Michael Tyrrell, Campton Hills Village President election questionnaire

Full Name: Tyrrell Michael

What office are you seeking? President - Village of Campton Hills

What is your political party? Non-Partisan

What is your current age? 72

Occupation and Employer: Retired from business.

What offices, if any, have you previously held? Trustee - Village of Campton Hills

President - Village of Campton Hills

City: Campton Hills

Campaign Website: No

Education: BA- DePaul University

Community involvement: E-3, Inc. - current president; Garfield Cemetery [31 years- president over 15 years]; Campton Township Open Space Committee [Referendum and Acquisition - volunteer 2000-2004]; Campton Township Planning Commission [volunteer 2013-2015].

Marital status/Immediate family: Single. Two adult children.

Why are you running for office?

Campton Hills is now entering its 16th year. In its formative years there were the expected ‘growing pains’. In the past 4 years, as president, we have completed several tasks and goals to bring stability and financial security to the Village. This comes with managing resources and building solid teams.

Finding, matching, and appointing citizen volunteers (nearly 30) to our 6 committees is essential to achieving those goals. Our Village now has twice the financial reserves of 4 years ago! With that financial security, it is now possible to focus on the number of road miles for road reconstruction. For the first 13 years the Village repaved roughly 2 miles/year. In my first year we doubled those miles. Our current projection for this coming year is 8+ miles.

Building on this foundation while committing to the preservation of the semi-rural agricultural environment --Quality of Life -- is why I am running.

What makes you qualified for the office you’re seeking?

A a nearly 40 year resident I have see the challenges that our community faces. This office is not about sound bytes and cliches. It’s about rolling up your sleeves. I believe that my resume (prior question) and achievements, for the Village, in the past 4 years speaks to that.

It’s about Leadership and team building. Yes, its about listening, facing the challenges, building consensus, and moving forward. Fostering a collaborative environment is essential.

Ultimately, it is about avoiding special interests and focusing on the long term picture which serve the greatest number of residents.

I believe that my years of community knowledge, engagement, experience, dedication, and service underscore those qualifications.

What is your position on the Illinois weapons ban that took effect in January 2023?

As with 1081 (83%) of the municipalities in Illinois, Campton Hills, by law, has no legislative powers in this matter.

Campton Hills has achieved the status of the ‘Safest Community’ in Illinois multiple times in the past several years. This is something that emanates from a community that takes pride in the Village that we all call home and is founded in Respect. The tragic loss of life in Highland Park, this past year however, should cause all of us to take pause. A safe community just doesn’t happen.

Whether cars or weapons, individual responsibility is required.

For now, this matter is in the courts.

Is crime a problem in your community and, if so, what would you do to curb it?

No, not in Campton Hills . ‘Crime’ exists everywhere. It is the type, level, intensity and frequency that differentiates safe from unsafe communities.

Campton Hills continues to be among the safest in Illinois. A few years ago we achieved #2 in the nation.

A community engaged with our outstanding, service oriented, police department contribute to that ‘Safest Community’ recognition.

What is your assessment of how the COVID-19 pandemic was handled locally?

Education and individual responsibility played a key roll on the impact of Covid-19. That kept our risks very low.

What did you learn from the pandemic?

How strong our community is. Respect for individuals, their choices and the community volunteer care for those who were in need, was the shining star during a most difficult time.

How would you spur economic development in your community?

Campton Hills is predominately a semi-rural community. The core of Village is the historic Wasco district which has the only central sewer and water services. The Wasco Sanitary District is independent of the Village and is in fact approaching capacity limitations. This limits commercial growth.

Economically, Campton Hills is in an excellent financial position. We have no debt! Our financial reserves have doubled within the past 4 years. Additionally, we are the largest municipality in Kane County with NO municipal tax.

Would/can/should local governments do anything to help reduce the tax burden on residents?

Campton Hills does not have a municipal tax.

Do you support recreational marijuana being sold in your community to help lower residents’ tax burden?

Our residents have told us that they do not want the sale of marijuana in our community. There is no advantage to this type of sale as there is no municipal tax to reduce.

What projects or infrastructure would you look to address in your community and how would you do it?

We are in the final phases of converting a former law office to a proper Village Hall and Police Department. Isolating police operations and detainee holding cells from administration areas has been an vital objective to ensuring safety for Village staff and improving safety and efficiencies for our police department. No longer will detainees and village staff share the same toilets and hallways. This process is nearly complete...and there will be no debt incurred or reserves tapped.

Roads are next. We have implemented an analytical process to target where our money is most needed. Doing so, we have been increasing the number of miles that we can replace each year.

Will you accept the voters’ decision in your race on Election Day?

Yes

What is your position on open, transparent government?

Transparency is a corner stone in service to the public. Not long ago our web page went through a major update with increased accessibility to notices and records. Public notices, meeting dates, historical documents, financials are just a fraction of those on-line accessible documents.

Campton Hills has achieved an “Excellent’ rating on transparency from the Illinois Policy Institute.

Residents are encouraged to contact the Village with questions or information that may be needed. Our staff is there to help. Sadly, some social media outlets have incorrectly clouded this topic.

Personally, I often extend the invitation to residents to come to the Village Hall or meet locally for coffee where questions can be answered or to listen to concerns. Emails and texts are often inadequate to achieving understanding and resolution. I have found that face to face, respectful meetings clear misunderstandings, provide a useful exchange of information and resolves concerns.

Do you support the Freedom of Information Act and citizens’ ability to freely access government records?

Absolutely. Please reference the prior question and response.

Would you sign a nondisclosure agreement with a prospective company that would limit your ability to communicate with your community?

I can’t imagine any circumstance under which that would occur. With respect to the oath that I have taken and in support of the Open Meetings and Freedom of Information Act, I would say ‘no’ to signing such a document.