Candidates share meal, thoughts
Shorewood — Some good bread, homemade goodies and questions for the Village Board candidates were on the menu for the candidate forum at the Senior Resource Center on Monday.
Four candidates are seeking two open seats in the April 6 election.
Incumbent Ellen Eckman was joined by challengers Don Ford and Patrick Linnane at the forum. The fourth candidate, Tim Wick, declined an invitation to participate. Trustee Sean Cummings is not seeking re-election.
Why run for office
Ford, a resident for the last five years, has looked for an opportunity to become involved in the community. Running for office has helped him get to know the village in new way, he said. He would like to tackle the property tax issue, finding ways to lower the tax burden but also ways to continue to deliver services in a cost-effective manner, he said.
Linnane, a resident for 39 years, said he has the time and background to make him an effective trustee. He serves on the village Design Board.
Eckman, a resident for 35 years, wants to keep her seat on the board because there are several projects she wants to continue to work on, including the reconstruction of Capitol Drive, the development of commercial property in the business district, and the Comprehensive Park Plan.
Inspection, parking issues
Permits for new appliances or remodeling, as well as code compliance inspections, raised questions from seniors who think they are unnecessary and expensive.
Ford, who recently remodeled his house, saw the value of the permit and inspection system.
"We recently renovated and there were a ton of permits," he said. "We had good contractors but they also knew the inspector was coming."
Eckman and Linnane agreed that permits and the compliance program help maintain the housing stock in the community and are protections for home buyers and sellers.
On the subject of parking in the village, all agreed there are problems that need to be addressed. All would support changes that would be friendly to village residents but would provide limits to those who would park all day on village streets.
Trustees serve three-year terms and earn $1,000 a year.
Ellen Eckman (inc.)
Age: 63
Address: 2500 E. Beverly Road
Family: married, has two adult children and two grandchildren
Education: doctorate in urban education
Occupation: associate professor of education at Marquette University
Past elected experience: She is completing her third term on the Village Board.
Don Ford
Age: 58
Address: 4300 N. Lake Drive
Family: married, has two adult children and three grandchildren
Education: bachelor's degree in accounting and finance
Occupation: certified public accountant; CEO, Garvey Group
Past elected experience: none
Patrick Linnane
Age: 66
Address: 1511 E. Beverly Road
Family: married, has two adult children and three grandchildren
Education: master's degree in the cultural and philosophical foundations of education
Occupation: semi-retired owner of Patrick Linnane & Associates
Past elected experience: none
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