Palatine Township Trustee Candidate: Bill Huley

Palatine Patch will be helping you get to know the candidates for the upcoming special primary for Palatine Township. Meet Palatine Township Trustee candidate Bill Huley, who is running alongside ten other candidates in the February 26 special primary election. 

1) Name, office being sought, professional background, community affiliations, experiences that you feel qualify you to run for this office.

 Bill Huley, Palatine Twp. board

Occupation: Retired United Airlines middle management executive in headquarters Flight Operations. Self-employed Aviation Air Safety Investigation consultant. Military Veteran, U.S. Air Force, Korean War, 1951-1955.

Education/Degrees: Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, University of Illinois, Champaign, 1959. Graduate study in Business Administration, Northwestern University.

Palatine Township resident and homeowner for past 51 years.

Licensed pilot

Civic Involvement:    

• Junior Achievement Counselor, Chicago Chapter, 1978-1980.
• Volunteer Vice Chairman of Facilities & Property, Clear brook Center for physically/mentally disabled individuals, 1988-1991.
• Volunteer Field Operations Manager, Plum Grove Estates Sanitary District, 1987-1998.
• Plum Grove Estates Property Owners Association Director, 1992-1998.
• Palatine Township Senior Center volunteer, 2001-2004.
• President and Publisher, NORTHWEST TAX WATCH, 1988-2008.
• Palatine Republican Election Judge, 1987-2009.
• Palatine Township Republican Area Precinct Captain, 1989-2007.
• Voter Registrar, 2001-present.
• Member, Township Officials of Illinois, 2005-present.
• Member, Township Officials of Cook County, 2005-present.

Offices Held: 

• Palatine Rural Fire Protection District Trustee, 1994-1997.
• Palatine Township Trustee, April 2005-Present.
• Committee Chairman of the Township's Finance & Administration Department for past 8 years. Also member on Human Needs & Policy Committees.

2) How long have you been a Palatine Township resident? 51 years. 

3) What are the reasons you chose to run for office? (for the upcoming election)

KEY ISSUES

Key Issue 1:   

DOING THINGS BETTER FOR PALATINE TOWNSHIP by spending taxpayers money more efficiently and responsibly.

Having headed NORTHWEST TAX WATCH--a public tax watchdog organization for 20 years--has uniquely enabled me to help bring conservative and more efficient spending to Township government, which I hope to continue, if elected.

Key Issue 2:   

DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN AND INVOLVE PUBLIC INPUT.

The new board must have a vision for the future and a plan for how to get there, two things that do not currently exist. We will collect your input through public events, direct conversations, polling, and other means. With this information, we will develop and publicize a plan that will show how your money will be spent and what we will accomplish as your Township representatives. This will make us more accountable to you and will give you a clearer picture of what the Township does with your tax dollars.

Key Issue 3:   

ENSURE ALL TAXPAYERS ARE BENEFITING FROM TOWNSHIP SERVICES.

We must do a better job with the services that we offer. We need to broaden those services, where possible, to include more people rather than narrowing the services and providing higher expense benefits to only a few.

Unfortunately, the constant refrain recently has been "but we've always done it this way!" The DOING THINGS BETTER SLATE of candidates will never use that excuse to avoid making progress. Our SLATE of qualified & experienced candidates will promote commonsense reforms and innovations in order to be more efficient, transparent, and accountable to the people we serve.

4) List 2-3 top issues-and how you plan to address them-that you believe are important to residents living in Palatine Township.

SEE THE ABOVE CANDIDATE SLATE'S THREE KEY CAMPAIGN ISSUES.

5) What improvements, if any, would you like to see in the way that Palatine Township is run?

On a personal note, and one shared by my fellow slate candidates, I offer the following goal:

PROMOTE & SUBSCRIBE TO TERM LIMITS FOR ALL TOWNSHIP ELECTED OFFICIALS.

If elected, I--Bill Huley--pledge this will be my last term. I bring stability to the board now, but the new trustees will be fully up to speed by the end of my term.

To ethically serve its constituents with honor, humility, and trust while being accountable and frugal with the taxpayer's money. To provide the best possible services for all its citizenry with efficiency and consistent with public expectations.

We must look at our current services to insure they are sustainable, especially the senior bus service program where we need to reduce the average cost per ride by either increasing ridership or reducing expenses or else fares will go up for riders.

6) Additional comments.

As an incumbent trustee official I bring a uniquely wide variety of communitarian experience plus eleven years as an elected official having served in two different units of local government. Also, with my level of formal education, and my experience/knowledge gained from a highly responsible level job in the private sector and from 4 years military service; all overall best qualifies me as a premier candidate to further serve Palatine Township government and its residents. I chose to run on this Republican SLATE of candidates because of how qualified and passionate each of the individuals are for wanting to do the best possible job for those they would serve.

Endorsements:           

Citizen Initiative Award from Elmhurst-based non-profit Citizen Advocacy Center for outstanding civic participation, 2004.

Palatine Township Republican Organization.

Palatine Township Republican Committeeman & Cook County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar.

7) Biographical information, family, children, upbringing, religious beliefs, etc. (optional).

Widowed since 2010, Wife's name: Helen, married 55 years, no children.

Religion:  Lutheran