Lake in the Hills Village Board Trustee Candidate: Denise Barreto

Name: Denise Barreto
Age: 41
Family: Married - two kids
Education: BS - Communication 
Occupation: Managing Partner of Consulting Business
Previous Elected or Appointed Offices: Lake in the Hills Village Trustee
Position sought: Lake in the Hills Village Trustee
Campaign E-mail address: denise@relationshipsmatternow.com
Campaign Website: www.denisewbarreto.com
Campaign Twitter: @denisewbarreto

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

With four years of service under my belt, I have many things I’d still like to accomplish on the Lake in the Hills Village Board. I’d like another chance to serve so that I may finish the work I started on the Lake in the Hills Airport as well as see us through and update on Strategic Planning.


What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? What are the top three issues facing Lake in the Hills residents?

My number one priority is to ensure that the Village of Lake in the Hills has a strategic plan in place that we are working towards. We are well run village and a strategic plan will make us run even better. It is give us direction and accountability for our staff and elected officials. The top three  issues facing Lake in the Hills at the moment are the Randall Road Corridor Work, maintaining and growing  our current retail and commercial  tax base.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

My experience as a corporate marketer and now small business owner is a unique point of view versus other candidates. I also see my service on the village board as service. I believe in lending my talents to the Village of Lake in the Hills for temporary season and I am doing a good job with the trust they gave in 2009. I’d like another opportunity to finish the work I’ve started.

What is your favorite thing about Lake in the Hills?

My favorite thing about Lake in the Hills is that it is a safe affordable community that has so much to offer its residents. That’s why we chose to live here 12 years ago and I would not change that.

What is your least favorite thing about Lake in the Hills?

I cannot think of anything significant.

What does Lake in the Hills need to do to attract more businesses and retail in the future?

Be a better partner. We need to understand our area (the data on purchases, habits, demographics, etc)  well and the competition (neighboring communities) and give retailers a clear reason to choose us over them. We need to know our leaseholders and understand their relationships with their tenants so that we can advocate when necessary to retain business being attracted away by other communities. I worked in retail for a number of years and we need to build relationships in those industry circles - people do business with people they know and like. We need to raise our visibility and have started to do but more work in needed.

Do you support a Continuous Flow Intersection at Randall and Algonquin roads? Why or why not?

I do not support the CFI, however, if that is the only solution the county and our neighboring communities are coming to  - I will not let the Village of Lake in the Hills cede input into the discussion. It is my belief that the CFI is a creative and forward thinking solution but  it negatively impacts vulnerable Lake in the Hills businesses disproportionately. The up side of the CFI does not outweigh the down side for our businesses long term. Again, if that is what has to happen then I will gladly come to the table to be sure that the voices of Lake in the Hills businesses are heard.

What improvements, if any, would you like to see in the way village government is run in Lake in the Hills?

We need a strategic plan in place. We have not had a formal strategic planning process in a long time and all great organizations have a plan, a vision that they are working towards. I would like to see that for our staff so that they may serve our residents better than they already do. We are in stellar financial shape and now is the perfect time to get ourselves ready to set priorities for the next 3-5 years.

Anything else you would like to add? Additional comments:

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Lake in the Hills Village Board, so far. I have served the residents well, stepping up to use my talents to improve and drive business at the Lake in the Hills Airport. I have heard residents and worked with our staff to lower their property tax levy obligation to our village for two consecutive years and I plan to oversee our strategic planning process to help us serve residents better than we do today. I would love an opportunity to continue serving the residents of Lake in the Hills and hope that they will trust me with their votes again on April 9.