Glenn Thompson, La Grange Trustee Candidate

LA GRANGE, IL – Incumbent Glenn Thompson is one of four candidates for three seats on the La Grange Village Board.

Here are his responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Name:

Glenn Thompson

Town of residence:

La Grange

Age:

No answer

Campaign contact email:

Glenn4LaGrange@gmail.com

Family:

Wife Ellen, son Alexander - freshman at Northern Illinois and daughter Lisa - Nursing School Wabaunsee College and lives in Oswego

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education:

BBA and MBA Mississippi State University

Occupation:

President of WJ Surface Treatments, a roadway safety improvement construction company.

Previous or current elected or appointed office:

Village Trustee La Grange

The single most pressing issue facing the village is and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing the village is solving the flooding issues across the village and improving our aging infrastructure. Since a group of us came together as citizens and formed the citizens action group, Dry Up La Grange, we have pushed all levels of government to provide support for La Grange in solving our flooding issues. Working with Congressman Casten, Congressman Garcia and State Senator Porfirio, we have received grants to pay for flood relief projects. Flooding was the main reason I ran 2 years ago for the open position and the main reason I am a trustee today. I will continue to work with elected leaders at all levels and citizens groups to gain more funding, remove barriers, and solve flooding issues as soon as possible.

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

I am an outspoken member of the board and take strong stands on issues that I see are important to our citizens and the future growth and success of the Village of La Grange. I am willing to take an unpopular stand on issues that I feel are important to our village and citizens. I was elected to help solve flooding. However, I am not a one platform candidate. I study and push on all issues that I feel are important to the village.

A year ago, I took the unpopular stand on adopting the max tax increase we could collect, which was more than 5% at the time because of CPI. The Village needed those additional revenues to pay for the infrastructure improvement we must do. While it was not voted in, I still stand by that fact we should have taken the max increase to offset part of what we now must find to fund infrastructure spending.

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

I have been successful in my career running infrastructure companies and a large part of the creation of the citizen’s action group that has brought major changes to the way we are working to solve flooding. I am completing my second year on the board, and I have helped the village improve in many areas.

Just recently, I discover an issue with the proposed comprehensive plan that could have negatively affected many of our citizens. This led to extra board meetings and meetings with our citizens in their area. Working together, we successfully negotiated an amendment to meet the needs of the citizens and the village. If reelected, I will continue work to do what is best for La Grange and citizens.

Are the village government's taxes too high, too low, or just about, right? Explain

While most people agree that our overall property tax bills are too high, the tax bill is made up of 10 separate taxing agencies. The taxes collected for the village only make up around 2% of the total tax bill. The school districts collect twice as much in taxes as does the village.

Unfortunately, the village faces a large need for infrastructure improvements over the next 10 years. These include lead service line replacement, water main upgrades, street repair & repaving, sewer repairs and storm water / food control measures. We must create ways to pay for these improvements.

As a non-home rule community, the village can only increase property taxes by the CPI or 3% whichever is higher. The years of high inflation seem to be over and 3% will not cover the infrastructure needs while maintaining the rest of the village’s requirements. We must develop new ways to fund needed repairs by either going out to referendum, creating new user fees, or developing other revenue streams.

What is your view of the village's maintenance of its infrastructure?

La Grange will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2029. Some of the infrastructure dates back over 100 years. The systems have been well maintained; however, we have now reached a major rebuild point.

The US EPA has now moved up the date to complete lead service line replacement to within 10 years of 2024. This means less time and more costs to complete the work. A few years ago, the village wisely decided to repave roads as we replaced water lines. The change in the federal ruling will speed up the rebuild of our water, sewer, and roads, however the cost impact will be much greater than originally planned.

What is your assessment of the police department's performance?

I believe La Grange has one of the best suburban police forces in the state. La Grange, like every municipality, has faced a difficult time recruiting officers to maintain full staffing. Our department has responded with changes in work schedules, conditions, and other areas to achieve full staffing with officers who want to work in a suburban police force and meet the needs of our citizens. With full staffing, our department has redeployed officers to focus on various duties during their shifts like traffic and more parking enforcement with automated equipment. I am proud of our department and believe they are doing an excellent job.

The number of traffic tickets has plunged over the years in La Grange. What is your view of that situation?

I would refer you back to the response our Village Manager, Jack Knight sent you a few months back on this same question. Village records show the following regarding traffic stops. Traffic stops are way up over past years.

As Jack said in his response, “There are a multitude of factors that could have contributed to differences in various years including the refinement of reporting standards, department personnel numbers varying from year to year, officer tenure, driving habits changing (particularly during Covid), and more recent shifts towards community policing. There are likely several more factors. Related points to consider include:

"Since August of 2023, there has been the implementation of Traffic Enforcement Plans (TEPS), where officers are assigned to conduct traffic enforcement at specific locations that are focused on resident and commuter safety. This includes the business district during peak times.
The department continues to prioritize traffic and pedestrian safety in their daily operations. Traffic stops are currently up over 30% compared to 2023.

"Public engagement has been a focus, with a series of new community engagement programs. Residents are invited and encouraged to come and meet our officers at any of our events to discuss police-related concerns.

"The Village’s 2024 – 2027 Strategic Plan includes a Safe, Accessible, and Engaged Community as a strategic priority, which highlights the Village’s commitment to an engaged and safe community and corresponding support for the Police Department. “

What type of buildings should be allowed in downtown La Grange? Taller buildings?

I do support taller buildings in certain limited areas of the Village – the central business district and along the BNSF corridor. These buildings bring increased density which increase property tax revenue along with more revenue for our businesses and sales tax dollars for the village. How tall a building I support is dependent on the exact location of the building, its purpose, and the design so that it fits with the character of the area.

How do you rate La Grange's handling of stormwater problems? Explain.

La Grange physically sits in a unique location as we have no direct outlet for storm water. There isn’t any creek or river in the village for storm water runoff. In addition most of the sewer system is a combined sewer that cannot go directly into waterways. The MWRD plant in Stickney is separated by 3 villages and 2 major quarries. The village has been tied up in litigation with Hanson Materials for many years to solve the issue created when they cut our sewer line to Stickney. And lastly our use of the deep tunnel is restricted until 2029 by MWRD.

These barriers have made solving our flooding issues difficult. However, we are now working with MWRD, our Park & School districts, and neighbors for alternative solutions. We won the court case against Hanson Materials and are down to the final appeal process while we work on the permitting and final design of the 50th street stormwater sewer.

We are finally to a point that we can start to solve problems when full funding is approved and agreements with MWRD are finalized. It’s always important to note, that MWRD has final say on any storm water plan.

Should the village allow video gambling or recreational marijuana sales in town? Why or why not?

Let me start by saying I am not in favor of either electronic gaming or recreational marijuana sales and prefer the village never allow these. They do not seem to go with the character of the Village of La Grange. Countryside already has a lot of video gambling locations, so I am not sure the area can support more without just one village taking revenue from another

However, with that said, if we cannot develop new ways to raise revenue to pay for federal mandated lead line replacements, flood control and other infrastructure needs, We may have to look at these alternative sources of revenue in the future. If these were considered, it would have to be well controlled and very limited in sites and locations.

Should the village president and trustees take political contributions from village contractors or those with zoning or other matters before the board? Why or why not?

Absolutely not. This to me is illegal and should never be allowed. We are a non-paid board who volunteer to do what is best for the village. We are not here to raise money for large political campaigns.

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

No, I plan to serve my full term to continue to make La Grange the best place to live!

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

When my family relocated back to the Chicagoland area, we chose to settle back in La Grange for the great schools, the walkability of the community, and that “front porch” feel of a safe hometown. It was a great place for our son to grow up and graduate from LT.

Since Covid, a lot of families from Chicago are finding La Grange to be the place to live for the same reasons. However, younger families are looking for other entertainment options in the downtown area.

I agree and fully support changing the rules on “60/40” for food and liquor and allowing some different entertainment options to move into the central business district. We have a great downtown with many great businesses. I would like to see the village attract a variety of new ones to support downtown without just competing as another restaurant in town. The Village needs to continue to adapt to stay competitive with surrounding communities to keep our downtown the best place to visit in the West!