2019 Elections Guide: William R. Healy, Orland Park Trustee

ORLAND PARK, IL — Patch asked all candidates running for elected office in the April 2, 2019 municipal elections to participate in our voters guide. All submissions are voluntary. Those whose names are not listed chose not to respond or did not respond to requests for information. Responses are edited for style or space only.

Get to know your candidates:

Name: William R. Healy

Age: 65

Position sought: Orland Park Trustee

Party affiliation: People Over Politics

Family: Wife, Nancy, 4 children, and 4 grandchildren

Education: Bachelor of Science in business administration from John Carroll University

Occupation: Certified Public Accountant for the past 40 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Offices: Currently holds a position on the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Village of Orland Park

Campaign Website: www.People-OP.com

Names and offices of all family members who work in politics or government: NA

The most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and what I intend to do about it: Our Trustees need to stop playing political games and obstructing progress. I will work together cooperatively with all parties and put our community’s needs above all else. I will put the people of Orland Park over politics so we can finally move our village forward. As a long-time resident and local small business owner, I will bring fresh ideas to the challenges our community faces. I support term limits and will hold myself and colleagues to that so we can ensure our local leaders are in office to serve the people we represent and not in office to serve their own political ambitions.

What are the key differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? Orland Park is where I raised my family, started my business, and volunteered to give back to my community. I have created jobs in Orland Park and worked with clients in various industries, including construction, manufacturing, logistics, and government. I know the residents here because I have worked with them, talked with them, and for decades, have shared the same frustrations as them. I believe local public service should be above politics which is why I will lead by example and refuse the lavish pension benefits that are funded by our hardworking residents. I will be a Trustee for the people. Additionally, my strong financial background as a CPA and small business owner will be a significant asset for the Village Board. We need local leaders who care about Orland Park and will fight to cut spending, lower taxes, and create jobs and opportunities for all residents.

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board): I believe a top issue for Orland Park is our high government spending and ever-increasing taxes. We need to work to make Orland Park a center of fiscal discipline and create responsible budgets. We should implement technology to create efficiencies to allow us to reduce expenses. By cutting spending, we will be able to pay down our debt and lower taxes, especially the property taxes, for our overburdened taxpayers. As residents of Cook County and Illinois, we have seen what irresponsible spending can do to our economy, business environment, and residents. We must come up with a solution to this problem in Orland Park. As Trustee, I will be a strong advocate for lowering taxes and cutting spending.

I don’t believe that tax dollars should be going to the lavish pension benefits that local politicians receive. Local elected leaders should not be reaping in the benefits of our hard-working residents. We should be putting tax dollars into areas of the community that benefit all Orland Park citizens which is why I will refuse the pension and be an example for fiscal discipline within our government body.

In what way have current officeholders of the position you're running for failed the community? How would you do better? A prime example of a way that current officeholders, such as my opponents, have failed our community is by voting for and supporting the increase to the Mayor’s salary. I support the position of Mayor being scaled back to part-time so we can invest parts of that salary back into our community. We should use our residents’ tax dollars effectively by putting them towards creating jobs and opportunities for our residents, and investing that money into our village. I will put people over politics so we can move Orland Park forward.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Besides cutting spending, lowering taxes, and ending political games and obstruction, like I’ve detailed above, another main issue is our economic development.

We must ensure we are driving economic development to create jobs and opportunities for all Orland Park residents. Healthy economic growth benefits all our residents by creating good-paying jobs, driving revenue for the village in place of increased taxes and fees, and providing opportunities for our families looking for activities right here in our vibrant community. I will work to drive economic development, focusing on developing the I-80 corridor and enhancing our downtown. We must diversify our economy while keeping the retail, restaurant, and auto sectors strong. I will ensure the Main Street Triangle project positively impacts all Orland Park residents. I also believe that we need to responsibly invest in our infrastructure to ensure our growth is sustainable and not increasing congestion for our residents.

Focusing on ending political games and obstruction, lowering taxes, cutting spending, and driving economic development ensure Orland Park is the community that our citizens expect – a great place to live, work and play.

If you win this position, how would you define your term in office as a success? Orland Park has an abundance of citizens who have a wealth of experience in the private sector. Many local executives have retired or are near retirement age. These people have exceptional leadership and governing qualities that Orland Park could use.

By my candidacy, I hope to show that you can run for public office and maintain your dignity. You can serve in public office and not be in debt to party bosses or funders. You can vote with the people of Orland as your first and only priority.

A measure of my success will be having more private citizens step up and challenge elected officials for village, library, township and school boards. No races should go uncontested.

Please share with voters a story about wisdom gained from a mistake you made in your life or career. Back as a sophomore in college, I was having a wonderful time at school until I was notified that I was flunking my introduction to accounting course.

I became irate. I had never flunked a class in my life. I was also paying for college with my own money.

Instead of dropping the course, I committed myself to studying twice as much as anyone else in the class. I even did the homework twice. At the third quarter exam I received the highest grade in the class and ended up with a B+ for the course. That is when I decided to make accounting a career. I found a place that where I could be rewarded for my extra hard work.

Why should voters trust you? I have a number of business clients who trust my advice on finance, taxes and management. I owe it to them to do the best job I can.

I have the encouragement of my friends locally. This encouragement is priceless. I have to do a good job for them.

Which accomplishments do you cite as evidence you can handle this job? At my local Orland Park business, I have created jobs in our community and worked with clients in various industries, including construction, manufacturing, logistics, and government. Additionally, my strong financial background as a CPA and small business owner will be a significant asset for the Village Board. I have also spent time on the Zoning Board of Appeals so I will bring the experience and knowledge I have learned along the way to my role as Trustee.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions? I am running for Orland Park Trustee because we need our local leaders in office who care about our community and will work to move Orland Park forward. As a resident here for over 40 years, I have seen for far too long political ambitions be one of the main reasons why people have run for office. I am not a career politician and that is not what I am seeking. Instead, I am running to put people over politics, and make Orland Park the community our citizens expect – a place where we all can live, work, and play.