Elena Galinski, Burr Ridge Trustee Candidate

BURR RIDGE, IL — Elena Galinski is one of the five candidates for three seats on the Burr Ridge Village Board. Here are her responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Elena Galinski

Age (as of Election Day)

49

Town/City of Residence

Burr Ridge

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, with a certificate in Environmental Studies

Occupation

Over 20 years in Quality and Project management in medical device manufacturing

Campaign website

FightForBR.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

This is the first time I am running for public office.

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

Transparency. I will work to implement transparency in the Village’s spending process through transparent bidding. I will closely oversee how the taxpayers’ money is being spent so our residents’ tax dollars aren’t being mismanaged.

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?

My parents immigrated to this country. I empathize with concerns about white privilege and institutional oppression, as my ancestors were oppressed in their country. I aim to treat all my neighbors of every color with love and respect. In that vein, I think it is especially important to reach out to neighbors of color so we know them personally and that everyone in the community is treated equally. I do not condone violence or looting, and understand that our residents and our police might be concerned about these possibilities.

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 am aware of the recent Patch article discussing the treatment of Falling Waters residents. If this is accurate, I am concerned about racial equality issues in our Village and I would like to learn more.

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?

As a candidate for Burr Ridge Village Trustee, I don’t expect to influence the national coronavirus response. Out of consideration for others, I wear face coverings where I may interact closely with others. I do not think people should have to wear masks the moment they step out of their homes. I think it is appropriate for businesses and organizations to require employees and customers to wear masks when doing business with them, and if a local mandate is necessary to ensure this, I think it’s appropriate. I do not personally feel comfortable dining indoors with the current level of community transmission but am happy to support local restaurants with takeout. Enclosed tents that are not open on the sides have similar ventilation and transmission risk as indoors.

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?

Given the vaccine storage and security requirements, distribution is complicated and is being done at the county level. Communication at the local government level should point to valid information, registration, and distribution sources at the county level and other government levels as appropriate. As a trustee, I would work with all units of government as needed to ensure we reach herd immunity.

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

I am not a politician. I’ve never run for or held political office before. I’ll bring real-world business experience and a new perspective. As a woman with a younger family and professional experience in industrial process improvement, I know I will bring a perspective to the Board that additional residents can relate to.

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

I am fighting for Burr Ridge with Trustee Zach Mottl. Besides him, the current Board members rarely appear to bring up or consider opposing viewpoints and have not been reviewing expenses against the budget. Processes for hiring, evaluation and spending review, with objectives and ways to measure success, do not seem to be in place. Board meeting agendas are not posted/advertised enough ahead of time and don’t clearly advance the vision, mission, and goals of our village government. This needs to change.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I would like to make it easier for resident input to be incorporated into the Board of Trustees’ agendas, decisions, and evaluation of Village services. Also, I would like the Board to give additional notice of regularly scheduled reviews and items and clearly identify regular versus special items.

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

As a quality assurance manager, I have hired teams and implemented vendor management and customer satisfaction processes. These skills would be of great service to our community in dealing with both internal teams and in contract bidding processes.

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

The following accomplishments would make my term a success: increasing communication with constituents including critical safety information to residents and resident satisfaction feedback with the services provided by the Village; and implementing better oversight of spending that focuses on large expenditures, day to day spending that is not on track with the planned budget, and decisions that could have a large future financial impact on Burr Ridge.

Why should voters trust you?

I am not a politician and I have no financial interests affected by the Village. My focus is on improving transparency within Burr Ridge government. I want to make the work that the trustees do something that all Burr Ridge residents can understand and participate in, rather than a position for a career politician.

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

Priorities are improving the contract process to have multiple bids and reduce or eliminate single sourcing and have clear requirements for quotations and vendor selection to ensure the best choices. Similarly, the hiring process should be open to multiple candidates, and include job descriptions, with responsibilities and clear objectives.

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

No.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Seek first to understand and then to be understood.

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

I have children in local schools and an interest in how the school districts are serving the residents of our Village.