Gene Marks: Candidate For Northbrook Village President

NORTHBROOK, IL — Ahead of the April 6 consolidated municipal elections, Northbrook Patch provided questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot.

Six candidates are vying for three four-year trustee seats on the Northbrook Village Board on Election Day. They are incumbents Muriel J. Collison and Daniel H. Pepoon, and challengers Robert Burns, Joy Ebhomielen, Christopher Lay and Ana Mendez McGuinnes. Current Trustee Kathryn L. Ciesla is running for Village President, leaving her seat up for grabs, with Sandra E. Frum set to retire. She will be challenged by Eugene Marks for president.

Ciesla, Collison, Ebhomielen and Pepoon have received the backing of the Northbrook Caucus of 2021. Burns, Lay, Marks and McGuinnes are being endorsed by United4Northbrook.

Northbrook Patch is publishing all responses submitted by candidates verbatim.

Gene Marks

Age (as of Election Day)

67

Town/City of Residence

Northbrook

Office Sought

Village board or city council

Party Affiliation (if a partisan race)

independent

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

Oakton College and DePaul University / Business

Occupation

Business Development Security Industry Manufacturing - 30 plus years

Campaign website

www.united4northbrook.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Village President 2005-09 Chairman Alarm Commission 20 plus years POC FF 1985-2005

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Covid destroyed numerous businesses in Northbrook. We need to help these businesses survive and attract others. Northbrook Court , which is one of our crown jewels, currently is a mess. The builder walked away from the project, after tearing down Macy's and the village board never put a contingency in place to rebuild in case of something like this happened, as we always did in large projects. We need to find creative ways, like splitting tax dollars, etc. to help current businesses and attract new ones. The board needs to be transparent and include residents feedback on these major decisions that affect our community.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

The BLM movement has shed new light on some fundamental values that our candidates believe in, including diversity and inclusion. We do not support looting and rioting, statements like "kill the pigs" and "defund the police" UN4 supports our first responders, the incumbent candidates claim they do support the first responders, However, the budget tells the truth. They show tens of thousands and in some cases hundreds of thousands in increases Except for our police and fire.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

I have lived in Northbrook since mid-84 and our town has always shown racial equality

What are your thoughts on the national and local coronavirus response? Do you favor measures such as limiting operation of non-essential businesses and restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a local mask mandate?

I believe all businesses should remain open and practice social distancing and people should wear masks. Schools need to reopen. Our country is making great strides to control and stop this virus.

What are your thoughts on the state and local coronavirus vaccine distribution, and how do you think local governments should work together to handle vaccine rollout?

Local, State and Federal governments should work hand in hand together to get the vaccine distributed as fast as possible.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Being the past village president, I already have made the tough decisions. I have an extensive background in public safety, business and government. I will be transparent and put our residents and businesses first. They also talk about many things like sustainability, I actually took action during my term. All this current board does is talk about it. Due to election they are trying to implement actions, because we brought up the objections. Too little too late.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Thee current board is not and has not been transparent with its citizens & businesses.. they want to focus on national issues and not issues that affect our community. They have been financially irresponsible, such as buying Grainger causing loss of jobs, people spending money in town and loss of tax dollars and they were quoted as saying "We had no plan". The list goes on.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Our platform includes "Safety First", which means supporting and properly funding our first responders, not defunding. Our platform is Transparency, fiscal responsibility, common sense policies, help increase property values and lower taxes. Supporting and growing our local business community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I served as village president 2005-09, had numerous accomplishments and awards, including the building of Willow Festival, one of the most successful shopping centers in the Chicagoland area. Implemented drive thru restaurants and outdoor dining. Implemented numerous sustainability policies including the approval of a recycling facility for tear down up to 95%, implemented purchasing green certificates for wind power to power our water plant, making us the largest user of wind power in the state of Illinois, and changed all the traffic lights to LED. Numerous other accomplishments.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

I will put my best efforts forward to save and build up Northbrook Court. I would work on selling the Grainger property and work with the builders to expand our downtown. I am confident that we can attract a beautiful project for Green Acres that will make our residents proud and not affect our schools. I will increase transparency and bring back businesses to Northbrook while saving our struggling businesses.

Why should voters trust you?

The voters should trust me as I am honest and transparent and put the interests on Northbrook first. My children were born and raised here and I have put in tens of thousands of hours for the village.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the use of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

I will treat the village like a business and be financially responsible, keep our first responders properly funded so our community feels completely safe. I will strive to keep our taxes low and raise our property values.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

Unless unexpected health or family reasons. I would serve the Village of Northbrook to the best of my abilities.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

My father always said to me, be honest, work very hard and treat others as you want them to treat you.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As a first responder I have put my life in harms way numerous times to save others and I have saved numerous lives and received many awards. I also have delivered numerous babies. As Village President our board made a great many strides and left the village in the best financial shape it had ever been in according to Northbrook's CFO.