GL_031617

8 | March 16, 2017 | The glenview lantern Election 2017
glenviewlantern.com
Glenview Village Board (4 candidates, 3 seats)
Name: Deborah (Debby) Karton
Age: 50
Occupation:
President, National
Benefit Administrators
Past local government/relative
experience: I Karton
have been serving
as a village trustee since 2005.
In this role, I was an early advocate
for the widening of Willow
Road through Northfield,
as well as working with IDOT
and local legislators. One of my
priorities as a board member
has been maintaining our commitment
to keeping property
taxes low. Glenview’s residential
property taxes, per capita,
are the lowest of the 19 surrounding
communities in the
area. I have been a champion
for Glenview’s leadership on
our municipal partnering initiative.
Finally, I have looked
for opportunities for our community
to go “green,” and was
instrumental in the placement of
recycling containers in Village
buildings.
What do you see as the biggest
issue facing the Village
of Glenview and how do you
plan to approach it during
your term?
The current budget stalemate in
Springfield will have tremendous
impact on Glenview. We
rely on the State of Illinois for
a variety of funds, including the
local government distributive
fund, sales taxes and Personal
Property Replacement Tax, and
they also mandate service/pricing/benefit
levels that Village
residents must pay, which effect
the price of our construction
projects, pensions and employee
benefit packages. The state
has already started reducing the
amount of money distributed
to the municipalities, so it will
be our challenge to keep service
levels stable without adding
an undue tax burden to our
taxpayers. This is consistent
with my successful track record
of working with staff to innovate
the way Village services
are delivered all while keeping
the tax burden relatively
stable.
What makes you a top candidate
for this position?
In addition to my roles that I outlined
above, I have developed a
reputation for asking probing
questions of the staff, such as
“Is this the most efficient way
to use our taxpayer’s money”
and “Is there another way to do
this that would produce a better
outcome?”
With my leadership and service
over the past 12 years, I
will be a partner to assuring
that we have a smooth transition
with our new village manager
later this year. There is no
one more committed to making
Glenview a premier community
for our residents and businesses,
and for our many visitors who
enjoy our shopping and restaurants.
Name: Karim Khoja
Age: 42
Occupation:
President/
CEO of Northshore
Management
Group,
which owns 70
Dunkin’ Donuts
in the Chicagoland
area
Khoja
Past Local government/
relative experience: I am
currently a board member on
the Glenbrook South Booster
Club. I have been chairman of
the Economic Planning Board
for the Midwest for my faith
community. I have also been
vice chair for the Midwest
AKF, a charity that is known
worldwide. I have also been
on the “other side of the dais”
in getting development approvals
approved by different
communities for many of my
stores and shopping centers. I
understand development from
a developer’s perspective.
What do you see as the biggest
issue facing the Village
of Glenview and how do you
plan to approach it during
your term?
Glenview is a great place to
live and work. A major objective
is to help keep it that way.
One of my major concerns is
the railroad holding track proposal
and the impact it will
have on the citizens of Glenview.
I know that the Village
has strongly opposed this initiative
and I fully support those
efforts. I also feel the current
budget issues in Springfield
will have an impact on Glenview.
We need the historical
funds from the state of Illinois
for a variety of things and
those funds could be impacted
by an ultimate budget “deal.”
It will be my, and the Board’s,
challenge to keep service at
current levels without adding
an undue tax burden to the
residents of Glenview.
What makes you a top candidate
for this position?
My family came to this country
with literally nothing. We
have worked hard and now
employ hundreds of workers
in Glenview and surrounding
communities, and we are
truly the classic reflection of
the American Dream. I am
a business owner with more
than 1,000 employees. I think
my business management
skills will be very valuable
in helping oversee what is a
complex $150-million business.
We have a trustee with
strong financial skills retiring
from the board, and I hope I
can backfill some of the skills
he provided. I know how to
balance budgets and read financial
statements. I hope to
bring these traits to the Village
of Glenview.
Name: Vince Spalo
Age: 41
Occupation: Firefighter/paramedic
— Glenview Fire
Department
Past local government/relative
experience:
Worked as an
Spalo
aide to Cook County Commissioner
Peter Silvestri from 1997-2001
What do you see as the biggest
issue facing the Village of Glenview
and how do you plan to approach
it during your term?
I believe that the selection and
compensation of the next village
manager, and the overall valuation
and philosophy of Village Services,
are our biggest issues. The
Village is in outstanding financial
shape. The question, as I see it, is
whether we prioritize paying exorbitant
bonuses to the manager
and department heads or reinvest
From the Village
Project of the Year
The Village of Glenview was
presented the Flood Risk Reduction
Project of the Year award by
the Illinois Association for Floodplain
and Stormwater Managers at
its annual meeting.
The project permanently solved
the frequent and long-standing
flooding endured by a neighborhood
constructed inside the
flood way of the West Fork of
in our service capacities and our
downtown re-development, which
is what I feel drives Glenview’s
ability to support a positive business
and residential community.
Village Manager Todd Hileman
was tasked with running the Village
like a Fortune 500 company.
As a result, the service levels have
been reduced across the board
from public works to public safety.
Residents see that their streets are
not swept as often, and definitely
not as well, as they once were.
Downed tree limbs and sewer grate
obstructions aren’t attended to as
quickly. Water main breaks are
fixed “in stages” to avoid overtime
instead of addressing the problem
immediately. We are paying
a guaranteed $375,000 for private
snow removal this year in 5-of-12
designated areas in town. How
many times did you see a plow this
winter? I’m committed to reevaluating
whether this type of private
the North Branch of the Chicago
River. The collaborative venture
involved the Village, the Metropolitan
Water Reclamation District
of Greater Chicago and the
Illinois Emergency Management
Agency.
contracting is the best option,
or if we are better off financially
and satisfaction-wise handling
through our own Village. The Citizen
survey notes that residents are
concerned with the lack of police
visibility in their neighborhoods.
These are the concerns that should
drive the Board’s agenda.
What makes you a top candidate
for this position?
As the only independent running,
I have nobody but the residents to
answer to. In my role as a firefighter,
I am in every corner of this great
community. I interact with every
demographic, from newborns to
centenarians. I’m able to see what
is working and what needs attention
here in Glenview. I pledge to
listen to community concerns and
advocate on behalf of the residents
so Glenview continues to be one of
the best communities in which to
live, work and play.
Map Madness
Every Monday in March, the
Village will feature a GIS map
and mapping tools on its Facebook
and Twitter pages. These
maps can help you learn more
about the community and tap into
various Village data sets. The map
with the most likes and/or comments
will be crowned the champion.
The first contender was Available
Properties Interactive Map.
Compiled from E-Glenview newsletter.