A Community Leader's Vision for Elk Grove Village's Future

As a 70-year-old retiree, current village trustee, and part-time adjunct instructor at Harper College, Bio Town has dedicated 45.5 years of his life to serving Elk Grove Village. His commitment to the community was evident in his responses to various questions, showcasing his in-depth knowledge of the village's finances, infrastructure, and community needs. Town's vision for the village's future focuses on addressing critical issues such as qualified candidate recruitment, employee retention, and infrastructure development.

Key Takeaways:

• Town believes the lack of qualified candidates for public sector jobs is a serious issue, affecting local law enforcement and other departments. He suggests recruiting better candidates and developing a retention plan to improve the quality of municipal employees.
• The village is in a good financial position due to the diversity of businesses, including the largest business park in North America, which has survived COVID and continues to thrive. Town attributes the financial success to the village's commitment to attracting new businesses and helping current businesses expand.
• The top priorities for spending in the next four years are infrastructure maintenance, developing a village employee recruitment and retention plan, and keeping the business park vital through marketing initiatives and assisting businesses with employee recruitment and retention.
• Town suggests trimming spending if the village's financial situation deteriorates, focusing on projects with the least negative impact on the community and available funds.
• He emphasizes the importance of a participatory leadership style, involving staff in major policy development and implementation, to ensure all aspects of policy are discussed openly and views of others considered.
• Town's experience as a deputy police chief and police chief has given him a deep understanding of the village's workings, making him an effective candidate for the job.
• One of his unspoken ideas is to prepare the community for the future by addressing the impact of driverless vehicles on transportation, infrastructure, and local businesses, including the potential transition to electric vehicles.

Statistics:

• The village currently has a vacancy rate less than 2% in its business park.
• The village has a preventive maintenance program for street maintenance, sewer maintenance, and yard drainage issues, and a sidewalk maintenance program.
• Town served as deputy police chief and police chief for 41.5 years, with 4 years as a village trustee.

Sources:

• (Interview with Bio Town, Village Trustee)
• (Statement from Bio Town's campaign website)

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