I am encouraged to earn the endorsement for Winfield Village President from the Daily Herald. The process included candidate's online survey response (Hanlon & Spande) and a side-by-side recorded interview with two Daily Herald representatives; a local reporter covering Winfield and member of the editorial board. Candidates were encouraged to respond to each other's comments and add additional points of view to questions. Another important factor is the Daily Herald's own point of view on endorsements found here.
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WE ARE WINFIELD
Why "We Are Winfield" as the theme motivating my focus to become Winfield Village President? Winfield is a highly polarized political environment and it is carrying over into our neighborhoods, friendships and local news. Neighborhoods and individuals get stereotyped into opposing groups, one side over another, by marginalizing assumptions. The newspapers, signage and blogs that hit us each week continue to divide us as a community. The need to control the dialogue, to be right at all cost, to be heard instead of listening, drives debate and problem solving into ultimatums leaving no room for ideas in progress.

Walking neighborhoods door-to-door and talking to residents has fully reinforced my decision to run for Village President. I find strong commonality among our residents than the newspapers and blogs lead us to believe. Everyone sees huge potential for Winfield and demands leadership to restore civility, remove the drama and unlock the potential for Winfield that is our future. It leads me to the conclusion that no matter the issue at hand, neighborhood we live in, church we attend, civic group we support, WE ARE ALL WINFIELD.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Guiding principles are the foundation for Village Leadership. They are the guidelines that set expectations for; leaders to think through issues, behaviors leaders demonstrate and the actions leaders take to move our Village forward. My guiding principles for leading Winfield are; Community, Collaboration, Partnership and Independence.

VISION & PLANS

A Vision defines what is core to us as a Village, what is sacred – it rarely changes; it also defines the future that we are working toward. The vision is short and succinct, it motivates understanding and individuals can see the future in their mind’s eye. The plan for realizing our vision will adapt over time to the changing environment around us. It is divided into short-term actions, medium-term needs and long-term plans. Our vision is core and rarely changes – our plans must adapt to our current reality.

CHALLENGES

Residents agree on Winfield’s large potential to be a premier community in the Chicagoland area. Winfield’s potential can by realized over time if we resolve the challenges that block our progress today. Winfield needs to; focus on Business Growth, restore it’s Reputation, motivate Partnering and Citizen Engagement, and demand Healthy Debate and Respect for our Community.
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“Winfield" . . . What are the first words that enter your mind when you hear the name of our village? I’ve been asking this question of myself and others; the results are often negative. The current state of affairs is simply unacceptable. We are a village in desperate need of change. We need a vision and roadmap for progress. Most importantly, we need leadership and leaders that are focused on community excellence.

My name is Rob Hanlon and with confident humility I ask for your vote for Village President on Tuesday April 9, 2013. I regularly update the "MY THOUGHTS" section of this site with more detail and respond to questions submitted in the "HOW TO HELP" section. You can also use the icons at the top of the page or these links to engage with me via social media of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.