Former President of Global Hyatt Corporation, Trustee Candidate Doug Geoga wants to refocus on basics in Hinsdale
1. Why are you running for trustee? What specific skills do you bring?
I am running for trustee because I would like to serve the community that has been such a wonderful place to raise our family, and because I think that my financial, managerial, real estate and local government experiences will help me serve effectively in these challenging times. I have run businesses, and served as a director and trustee of other organizations, where I have shared responsibility for financial matters in
good times and bad, and for making sensible budgeting decisions under financial constraints. I have many years of experience in the real estate development business as well and believe that will add practical perspective to help better manage relationships with interested developers. Given the revenue constraints that the village will be experiencing in the face of significant infrastructure and operating demands, I believe these experiences will be particularly relevant during the next several critical years when the Village will be challenged to responsibly serve its residents while living within its means. My time on the Plan Commission has helped familiarize me with Village issues, and demonstrated my problem-solving approach to Village residents who will be choosing new stewards for the Village this spring.
2. How can the Village better marshal its resources during this downturn?
We no longer have the luxury of managing the Village’s business by making incremental changes from prior years’ levels. In too many prior years, we committed available revenue without either maintaining our infrastructure and capital assets or reserving sufficient funds to address those issues in future years. Our ability to raise additional revenue is quite limited and our residents rightfully do not trust us with
additional revenue until we regain their confidence as responsible stewards. We are going to have to revisit our long-term infrastructure plan and every aspect of our various operating and capital budgets from the ground up with a fresh look. With a renewed focus on providing basic services now and in the future, we will have to demonstrate that we can live within our means while preserving the character of the Village that we love. The taxpayers of the Village deserve no less from their trustees.
Doug and Michelle Geoga and family
3. If elected, what would you like your legacy to be?
I see service to the Village as a matter of neighbors taking a turn in Village government and, hopefully, turning Village affairs over to another group of neighbors in a better condition than they found it. That is what responsible stewardship is all about and that is how the Village will thrive over time. At the local government level, that usually involves a focus on the less glamorous matters of basic government services and strict financial discipline. Unfortunately, the Village has not
always been stewarded in that manner. That is, in part, how we find ourselves in a situation where our streets are in disrepair, our infrastructure has been neglected, and our village buildings and equipment are in need of investment, all without the necessary reserves accumulated over time to address those issues, and just as our current revenues are cyclically challenged. While it took some time to work ourselves into this unfortunate situation and will take some time to work ourselves out, I hope that my legacy will be having been part of a board that began the process of refocusing on basics and putting the Village on a more responsible footing, thereby leaving the Village in a better condition than we found it.
Read interviews with candidates previously featured in the Hinsdale Monitor You Choose 2009 series. (Click on photos below to link to each candidate's interview and biographical information.)
Candidates for Village Government |
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President |
Board of Trustees |
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Tom Cauley* |
Doug Geoga* |
Laura LaPlaca* |
Bob Saigh* |
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| Mike Woerner | Bill Seith | Craig Chapello | |
| Cindy Williams | |||
| NOTE: The Hinsdale Monitor does not have a profile on Presidential Candidate Cindy Williams, who did not respond to our invitation to be interviewed. | |||
| * Candidates who have been endorsed by the Hinsdale Village Caucus and Hinsdale First. | |||
What is the Hinsdale Village Caucus?
Serving the community for 75 years, the Hinsdale Caucus has provided a non-partisan method of identifying and supporting the best candidates for local elections.
More about the Caucus and other Caucus-endorsed Candidates on the Hinsdale Village Caucus web site >
What is Hinsdale First?
Hinsdale First is a political committee registered with the Illinois State Board of Elections. "[Hinsdale First] was formed in 2008 to advocate for the adoption by our Village government of policies and programs consistent with the platform of our organization," according to the web site.
More about Hinsdale First >