George Porter
March 28, 2011 3:02PM
Porter
Updated: March 28, 2011 3:02PM
Office sought: Trustee, Village of Homer Glen
Salary Of Position Sought: $6,000
Name: George Porter
Address: 12814 W. Timber Ln., Mokena, IL 60448
Date of birth/Age: 46
Contact information
Email: george.porter@comcast.net
Web site: www.ElectPorter.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elect-George-Porter/182619858439073
Twitter handle: http://twitter.com/ElectPorter
Telephone numbers:
Home:
Cell: 815-603-6298
Work:
Education: BA Marketing 1987, North Central College, Naperville, IL
Occupation, employer: District Manager, Chicago. EnerSys Delaware Inc.
Please list all sources of income: W-2 from EnerSys.
Spouse, spouse’s employer: Vivienne Porter, C3 Solutions, Inc.
Children, age of children, children’s employer (if applicable):
Sophia 17, Olivia 10
Please list any relatives, including in-laws, who are employed by a
government agency at the federal, state or local levels. What are their job
titles and with what agency are they employed? N/A
What other elected offices have you sought? What year? Precinct committeeman, Homer Township. Elected 96, 98, and 2010. Appointed 02, 04
Have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime? If so, for what? What
was the disposition? N/A
Do you have any criminal convictions on your record? If so, for what? What
was your sentence? N/A
Political (elected or significant appointment) experience: Precinct committeeman with the Homer Township Republican Organization. Elected Feb 2010 in 21st pct. Currently serving fifth term with HTRO. Past Treasurer and Vice-Chairman, served as Peter Roskam’s campaign coordinator when he ran in the 13th Congressional District primary and carried Homer Twp. Served on the committee to incorporate Homer in two previous attempts during the ‘90’s. Lived in Pennsylvania from Aug 1999 – Sept 2001 when incorporation finally passed. I am endorsed by the Homer Township Republican Organization and the Homer-Lockport Tea Party. For more information please visit my website at www.electporter.com.
In your view, what are the two most important issues facing your
constituents? How would you address those issues? High water rates: I would continue development of the mayor’s joint-water-agency with neighboring municipalities to get rates under control.
Commercial development: We need to expand the commercial base along 159th Street and Bell Road. I will work on the Community and Economic Development Committee to craft a marketing plan for Homer Glen to attract new business.
Please explain something significant you would like to accomplish within the next two years if you are elected to the office to which you aspire. My goal in the first two years is to have agreements in place with several large retailers and B2B employers to locate operations in the planned commercial corridors of 159th Street and Bell Road.
Please explain how you believe the office you’re seeking can help in creating local jobs. Profitable businesses generally grow and hire more people, so the village must foster an environment that embraces free-market principles which attract more business and allows it to thrive. When a business is taxed or encumbered in some way, that’s just one more expense in its operation, which ultimately gets passed on to the consumer—basic “Adam Smith” stuff. We must be practical with our expectations during continued development. Everyone enjoys nature, but we must be cautious about an over-zealous green-initiative, or a burdensome permitting and inspection process so as not to scare people away. When the government pushes too hard in these areas, inevitably, property rights get infringed; the cost of compliance is too high; and the heavier the restriction, the more diminished are any perceived benefits from it.
Would you make any changes to the budget of the governing unit to which you are seeking elected office? If so, what? I would eliminate any village funds for construction of new trails and parks, and allow for only maintenance of existing. The village enacted a 1% municipal sales tax, which balanced the budget and left a surplus, but I oppose using this extra money for parks and trails. These amenities have their place in our community, but against the backdrop of a struggling economy, we should focus on building our commercial base further to a point that basic village operations can be conducted with state sales tax sharing only, and eliminate the 1% municipal sales tax.
Are there any other issues you want to bring to the public’s attention? If
so, what? N/A.
