Rebecca Edwards for Sycamore Township Trustee – Candidate Questionnaire

Rebecca Edwards

Candidate’s Name: Rebecca Edwards
Office you are seeking: Trustee
Unit of Government: Sycamore Township
Candidate’s website address: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaforTrustee/

Q2: Response to the budget crunch

• Unfortunately, taxes and fees must be increased to meet expenditures. Disagree
• Expenditures must be reduced to meet the revenue. It’s that simple. Agree
• Taxes are high enough so let’s raise fees. Uncertain
• This is a time to lean on staff for their recommendations. Disagree
• It’s time to hire a consultant and get a report that will guide us through these tough times. Strongly Disagree
• Hold the line on taxes. Use the rainy day fund to cover expenses. Things have got to get better. Disagree

Comment: I do not think always raising taxes is the answer. These are not cut & dry solutions for the Sycamore Township Trustee budget. Sycamore Township does not have a budget crunch and does not run on a deficit. What I’m concerned about is how the funds are utilized.

Q3: What services would you seek to enhance or expand during your term?
I would like to see the Sycamore Township website and social media platforms updated on a more consistent basis so that the taxpayers can have the latest information applicable to Township business. I would like to see Township meetings become more welcoming to taxpayers who choose to sit in on the meetings, and I would like to see the Trustees use funds in such a manner that more Sycamore Township not-for-profits and residents are benefiting from the money, instead of the majority of the funds being distributed to DeKalb and Cortland businesses or agencies.

Q4: What services would you cut or reduce to balance the budget?
The Sycamore Township budget is currently balanced, which I think is a great thing! However, I would like to make sure that the Sycamore Township budget and the Highway Commissioner budget remain balanced in the future so that we can continue to provide services for the maintenance of our roads, bridges and also general population assistance.

Q5: What makes you uniquely qualified for the position you are seeking?
I live in Sycamore & Sycamore Township and care about this community, which has been a home to me and my family for 14 years. I have served as a Market Team Leader for Gift for Sight for ten years, Volunteer and advocate for Special Olympics for 12+ years, volunteer for the Sycamore Sports Boosters raising money for “The Love of the Game,” volunteer with Feed My Starving Children, assist local Lions Clubs to assure kids and families receive glasses, volunteered for the Opportunity House / KSRA Benefit Auction and various projects, and have volunteered at sporting events and support my children’s many activities and clubs including: Best Buddies, Sycamore FFA, Sycamore Wrestling, Rugby, Soccer, Girl’s Bowling and Girl’s Track. I have worked in Sycamore for the last eight years as an Office Manager for a successful optometry practice and I feel that I’m in-tune with many of the not-for-profits within the Township. I care about where our hard-earned tax dollars are being spent, I am fiscally responsible and I appreciate hard work and a job well done.

Q6: What does open, transparent government mean to you?
According to BallotPedia.org, “Openness, accountability, and honesty define government transparency. Transparency is government’s obligation to share information with citizens. It is at the heart of how citizens hold their public officials accountable.” I wholeheartedly agree with this definition and think that the Sycamore Township Trustee Board needs to be more transparent in sharing information with citizens.

Q7: What changes to your community are needed?
The last six Trustee meetings I have attended lasted less than fifteen minutes each. While I think that time is money, I also believe it would be more beneficial to spend at least an hour per week discussing the issues at hand, making sure bills are seen and paid in a timely manner, see that matched proposals are acted upon and choose the best solutions for Sycamore citizens. I cannot, in good conscience, accept the stipend for meetings if the meetings are rushed through and citizens are not given a chance to ask questions or present ideas to the Board. The Township Board should conduct itself above reproach to the tax-payers. The citizens of Sycamore Township have a right to know what the Board does in its meetings and to know about the budget and spending, prior to approval. It’s time for the Sycamore Trustee Board to change and to gain some fresh perspectives. On the other hand, I would still like to continue the good work that the current Trustee Board has begun by helping people and businesses in our community.