2017 Election: Kathy Myalls, New Trier Township Trustee

Name: Kathy Myalls

Age: 54

Town of residence: Wilmette

Position sought: New Trier Township Trustee

Family: My husband Scott Zettek, 58, and I married in 2004. We have 2 young boys, Zack, 9, and Logan, 7.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Education: AB: University of Michigan, with honors, JD: University of Illinois College of Law, Harno Fellow

Occupation: I have been an attorney for 29 years, currently serving as Assistant General Counsel at The Interpublic Group of Companies, where I've worked for 16 years. Before that I was at MCI (now Verizon), and in private practice.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Position: I was appointed to the New Trier School Board Caucus.

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

The Township provides good and valuable services but is running at 35%-40% overhead. This inefficiency wastes taxpayer money. Bob and Stacey and I intend to reduce overhead to something in line with other pass-through grant-making organizations. Overhead should be no more than 10-15%. We can save taxpayer money while maintaining services at the same or greater levels.

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

Our opponents have repeatedly said that 35% overhead is "just fine," but that "if" they are able to save money, they will not return it to the taxpayers; they will find more ways to spend it. We believe we can do more, with less.

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

The current board has not reduced expenses as it should have. The Township is one of the only local governments that pays its part-time elected officials, for example. Village Trustees are not paid. School board members are not paid. But Township Trustees are paid, as is the clerk and the supervisor and assessor. We will look at every Township expense and look for opportunities to save taxpayers money.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

We will cut overhead to a more reasonable 10-15% and maintain services at the same or better level, all while returning money to property taxpayers.

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

If elected, the independent candidates will look to accomplish the following in the first year:

1. Eliminate salaries for part-time elected officials. Eliminating these salaries would be one of our first orders of business.
2. Prepare a visible and transparent budget. For perspective, the village of Wilmette budget is 487 pages, and outlines prior year budget, actual spend, and next year budget with appropriate adjustments. The Township budget is 4 pages, and does not disclose actual spend. Township residents have a right to know more than that $150,000 was budgeted for "capital expenses" without further explanation.
3. Post all Township spending online in a searchable format. The Township has 2 checkbooks, and both ledgers should be posted so that any Township resident can discover how every Township dollar is spent.
4. Evaluate the location of the Township offices. The 35% overhead at the Township comes without rent or property taxes, among the largest expenses for other businesses. The Township building is located in downtown Winnetka, in a pricey part of the Township. We will look at the possibility of selling to Township building and relocating to a more affordable part of the Township so that Food Pantry donations are not stored in a leaky basement.

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

Every mistake put me where I am today, so from that perspective, I've learned that Robert Frost was right when he said "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."

Why should voters trust you?

Because the members of most organizations for which I have volunteered have trusted me to run those organizations in some capacity. I keep my promises and value the opinion of members of the organization - in this case, the voters.

Share a quote that defines your philosophy:

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

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

-what 3 things do you think the Township does best (and why), and what 3 things would you change (and why)?
-How do you feel the Township can be more transparent?
-How can we improve communication from the Township to residents to be sure as many people as possible know about the services the Township provides?

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board)?

Every dollar that is spent by a taxing entity should be as effective as possible. The Township does not need a slush fund at the expense of the badly-abused property taxpayers in Illinois.

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

When I was the President of Prevent Child Abuse America's Chicago board, we re-evaluated every dollar that was spent, including on our fundraising events. The result was the overhead was cut, but donations increased and we were better able to support the mission of PCAA with unrestricted dollars. As president of both of my homeowners' associations, with responsibility for the attendant budgets, we were able again to re-evaluate how the associations best served the homeowners, and accomplish more with less in the process. I have done this before.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

as it relates to participating on a board that derives revenue involuntarily from constituents, "Be careful how you spend your money. But be very very careful how you spend other people's money."

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

Stacey and Bob and I want to bring a fresh perspective to the Township. We want to reduce costs while improving services and returning money to taxpayers. Our opponents say that 30% overhead (it's actually over 35% according to the Township) is just fine and *IF* they can find savings in overhead, they will increase spending. We know we can lead by example in how to be efficient in government.

More via Kathy, Bob & Stacey's campaign website

Photo submitted by Kathy Myalls