Algonquin Village Board Candidate: Richard Flynn

Name: Richard Flynn

Age: 29

Family: Married expecting our first child in August

Occupation: Private client banker

Position sought: Village trustee

Campaign E-mail address (for publication): Richard.flynn@aol.com 

What is the primary reason you are running for this office? To let people know they have a voice. 

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? Give the people a voice.  Work on downtown Algonquin.

What are the top three issues facing Algonquin residents? My number one mission is to get the residents involved in the community.  We need to preserve the small town ambience, develop and progress while maintaining a balanced budget.  We should start to look at creative ways to save money.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? I would give the residents a voice.  People should be involved in the community.  People should be proud of Algonquin and should have a say in how it is ran.

What is your favorite thing about Algonquin? What is your least favorite thing about Algonquin? I love the people in Algonquin.   I love the feel of the downtown.  I hate the red light cameras. 

What needs to be done with Riverside Plaza? I think that at some point they will need to look at alternative options for the building.  It would make grate office space or a medical center.  The board gave the current owner a year to come up with the funds for apartment conversions.  I don’t think that Riverside should have been built. 

What is your hope for the future of downtown Algonquin? What needs to be done to make this happen?   Downtown should be a destination.  We need to offer incentives to developers and business to get more development downtown.  That is the heart of our village and needs to be a top priority.  I feel it has been ignored for years and needs a lot of attention.

Overall, what does Algonquin need to do to attract more businesses in the future?   We need to first help the current business owners.  We have the Algonquin commons going bankrupt.  We should look at events to draw people to the current businesses.  We should offer incentives to developers and tax breaks to new businesses. 

Do you think video gambling machines should be allowed in businesses in Algonquin?  I think that the business owners need to get a referendum out.  That is an issue for the people to decide not a board.

Do you support a Continuous Flow Intersection at Randall and Algonquin roads? Why or why not? No I think it will be to long of a project and will harm the local businesses. 

What improvements, if any, would you like to see in the way village government is run in Algonquin?   We need to look to the people for a voice.  We should having polling on the village website.  We should have a trustee at all events so the people can meet the government and have a say.  We also need to look at the total cost of living for our residents not just taxes.  Water sewer and utility taxes have been going up.  We need to lower peoples cost to live here.