Politics & Government

Thom Koch: Vernon Hills Trustee Candidate

Thom Koch Jr. is among four candidates running for three seats on the Vernon Hills Village Board.

 

Name: Thom Koch Jr.

Age: 63

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Family: Wife, Jan Koch two step-daughters and 4 Grandchildren

Education:

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  • Assoc. of Arts Degree College of Lake County 1975
  • Three Years at Northern Illinois University  1977-80
  • Bachelors Degree  Barat College 1985
  • Master of Arts in Counseling: Northeastern Illinois University 1994

Occupation: Teacher: Hawthorn Middle School South (26 years in the District)

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices:

  • Zoning Board of Appeals  1990-93
  • Village Board Trustee  1993 to Present

Other community involvement:

  • Member of the College of Lake County’s Southlake Advisory Board
  • Performed with several area Community Theatre activities
  • Coached at the Middle School level for 25 years and High School 10 years


Position sought: Seeking re-election to the Village Board as a Trustee

Email address:tak11@hotmail.com

Why are you running?

I enjoy serving the community. My grandfather instilled in me at an early age the idea that as a member of a community one must give back to the community. Vernon Hills is a Great Community and I would like to help keep it that way.

In what ways would the village benefit from your service?  

I feel I have gained a great deal of experience in the years that I have served on the Village Board. I am also very open with people and I love discussing what is going on in our community with other members of the community.

The biggest challenge right now is maintaining our strong retail sales base. We do not have a Village Property tax in Vernon Hills and in order to keep it that way we must continue to grow our retail sales tax base. The main focus right now is the renovation and expansion of Westfield Mall and I would like to see that project through to the end.

What do you think the village does well?

We have a great staff including the village hall, public works and the police department. They do a great job of moving the village forward. Working closely with them, the Village has been able to maintain a solid financial base while providing excellent service to the community.

What should be some of the village’s priorities over the next four years?

Finishing the Westfield Mall project. Building out the Town Center project.  Protecting and Growing our retail sales base. Working with the state to improve traffic and roadways in the area. Maintaining the good balance and variety of Housing stock that we have.

What else would you like voters to know?

I am very proud of what we have accomplished in Vernon Hills over the past decade or so. Number one on my list is the work we did to bring a high school to town. It has given us a great sense of Community. We have also built the Vernon Hills Athletic Complex, helped bring a Library to town and helped add the Lakeview Fitness Center to the Park District’s list of amenities. All of this without having to have a village property tax. I would like to help continue to make this a Great Community.


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