the entire time I have been a resident of Buffalo Grove.

What other civic activities, if any, have you been involved with? 

I have been a 30-year member and former President of the Buffalo Grove Chamber of Commerce. I have been a 30-year member and former President of the Buffalo Grove Rotary Club. I am a former volunteer basketball coach in the Buffalo Grove Park District. I have also served on the Jewish Community Center Board of Directors.

Why are you running for a Village Board position? 

I am running to retain my current seat on the Village Board because I love this community and I enjoy serving. I am running because I have the experience and qualifications necessary to do the job. I am able to listen to all sides of an issue without predetermined opinion. I am analytical and I research and weigh all information presented to the Board before making a thoughtful decision which will best serve all residents of our Village. I have the experience, leadership, knowledge, and vision necessary to continue to be a successful Trustee.

In general, what do you see as the most pressing issues facing Buffalo Grove? 

Our aging infrastructure, including roads, water mains, and Village owned buildings, need to be addressed over the next few years. This ties into keeping our first-rate services at a high level while continuing to keep the Village's portion of the overall tax bill at a relatively low level. We also need to continue attracting and retaining new businesses in our commercial centers, as well as our industrial district.

There has been considerable discussion for years about economic development in the village.

What kind of economic development (retail, commercial, industrial) do you think should be a priority and why? 

We should continue to ensure that our industrial district remains at a 95% occupancy rate. The revenue derived from this district is rarely mentioned and under-appreciated. We should also continue to implement the Lake Cook Corridor Plan. We are already starting to see the benefits of this Plan with the redevelopment of the Northwest Community Healthcare property. And of course, the Village should continue to facilitate discussions between potential buyers and owners of the Town Center, Chase Plaza, and Rohrman properties.

Which business development plan do you think should be a priority? Lake-Cook Road corridor, Dundee Road, Milwaukee Avenue or the Prairie View concept? 

These are all priorities and are all being addressed on a daily basis by our Economic Development Director, his staff, and the current Board of Trustees. We must continue to try to facilitate deals, attract developers, and retain businesses in all of these areas.

How do you think the village should encourage redevelopment of existing retail areas that are struggling? 

The Village should continue to facilitate and be proactive in bringing potential buyers and sellers together to redevelop distressed retail areas. We also need to continue to encourage owners to redevelop their properties. We are also already seeing such redevelopments about to take place at Cambridge Commons and at the Northwest Community Healthcare sites.

Should the village limit development to preserve green space? 

Green space, open space, and areas where people can gather to shop, have a meal, or just relax are very important. We should continue to try to incorporate such spaces throughout the Village where possible.

Some of our volunteer groups (commissions, committees) have seen shrinking membership. What would you do to engage the community on a broader scale? What would you do to encourage broader demographic participation? 

Our Village is filled with talented, caring, and dedicated individuals. This is evidenced by the increase in civic engagement and community involvement. We are lucky to have numerous volunteer commissions that are often unknown to many residents and are under-represented by the young, diverse members of our community. I believe we can strengthen our sense of community, encourage social involvement, and provide a well-rounded sense of community to our residents by increasing the advertising, recruiting, and funding support of our community volunteer commissions and programs.

There is a proposal to add a "Community Engagement Director" to the village staff. Do you think it is needed? Explain why or why not. 

The survey that was conducted by many residents indicates a weakness in community engagement and communication on the part of the Village. Therefore, the concept of this job is a good one. I look forward to the development of a complete and thorough proposal that outlines a job description and qualifications of this position; however, until that is provided, I am unable to justify the expense for our taxpayers.

Do you think the Village communicates well with residents? If not, how can it be improved? 

We have made great strides in the last year to improve our communication with residents. Our new updated website rollout has been received well. I believe we can leverage this updated platform to increase communication and transparency for residents. We can also increase involvement of residents in our diverse array of volunteer commissions utilizing the new website.

Final thoughts -- Add any information or comments about your candidacy. 

I am a 30-year Buffalo Grove Rotarian and have always lived by Rotary's motto "Service above Self." I know firsthand the time and commitment necessary to be an effective Trustee and am willing and able to continue to put in the time and effort to effectively serve the residents of our community.