Marc J. Feldstein: Avon Township Trustee Candidate

Name: Marc J. Feldstein

Age: 40

Family: my wife (Geri) and our 3 year old twins (Felicia and Jacob)

Education: Clinical Psychology M.A. - Roosevelt University; Social Work B.S.W. - University of Illinois at Chicago

Occupation: Insurance sales at Chad Arnold's State Farm Insurance Agency (As well as significant healthcare and benefits administration experience).

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices: Avon Township Trustee  - approximately four years.

Other community involvement: Avon Township Democrats Chair approximately 2008-2012.

Position sought: Avon Township Trustee

Campaign E-mail address: Marc.Feldstein@yahoo.com

Campaign committee: Andrew Kretschmar - Campaign Manager

Campaign Website: AvonAction.com

Campaign Facebook: AvonAction

Campaign Twitter: Candidate did not respond.

Why are you running?

I chose to run for re-election based on the consideration of my diverse professional and volunteer background, my concern for others, and my wanting to continue making the diligent progress as demonstrated by the past almost four years.

In what ways would Avon Township benefit from your service?

Tangible examples of how the Township HAS benefited includes my collaborating on an employee manual with other colleagues. I would be remiss if I did not note that there was no such document or similar policies and procedures prior to our implementation of the manual. Another example is my key assistance in renewing the health insurance contract which has led to lower healthcare costs and similar if not better coverage. I am also extremely consistent, strive to view our actions from the perspective of the taxpayer, and avoid labeling, grand-standing, and a status-quo approach to governance which is noted elsewhere in local politics.

What is the biggest challenge the township faces and what should be done to address it?

For the time being, meeting increased resident need with decreasing resources is the most important challenge. We have held the line on spending, have not cut services (we changed our hours to be more convenient without increased cost), established partnerships with non-profits, and have not duplicated services already provided. The other challenge is defining and continually reviewing what the appropriate role of Township government is. For example, some townships in our area seem to provide every possible service a person may need. This does not make sense from a fiscal or sustainability perspective. Other Townships provide the minimum services the State requires. While not wrong, if the right partnerships are established, the general assistance that is provided may not be required for as long due to ensuring a resident is aware of low-cost educational, healthcare, or vocational programs.

What do you think the township does well?

The Highway Department has do extremely well in every season and by pursuing an unheralded amount of grants; unmatched by previous administrations or other townships. The Assessor has an open-door policy, is comprehensive, and is effective. The Board has approached issues proactively and effectively.

What should be some of the township's priorities over the next several years?

All board members must put forth tangible, realistic initiatives that contribute to flexible and efficient governance. 

What else would you like voters to know?

Boards can and will disagree. However, it is my belief that a tendency to label others or publicly call into question the genuineness of others in a public form has no place in government.