Dan Stanovich: Lake Zurich Village Board Candidate

Please provide a brief biography:

I have been a resident of Lake Zurich since 2004.  My wife (Tina) and I are the parents of two amazing children; Ashleigh (9) and Brayden (7).  When my wife and I first decided to move to Lake Zurich, we were attracted by the close knit feel of the community and that feeling has only grown for us over the years. Our family has been active members of the Foglia YMCA, Ela Soccer Club, and the Lake Zurich Flames. 

I am currently an Account Executive for Aon Hewitt where I have been employed for the last 17+ years. In my work experience, I have had both operational and client relationship responsibilities.

I am a graduate of Purdue University where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Industrial Management and a minor in Computer Systems.  I also went back to school later and earned an MBA in Finance from DePaul University's Kellstadt School of Business.

Include how long you have lived in LZ

We have lived in the Village for 9 years. We moved here in the Spring of 2004. 

Why do you want to serve (or continue to serve) the village as a trustee?

When we moved to Lake Zurich, my wife and I were attracted to the “small town” feel and the potential we saw in the community. We were hearing talk about the re-routing of Route 22 and the visions of a vibrant downtown area. While the sense of community and “small town” feel are still there today, the vision and promises around the development of downtown and other areas in the Village are still unfulfilled with no new plans in sight. I am running because I have always believed you can either complain about what’s being done, or you can actually get in the game and try to do something about it. I want Lake Zurich to be an attractive destination for businesses and residents. There is a lot of untapped potential in our community -- we just need individuals focused and determined to do something about it. I believe in Lake Zurich and I would love the opportunity to put all I have learned in the business world to work for the residents of Lake Zurich.

What are your top priorities for the Village of Lake Zurich?

Economic Development: We need to further the economic development of the Village of Lake Zurich. The Village offers a great community experience for its residents, but it has failed to deliver on the promise of bringing development to the downtown area. While residents love the community experience, they are being forced to go to other nearby towns for restaurants and shopping. We need to fulfill the commitment to make our Village vibrant, prosperous, and competitive.

Fiscal Responsibility: We need to instill discipline in the financial management of the Village starting with our annual budgeting process. We need to consistently live within our means while continuing to bring the service to the community that our residents expect and deserve.

Service to Our Residents: Operate the Village with service to our residents being the #1 priority. Residents need to feel that the Village cares about their needs and it’s ultimately there to serve them. This includes operating with transparency and inviting our residents’ opinions and insights. 

What needs to be done to create a solid financial base for the village?

 New development: We need to get aggressive about marketing the Village and the opportunities it offers to developers and demonstrate our willingness to work with them to effectively implement economically sound development plans. Developers need to know that the Village is "open for business" if they have a plan that will benefit the Village and its residents. This means aligning the Village departments to ensure they are ready, willing and able to partner with developers to efficiently move them through the planning approval and inspection processes. We need to demonstrate we are striving to develop the Village versus making it overly difficult for plans to be approved and developers to work with the Village and its departments. I would also fully support the continuation of the RFQ/RFP process to fully vet the developers and their accompanying proposals, but it needs to be balanced to serve both the Village and the developers. We need to ensure that the process itself does not become a deterrent for respected developers wanting to work with the Village. 

We will also need to continue to offer financial incentives to be competitive with other communities. There is no way around that if we want to see meaningful development in Lake Zurich. If we don't offer them, we will see more development and businesses go to other nearby communities. Having said that, I will work to ensure that economic incentives are structured to benefit both the developers and the Village. We shouldn't shy away from negotiating the time frames, amounts, and/or the purposes of the incentives. 

What is your vision for downtown development?

My vision is focused around two areas: 

1)   New development: I would like to see a mix of both commercial and residential development in the downtown area. Clearly, the commercial side will generate more revenue for the Village so we need to lean more in that direction. I also feel that we need to stay true to our community and preserve the “small town” feel. To me, this means having a mix of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc. along with some local shops. 

2)   Existing businesses: We need to work with some of the current businesses in the downtown area to determine how we can work together to attract more business to the area. This may include providing them with incentives to upgrade their storefronts and buildings. Small, local businesses need to remain a critical part of the downtown vision.

How much time do you have available to devote to this role?

I am going into this with my eyes wide open around the commitment needed to do the job. I will have to balance it against my work life, but I have reached a point in my career where I have more control over my schedule and time. This should allow me to adjust my schedule as needed to accommodate my role as Trustee. Not to mention, my offices are only a few miles away from Lake Zurich.  

What traits do you have that make you a good leader for the village?

I am an experienced leader with background in many diverse business functions from operations to sales. I understand what it means to build an effective and prosperous partnership with clients while balancing against internal budget constraints. I have also been recognized for my results-oriented leadership approach, strong communication skills, good business judgment and the ability to effectively troubleshoot and resolve issues.