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Jim Mays for Village President

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are you running for Village President?

I realize it sounds corny but I'm running for Village President for the same reason that I decided initially to pursue a career as a counselor, or when I started working at Rosecrance - and that reason is to make a difference. To put it simply, Stillman Valley is a great place to live and I'd like it to stay that way. I see a real need for leadership in Village Government.

There are two main areas that have been neglected over the course of the current Village President's years in office:

  1. Infrastructure Replacement - It's been known for many years that the Village would need to replace it's current water & sewer treatment plant, yet only recently have discussions arisen about how the village will replace it. Furthermore, the village will need to replace large sections of water and sewer pipe that is wearing out and little or no forethought has gone into finding the money to pay for it.
  2. Development - Most, if not all of the property surrounding the village is owned by individuals who have expressed a desire to develop it, yet up until recently nothing has been done to plan how the village can accomodate this development while still retaining it's essential character. If development is done correctly, additional tax dollars may become available to help pay for infrastructure replacement. Otherwise, there's the potential for development to negatively impact the village. If many houses are constructed like the Harvest Glen subdivision in Davis Junction, the resulting development could potentially cause current home values to go down and the additional students could place an even greater financial burden on our school system.
I believe the current village president lacks the vision and energy to plan for the future of Stillman Valley.

What experience do you have?

I've been a Trustee for the Village for the past two years. As a result, I've seen firsthand both the positive and negative aspects of how things are done. For about the past four years I've been Vice-President of Administrative Services for Rosecrance Health Network. In that capacity I've been responsible for key aspects of the business including budgeting and strategic planning. Recently, I've been involved with the founding of an organization called Ogle Economic Development Corporation that has as it's goal bringing and keeping jobs in our area.

Why don't I know you?

jim mays
I've only lived in Stillman Valley for about 5 years. My family and I are members of a church here in the Village. My children attend Stillman Valley schools and my wife teaches at Monroe Center Grade School. I also served on the Stillman Valley Fall Festival Committee for the last two years. When I ran for Village Trustee I went to almost every house in the village to introduce myself. You might've seen my wife and I walking our border collie around town. During the next few weeks you might even find something like this on your doorstep. My goal is to meet as many village residents as I can.

What would you like for Stillman Valley's future?

Stillman is primarily a residential community. I would like to see it stay that way. When I mention development in and around the village, I don't envision large shopping centers or strip malls. I would like to see future development of land around the village balanced between small residential areas and low impact industrial/commercial business. I would like to see the downtown area continue to be home to small businesses owned by those who live in our community and have a stake in it's future. Modest development will help to keep our taxes down and provide funds to maintain streets and sewers.

Why don't you just serve out your term as a Trustee and then run for Village President?

By the time I serve out my term and have another opportunity to run for Village President, 6 years will have elapsed. The issues facing the village need to be resolved now and can't wait that long. I've been thrilled to have the opportunity to be a Trustee but a Trustee can't be involved with the crucial issues that need to be resolved in the way the Village President can be. I don't have confidence in the current Village President's ability or willingness to be proactive in addressing the challenges the village faces. He's had many years to address these challenges. If he hasn't done so by now, I don't see how an additional four years will make any difference.

Are you a Republican or a Democrat?

One of the nice things about local politics is that your political party doesn't really matter. The last two elections it's been my pleasure to support Chris Remhof for the Ogle County Board. In my view, he's been a great representative of our community and someone I'll continue to support. Yet he's a Democrat!

Personally, I never vote strictly along party lines because I believe that each candidate should earn my vote. However, I am a very solid Republican. Unfortunately, I haven't been real thrilled with some of the decisions of the Illinois Republican Organization or even some of the local county Republican organizations. As I said before, one of the nice things about local politics is the absence of party politics. I'm not running as a Republican or Democrat - just as someone who has a desire to lead the village in the right direction.

The election will be held on April 5th. I would really appreciate your vote.

Vote for Jim Mays for Village President.

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