Ryan Block for Kirkland Village President – Candidate Questionnaire

Candidate’s Name: Ryan Block
Office you are seeking: Village President
Unit of Government: Village of Kirkland
Candidate’s website address: https://www.facebook.com/Ryan-Block-for-Village-President-142345562927911/?ref=bookmarks

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

Further explanation if necessary: I feel that multiple areas need to be investigated when it comes to budget adjustments. Both sides of the equation, revenue, and expenditures, need to be assessed during this evaluation. The critical component of this entire process is to ensure that the taxpayer’s money is being used responsibly by the board and leadership. I feel that raising taxes should be one of the last resorts to address major shortfalls in the budget. First, areas such as fee levels, expenditures, resources, etc. need to be evaluated and corrected as needed. We need to ensure that the fees are at appropriate levels compared to similar municipalities and collected on a timely basis. We need to evaluate expenditures and resources and ensure they fit the size of municipality we operate in and adjust if necessary. I don’t believe that utilizing TIF funds or Rainy Day funds are ever the solution for overcoming budget deficiencies. The leader and trustees need to work together to understand short-term and long-term requirements and assess how these will affect the budget.

Q3: What services would you seek to enhance or expand during your term?
I feel the most important service we provide to our community is public safety. This comes from a couple of main areas within a municipality – Police Department and Streets and Maintenance. The first area that needs to be evaluated is whether or not both these departments have the proper budget levels to achieve the required level of public safety. We will need to ensure we have the proper budget and resources within our Police department to serve our community. We will need to ensure these resources make the most financial sense for our taxpayers as well. The same goes with Streets and Maintenance, we need to ensure we have the resources, personnel, and supplies necessary for operation in our community. During the winter, do we have the right personnel, equipment, and supplies to clear the roads and make them safe for the community? During the summer, do we have the right personnel and resources in place to repair streets and sidewalks, mow parks and other municipality properties and manage other municipality functions (sewer and water)? I also feel we need to ensure we have the right services in place to attract new business and residents to our community. Growth, at a reasonable and responsible rate, is critical to ensuring the feasibility and future of our community. We need to have the services and resources in place to support and attract business growth to our community.

Q4: What services would you cut or reduce to balance the budget?
The first point of emphasis for reductions or cuts is that nothing will be cut or reduced to levels that put public safety at risk. This is not to say these areas are off limits, just that they will not be reduced to levels that create a risk to public safety within our community. Overall, all areas need to be assessed and evaluated as it relates to expenses, personnel, resources, and assets. I will work to ensure that all services being provided to the municipality are financially sound decisions and necessary for the functions of our community. If we conclude that existing services, resources, personnel or assets are greater than our needs, then reductions or cuts need to be made to get to the appropriate levels. Again, the importance is making sure that every dollar the taxpayer provides to the municipality is being used responsibly and in the best interest of the taxpayers.

Q5: What makes you uniquely qualified for the position you are seeking?
To be honest and upfront, I have very limited public service or political experience. I have never served on a municipality board but have served the past two years on the Hiawatha School Board as Board President. I feel that my education and character traits allow me to bring a lot to this potential position. Relative to education, I have completed my Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from NIU and Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Aurora University. The MBA provided insight to leadership, financial management, strategic planning, and operations management. I feel that leveraging this knowledge, along with working with my trustees, will allow me to make a sound decision for my community. I feel that my character traits also allow me to provide leadership for my community. I am hard working, strive for open communication and emphasize listening to the needs of others. I feel that I am open-minded and laid back and willing to accept others thoughts, opinions or assistance. I will never have all the answers and I will always continue to learn, so these experiences and interactions with the community will aid in my development.

Q6: What does open, transparent government mean to you?
I feel that these are separate entities that can be applied to any level of government. In the case of a municipality, an open government is one that allows their taxpayers and community members to have access to public documents, attending meetings and other relevant community data and information. Relative to a transparent government, I feel this relates to the accountability, openness, honesty, communication and integrity a municipality has with its taxpayers and community members. Bottom-line, there needs to be no secrets, dishonesty, irregularities or obstruction by a municipality government with the members of its community. There are some issues or matters discussed in Executive Session, so understandably these discussions must remain confidential. However, all other matters before the trustees and leadership in an Open forum or meeting, budget hearings, daily tasks, etc. should be conveyed openly and honestly with the community when requested.

Q7: What changes to your community are needed?
I feel that one of the top priorities for Kirkland is openness and honesty in its interactions and business. At times it seems that not all matters are being shared with the community or public in an open, honest way. As one of the earlier questions covers, it is critical to operating an open, transparent government. This would be one of the concerns that I would look to correct if successful with the election.

Another priority relative to change is strategic planning for the village. We need to understand where we stand on short-term and long-term needs, resources and assets within the community. These needs and requirements should be implemented into strategic plans that lay out potential roadblocks or issues that will have to be addressed to accomplish them. We will then need a process to layout financial requirements, personnel requirements, etc. in order to drive success for the village in the implementation and execution of these plans. I feel that today these plans do not exist and we have no view of the future needs of our community.

The last priority within our community relative to change is the promotion of growth. We have a subdivision that is only about a quarter through its development and currently on a building moratorium. This moratorium needs to be lifted and landowners need to be allowed to build on their properties. We have been fortunate to add Joey G’s Pizzeria, DeBenedetto’s Restaurant & Bar (Italian) and a Dollar General in the past year or so. In order for these businesses to stay relevant and open we need to have the public base to support them. Therefore, we need to promote responsible growth to increase the tax base through both property tax and sales tax from business.