Palatine Township Trustee Candidate: Art Goes

Palatine Patch will be helping you get to know the candidates for the upcoming special primary for Palatine Township. Meet Palatine Township Trustee candidate Art Goes, 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.

Art Goes, Palatine Township Trustee:
Retired. Corporate/management experience with a major airline, 15 years. Owned and operated a Palatine-based software company for 25 years. Township government, with twenty-something employees, has issues similar to small business.

Community:
Volunteer-American Cancer Society
Volunteer-Treasurer, homeowners association
School advisory panel - Virginia Lake School
Season ticket holder Palatine High School Band, Volleyball, Soccer, Tennis and Basketball.
Served as unpaid treasurer for seven local political campaigns including Citizens for Matt Murphy, our current State Senator.

Government:
District 15 Board of Education, served three years (78-81)
Currently serving as Palatine Township Trustee (Completing 5th year)
Chair, Human Needs Committee
Chair, Policy Committee
Member, Finance Committee
Member, Township Officials of Illinois
Member, Township Officials of Cook County
Director/Board Member, TOCC Trustees Division
 
2) How long have you been a Palatine Township resident? 39 years. 

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

I have served 5 years as trustee and have learned the in's and out's of the job. 
We've accomplished a lot, but there's more to do. I chaired two very active
committees (Human Needs and Policy) and was a member of the Finance committee.
Through the work of the Policy committee, the township has placed in writing its standard practices, and more importantly made them available to the public by posting them on the website. Being retired, I was able to concentrate more time and effort than most to the trustee position.  I would like to continue this work for an additional four years, and then not stand for reelection (term limits).

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

The three main goals in priority order are 1) controlling and reducing costs, 2) helping constituents gain a better understanding of what the township does and input into it's direction, and 3) seeking activities and projects which, at minimal or no cost to the taxpayer, can allow the township to provide a valuable service to all residents. These are challenging goals and require everyone pulling in the same direction to accomplish them.

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

The current board members have not all been pulling in the same direction. Sharon Langlotz-Johnson, who is running for supervisor and is my teammate, has pulled together a group of candidates and we have developed the shared goals listed in the previous questions. If we are all elected, we will all be working toward accomplishing the same goals.  That would be a big improvement.

6) Additional comments.

I’m running with the "Doing Things Better for Palatine Township" slate of candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the Township offices.  I'm pleased to join forces with a group of highly competent and motivated individuals to run as a cohesive team, eliminating the past friction on the Township Board by establishing shared goals and objectives that we all support!

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

Married (Jan). Two children (Stacey and Ryan). Stacey and Ryan completed school in Districts 15 and 211 and graduated from Bradley and Notre Dame, respectively.

I earned my Bachelors of Science at Northwestern University and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Chicago. I worked 40+ years in the private sector before retirement. My family and I attend St. Thomas of Villanova and my values are solidly Midwestern; Faith, Family, and Freedom.