Meet Your April 5 Candidates: Jim Hynes, Niles Trustee

"All politics is local" and "The closer to home, the greater the impact on your pocketbook" are two truisms in politics.

The candidates in local elections affect how much you pay in taxes, and what you get for your money, more than candidates in Springfield and Washington, D.C. 

So who are these folks who will impact your life and money? Find out here.

Accessibility: Citizens need to be able to contact their elected officials to voice their opinions, so Patch is noting how accessible they are. James T. Hynes'  contact information is listed on whitepages.com.

James T. Hynes, Candidate for Village of Niles Trustee

1) How would you assess the state of the state of the village's budget? How should it balance the budget?
Overall the Village is in good financial shape. We have a $24 million plus reserve that we can use if needed, but balancing the budget so we do not need to tap into the reserve is our priority. We need the village administrators and staff to look critically at all their proposed expenditures and revenue projections, make them realistic and cut out what is not needed to maintain our services to residents without raising taxes. Only then should we touch the reserves.

2) What needs to be done to maintain or improve Niles' business, retail and industrial climate in the future? 

By balancing our budget, maintaining high services and continuing Niles' traditionally good relations with the business community. We are all partners in Niles - the village government, the residents, and the business community. We all need to continue to work together and all will thrive.

3) What, if anything, does the village need to do to adequately fund police and fire pensions? 

We need to fully fund our annual contributions to the respective funds, and if we do so, over time we will be fully funded and self-sufficient. In addition, legislative changes have helped modify the current deficit amount and will continue to do so in the future.

4) Briefly tell us what, in your background or education, has prepared you to make a contribution on this board. Can you offer an expertise that would be a resource to other board members? 

I have been an attorney for over 35 years, and active in government for many of those years. This experience gives me insight into the legal ramifications of activties of the board and village government. In addition, I served for over 12 years as an  elected commissioner of the Niles Park District, and that service has taught me how to work together with other elected officials to improve services for our residents, while keeping fees and taxes low.


5) What is your top issue (or two or three) and what's your position on it (them)?

The top issues are a balanced budget which maintains and improves upon Village services for our residents at the lowest cost; continue to push high ethical standards for all employees and activities in the village; and make certain all village actions are transparent and allow for the maximum interaction with residents.

6) Is there anything else would you like voters to know about your positions on issues, involvement in the community or point of view?  I am used to working as a member of a great team of elected officials to make Niles the best place to live, work and raise a family, and ask all of the voters to allow us to continue in our service to the community.