Position for which you are a candidate: Sleepy Hollow Village Board

1. I am seeking the position of Village Trustee of Sleepy Hollow because I feel I can best represent the shared interests of my fellow neighbors. I have been a resident of Sleepy Hollow for 33 years. In those 33 years, my wife and I have raised my 2 wonderful kids and made many friends who live in the neighborhood. I have a good understanding of what the residents as a whole want in their Village board. They want someone who will work towards keeping our neighborhood safe, services secure, public finances in check, and the Village as a whole, being well maintained. They would like their property values to continue increasing, while also keeping the unique charm and character that only Sleepy Hollow can deliver. There are very few communities that offer what Sleepy Hollow has to offer. Open spaces with rolling hills mixed with larger custom- built homes. The challenge for Sleepy Hollow is how to afford all of the public services a Village of this size requires. Sleepy Hollow has a population of 3,131 (2023) with approximately 1,100 rooftops. The hard part is we have only 16 businesses. From a sales tax perspective, this is a challenge.

What experience and background do you have which qualifies you for this position?

2. I am a recently retired (2023) 30-year employee of Porsche Cars North America. I have a background in finance and vehicle distribution. I have a Bachelors Degree in Economics. I am a member of the Sleepy Hollow Planning and Zoning Committee; a member of the Finance Committee; I am the Economic Development liaison for the Village; I am a board member of the Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce, representing Sleepy Hollow; and I volunteer with the public works department in the summer to help maintain the landscaping in and around the village.

What will be your highest priorities if elected?

3. Priorities for me include expanding our businesses within Sleepy Hollow. We have limited commercial development space available. We need to work to complete all remaining sites and grow our existing businesses. We need for our businesses to feel welcomed and respected as well as our residents. The Village has never had someone who devoted the time to getting to know our businesses in the past. I worked with automobile dealers for 30 years in growing their business. This skill set comes naturally to me and I enjoy developing relationships with the business owners. One other priority is updating our water infrastructure on the east side of the village. The system is past its useful life and is in need of an update. This will be a large expense for the village but in the long run will save us money on constantly repairing broken water lines. The village has recently approved the position of Village Administrator. I look forward to having a part in selecting the right candidate

I will participate in the candidate meet & greet: