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Name:
Steve Deasey
What office are you seeking?
Island Lake Trustee
What is your political party?
Candidate did not answer.
What is your current age?
64
Occupation and employer:
Retired
What offices, if any, have you previously held?
Board of Directors, Carmel Catholic High School
Board of Directors, Wauconda Fire Department
City:
Island Lake
Campaign Website:
Candidate did not respond.
Education:
Bachelor of Science degree - Biology; Loyola University Chicago
Community Involvement:
Current Island Lake Trustee
Member of Wauconda Fire Rescue Association and Charity Golf Committee
Member of Carmel Catholic High School Building and Grounds Committee
Marital status/Immediate family:
Married 37 years with 2 adult children.
Questions:
Many of the new housing developments planned or recently built throughout the McHenry County area have been multi-family rather than single-family, and many are rentals rather than owner-occupied. What are your views on this trend? Do you support this type of development? Why or why not?
Island Lake has a wide range of housing developments for it’s residents including multiple established single family subdivisions as well as the recently opened Senior Lofts for veterans and limited income senior citizens.
A recent study commissioned by the McHenry County Board found a need for more workforce housing in the county. Do you support any form of subsidized housing to address that need? Is there enough affordable housing in the community and, if not, how would you attempt to address that?
It is important for Island Lake to have a full range of housing available to all of our residents including young families and our growing population of senior citizens and veterans.
What are your top three priorities for our city, and how do you plan to address them?
Continue focus on new economic/business development to increase local options for residents and village revenue for infrastructure improvements.
Work with state and county officials to improve the safety of village roads, crosswalks and pedestrian/bicycle pathways.
Continue transparency of village activities and open communication with residents.
How do you intend to balance economic development with environmental sustainability in the community?
Focus economic development in all current vacant properties where possible.
Encourage and support the building of energy efficient and sustainable structures when new construction is needed.
Require all new development to follow all current environmental and building requirements/regulations.
Recycle old equipment, building materials and waste when tear down of old structures is required.
Encourage the purchase of lightly used equipment, when possible, instead of the manufacturing and purchase of new equipment.
What are your plans for enhancing public transportation and infrastructure in the city?
In Island Lake, we need to work with state and county officials to improve the safety and traffic flow on Rt. 176, River, Roberts and Darrell Roads that have high daily volumes of all vehicles. More stoplights with arrows, longer turn lanes, roundabouts and clear lines of sight are all possibilities that should be investigated.
What role should the city council play in supporting local businesses and economic growth?
The Village should continue its positive support of businesses and economic growth by showing potential new businesses the benefits of investing in Island Lake. Island Lake has great residents who are proud to live here and are very interested in shopping locally to support businesses and the growth of our town. We need to continue communicating this positive and proactive view through the Village website, social media and when we are communicating directly with our residents via village board meetings and social/community events.
What are your top public safety concerns for our community and how would you propose addressing them?
Traffic flow through town as addressed earlier.
The need to establish a safe connection of pedestrian/bicycle pathways throughout the village. We will continue to work with state officials to make access to our parks, schools and businesses safer for all.
How will you ensure that city policies promote inclusion for all residents?
The administration will continue transparency of village activities and open communication with all residents to hear their needs and concerns.
Do you support requiring government officials to publicly disclose potential conflicts of interest, and how would you enforce this?
Yes, and it should be done annually similar to what is currently done in other organizations.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
Village board meetings, Village website, Village events and social activities, meet and greet events and open communication with residents, neighbors and businesses around town.