2017 Election: Elliot Robbins, New Trier Township Trustee

Name: Elliott Robbins

Age: 56

Town of residence: Wilmette

Position sought: New Trier Township Trustee

Family: Wife, Julie, 54, is employed by Northwestern University. Daughters, Olivia, 22, and Isabelle, 18, both attended public schools in Township from K-12. Olivia graduated from Princeton, and presently teaches at Milton Academy outside of Boston, while simultaneously working on her Master's in Education through Penn's Graduate School of Education. Isabelle is a freshman at Emory, and plans to pursue nursing. Both daughters served three years on the Township's Peer Jury Program.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: I have volunteered my time and services at New Trier Township ("NTT") for the past 17 years. My first six years (two terms) on the Health & Human Services Committee, the second term as Chair, and the past 11 years as Youth Advocate in NTT's Peer Jury Program, which I continue to do at present.

Education: University of Chicago, AB, 1983, Loyola University of Chicago Law School, JD, 1986

Occupation: Attorney practicing civil law from 1986-present, in Chicago., Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating: AV Preeminent 5.0/5.0, Leading Lawyers: Member

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Position: Appointed to Village of Wilmette Board of Health, served two terms, 1994-2002. Appointed to NTT Health & Human Services Committee, served two terms, 2000-2006, the second term as Chair. Appointed as Youth Advocate for NTT Peer Jury Program, served from 2006-present.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The government of NTT is functioning very effectively and very efficiently, which is not a popular thing to say in an election year, despite the fact that it is absolutely true. The voters need to know, that I will work tirelessly to explore ways in which we can make our present government more efficient and our wonderful programs and services more visible to those residing in NTT.

Without a doubt, the single most important issue that will face our Board in the next four years is legislation coming out of Springfield that is likely to make it easier for local populations to abolish, consolidate or merge townships. At this moment, no one knows exactly what form this legislation will take, but there are numerous bills in committee which address this very issue, and there is a desire on the part of our present Governor and other leaders to reduce the number of local units of government in our State, which is a reasonable goal, as some local units of government are likely to be archaic, redundant, and unnecessary. This is not the case with our Township, as many of the safety net and rainy day programs that we provide or fund will disappear altogether, or be significantly curtailed if NTT is abolished, leaving gaping holes in the network of services and programs that are provided to our Township's most vulnerable residents, including seniors of limited means, at-risk youth, disabled persons and persons with mental illness, and families in crisis. If elected, in the event of a referendum to abolish NTT, I pledge to use my position as trustee to advocate for the preservation of the Township, including educating the electorate with regard to the value of NTT and with regard to the dire effects of its dissolution, particularly upon our most vulnerable and disadvantaged residents.

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

1. The Economy Party ("EP") candidates do not believe present administrative expenses or functions are wasteful in any material way. Our opponents, Kathy, Bob & Stacey ("KBS") believe there is material waste.

2. I have been in the trenches for 17 years at NTT, and have great familiarity with operations and personnel and I do not detect waste or inefficiency in any form, and actually believe the exact opposite to be true. KBS have no experience in working for or volunteering at NTT in any manner, whatsoever. They have done nothing more than examine the Township's financial data for two months and have created a platform of waste based simply on a study of numbers, focusing only on a handful of numbers that they selected to manufacture a platform.

3. EP wants to study operations and administrative overhead for several months, from the inside as sitting board members, before determining where efficiencies may be accomplished. Axes in hand, KBS wants to hit the ground cutting.

4. EP candidates were thoroughly vetted by the New Trier Citizen's League, a 100+ year old watchdog organization of concerned citizens who monitor and oversee Township government, and the vetting process has been going on for decades. The EP candidates were carefully selected from a pool of candidates. KBS claimed to know nothing about the Citizen's League or the selection process, and they never submitted their names for consideration to the Citizen's League, yet they claim to be knowledgeable about and interested in Township governance.

5. KBS have expanded their platform by claiming they want to reduce the levy, although as recently as the Wilmette League of Women's Voters Forum on March 18, they mentioned nothing about reducing the levy, rather their focus was simply on cutting administrative overhead. EP does not want to reduce the levy and has no intention of doing so.

6. KBS claim a lack of transparency on the part of the Township with respect to finances. This word choice implies a covering up or hiding of
wrongdoing or unfavorable finances. EP believes that there has been no lack of financial transparency, and that the KBS platform has been hurtful to those employees and officials presently operating the Township. EP believes that the visibility of Township programs and services can be improved, and we intend to study and effectuate ways in which visibility can be improved. In my 17 years observing operations at NTT, any resident asking questions or for information at the Township always received timely answers and information, regardless of the issue, and NTT personnel routinely bent over backwards to effectively satisfy all inquiries. When candidates make the conscious decision to create a campaign based on notions of waste and lack of transparency, those claims, when unjustified, poison the well and make it more difficult to work productively with disparaged Township employees, if elected.

7. EP will stand up for the long term viability of the Township, and will advocate against dissolution of NTT, in the event of a future referendum on the subject, and EP will never trigger a referendum on the subject from their position as Trustees. KBS state they care about preserving the Township, but there is ample reason for concern, in my opinion, about their true goals and intentions. In her unsuccessful campaign against Laura Fine for the 17th District House seat in 2014, Kathy Myalls' campaign included an anti-township platform. Bob Costello has a background of working in various anti-government and free market organizations. So while I have taken note of the fact that all three of these opponents, Kathy, Bob & Stacey, stated on the record at the Wilmette League of Women Voters Forum, on March 18, that they were opposed to abolishing NTT, I still have concerns and reservations based on my perception of their political leanings, and I do not believe it to be unreasonable for voters to share those concerns. Once a new group of elected trustees are given the keys to the Township on April 4, those Trustees will have great influence over how the electorate may respond to a future referendum regarding the viability of our 167-year old Township.

8. EP have no affiliation with any political action committees, and have never received any money, training, or assistance of any kind from a PAC, and EP believe that local elections and our local values need to stay local, without any interference or influence from outside our community. It is unclear to me whether this has indeed been the case with KBS. An original D1 filed on their behalf, which has since been disavowed by them, stated that left over funds would revert to "Liberty PAC". Additionally, a member of the original group of "Free Market" candidates, Gale Szulc, admitted that she had training from IOP (Illinois Opportunities Project), and finally, there was an initial e-mail communication inadvertently sent to the New Trier Citizen's League from Danielle Mergner, which mentioned IOP in reference to KBS. Now in all fairness, KBS have denied any relationship to or backing from a PAC, and they made that denial on the record at the LWV Forum on March 18, which was taken note of by this candidate, but I still have reason for concern based on the aforesaid history. Once again, EP is committed to the principle that local elections and local values need to stay local, and we intend to stand up for that proposition.

Thus the differences between EP and KBS are substantial. At times, it seems like KBS want to paint this race as 7 qualified candidates, three of whom (them) want to be fiscally more responsible. This simple picture could not be farther from the truth. The differences are deep and numerous, and in my opinion, the very viability of our Township is potentially at stake.

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

No material failures in my opinion. Once again, people who run for office seem eager to claim that they are going to do this, that and the other, and fix a whole bunch of problems, many of which are figments of their imagination and the remainder of which are created for campaign purposes. Do some of our units of government (Springfield, Washington D.C.) require major overhaul?, Of course, but in my opinion, some of our local units of government here on the North Shore, including NTT, our School Districts, our Towns, and our Parks, are among the best of their kind in the nation. They quietly do the work that makes our community the great community it is, which is why most of us wanted to move in and were fortunate enough to be able to move in, in the first place.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

If elected, I intend to have my antennas up with regard to new needs for services and programs that may arise in our community, where the Township might be instrumental in making a difference. State and Federal funding is drying up for the type of programs and services that the Township provides and funds.

I will never lose sight of our mission which is to identify and provide for the well-being of all Township residents, and in particular, our most vulnerable.

That we have maintained the integrity and long term viability of NTT, and that we have fulfilled our mission to our residents, as well as increased the visibility of the wonderful services and programs that we provide.

Please share with voters a story about wisdom gained from a mistake you made in your life or career.

Learn from your mistakes, admit when you are wrong, apologize for mistakes and errors, and accept the genuine apologies of others with graciousness.

Why should voters trust you?

I have been involved at NTT for 17 years because I believe in what the Township does, and I have acquired a deep appreciation and understanding of the vital role the Township plays in our community. My agenda is nothing more than a love for NTT. That's why voters should trust me.

Share a quote that defines your philosophy:

My philosophy is quite simply that those who have been fortunate in life have a profound duty to give back to society, and I choose to give back by serving my local community and attempting to make it a better place for all of us. I also believe deeply in living in a community that attempts to assist all of its residents in leading lives with dignity, which means paying careful attention to those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.

What questions should be asked of current government employees accountable to your board?

The following are the type of questions that need to be answered by NTT Trustees before making important decisions:

Is this decision consistent with carrying out the mission of the Township?

Is this decision financially responsible and in the taxpayers' best interests?

Have you considered all the options?

Have you weighed the risks and benefits?

Have you sought and strived for consensus?

Tax payer dollars must always be spent wisely and responsibly, and the oversight already in place at NTT is superb. From six years of financial oversight activities on the Board of Health & Human Services (2000-2006), I can state with authority that the requirements demanded by NTT upon our local social service agencies seeking funding are herculean. At the end of the process, those agencies who are fortunate enough to receive funding will state that the process is rigorous and that they are better agencies because of the process. Many executive directors of our funded agencies have shared with me the fact that they believe their agencies are more effective in defining and carrying out their missions, they are more focused on accomplishing their strategic plans, and they are more effective in measuring their outcomes, all as a direct result of Township oversight. The validation of receiving funding from NTT is in many cases as important or more important than the funding actually received.

None of my opponents, Kathy, Bob or Stacey, have a clue about the oversight of funding that actually goes on at NTT, as they haven't been assigned to an oversight committee, haven't reviewed or ruled upon funding requests, haven't presented or defended funding requests before our Board of Trustees, haven't made site inspections nor talked with executive directors of our partner agencies, haven't interacted with the Township's employees and public officials. Yet KBS feel qualified to talk about cutting here, there, and elsewhere.

I know what it means to be a steward of tax payer money on behalf of NTT, I've done it, and I take it very seriously.

17 years of Township experience as outlined above.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Try to be a better listener.

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

Voters can learn more about me and what qualifies me to run for this office by going to my original candidate FB page. The "about" section contains more information about me.

Voters can learn more about my wonderful co-candidates, Kevin Boyd, Gail Eisenberg, and John Thomas, by going to our Economy Party website.

I am extremely excited about working with Kevin, Gail, and John. Even though none of us knew each other at the time we were slated, we have since grown very close and I believe we will work very thoughtfully and productively with each other, if elected.

Please vote 1,2,3,4 for Kevin, Gail, Elliott and John. Thank you.

Photo submitted by Elliot Robbins