2023 Election Guide: Village of Mahomet Candidates
Bruce Colravy, Becky Preston, Jason Tompkins and Bill Oliger are the 2023 candidates for the Village of Mahomet Board. Election day is April 4, but early voting sites across Champaign County are already open. Mr. Oliger did not submit answers to the questions all candidates received. There are four open seats and four candidates.
Bruce Colravy
Bruce Colravy, Trustee for the Village of Mahomet
Tell us about yourself.
My wife Diane and I moved to Mahomet in 1993. We were drawn to Mahomet, because we preferred the pace of small-town life, the schools were highly rated, and the forest preserves provide abundant natural areas to visit. We have been married for 42 years and have two adult children, Elizabeth and Eddie. Both attended Mahomet-Seymour Schools throughout their primary and secondary education. Diane works at Carle Auditory Oral School, Elizabeth works for State Farm in Bloomington, and Eddie works at FedEx while also volunteering with the Cornbelt Fire Protection District. I have served on the village board since 2011. For 38 years I worked for United Parcel Service driving a package car for most of that time. Afterwards I spent 4 years as the account manager for Dixon Graphics in Champaign, before retiring into part-time work. My part-time job is with the Champaign County Forest Preserve’s Botanical Garden. My degree in Natural Resources is from Oregon State University. I served on the Champaign County Forest Preserve District’s Citizens Advisory Committee from 2009 – 2013, and I have been a board member for the Upper Sangamon River Conservancy since its founding in 2009. My hobbies include gardening, wildlife photography, and hiking. I enjoy leading volunteers in citizen science activities, such as invertebrate monitoring of streams and freshwater mussel surveys.
What are the top 3 issues you see facing the community?
A major challenge for our community has been attracting commercial development. Residential growth has been strong for many years. We have been aptly labeled a “bedroom community.” Because of our high ratio of residential property relative to commercial property, we rely heavily on residential taxes to support community services. The village board and staff have been working very hard throughout my tenure on the board to attract commercial development to Mahomet. We have created two TIF (Tax Increment Financing) districts; the East Mahomet TIF District located along route 150 heading east out of town, and the other is the Commercial Core TIF District which includes primarily downtown’s Main Street, Franklin Street, and the Eastwood Drive area. The money generated by the incremental increase in tax revenue from the districts provides a means to incentivize and consequently hasten commercial development. By drawing more commercial development to Mahomet, we also hope to create more opportunities for people who live here to spend their money here as they will have greater choices in restaurants, shopping, and services. Residents would also be afforded greater opportunities for employment right here in Mahomet.
Managing a fast-growing community like we have experienced in Mahomet presents some unique challenges. It is typical that during times of rapid growth, communities feel a lag in revenue relative to their population. Once again supporting strong commercial growth can go a long way to alleviate side effects of this kind of growth. Incentivizing commercial development through TIF districts, development agreements, forward-thinking infrastructure investment, and other creative means can help accelerate the pace of commercial development and close the revenue gap much faster than might otherwise occur. Our TIF districts, our 2016 Comprehensive Plan, our Downtown Master Plan adopted in 2019, and recent development agreements, all provide support and direction toward that end. This approach has been employed for years and is now poised to yield positive results.
Fighting the negative attitudes about our community from our own community members may be the biggest challenge we have. Negative attitudes can be a barrier to success. Much of what I see on social media is toxic, contagious, and frequently based on misinformation. I do not deny that Mahomet has concerns that need to be remedied, all communities do. But we need to balance the challenges we currently face with what has been done well. Mahomet is a vibrant community. It is full of great civic organizations, churches, and a wonderful school system that remains highly rated. We have an excellent parks & rec department that provides a multitude of high-quality programs for all ages and abilities, and has many new amenities for our citizens. The new amenities are in part the result of the generosity of local donors. Our operations department is very efficient, hardworking and responsive to residents needs. We are fortunate to have a village staff that is highly competent and creative in addressing the challenges our community faces. We have a village board that may disagree on an occasional issue, but at the end of the day we are all pulling in the same direction, and we remain united in keeping Mahomet a great place to live. Cornbelt Fire Protection District provides not only exceptional emergency services but also outreach that goes above and beyond with visits to schools and daycares, not to mention their wildly popular open house. Our Mahomet Police Department keeps our community and schools among the safest in the state, and in doing so preserves our quality of life. We have many community events and festival activities throughout the year to enhance our lives. We have forest preserves where we can hike, fish, canoe, birdwatch, golf and much more. We have a beautiful botanical garden (I may be a little biased with this one) and a museum that also offers many educational and recreational programs. We have businesses that frequently and generously give back to our community. We have the Mahomet Area Youth Club that offers many services to our young people. We have many, many people eager to volunteer when asked. We have neighbors willing to help neighbors, and neighborhoods where kids can feel safe to play. Despite our growing pains, we still hold on to our small-town values. Since my time on the board, Mahomet has often found itself on lists, that include “best places to live,” “best schools” “and “safest places to live.” This would suggest to me that we are doing something right. We need to remind ourselves of how very fortunate we are to live in Mahomet. And then we can get to work and try to make it even better.
Why did you decide to run for the Village of Mahomet Board?
I chose to run for village trustee, because I believe that public service is an important and worthwhile endeavor. My grandfather, for whom I had great admiration, served many years on the village board in Piper City, my boyhood home. He had a strong sense of community and I proudly share many of his values. My job as trustee is to ensure that Mahomet remains a place in which we are all proud to call home.
Becky Preston
Tell Me About Yourself
Rebecca (Becky) Preston
Market President, First State Bank in Champaign, IL
Resident of Mahomet since 2009
Two Children graduated Mahomet Seymour High School in 2017 & 2019
Married to Sam Preston. We have 6 children, 4 grandchildren, and 2 grandchildren due to arrive in April and May.
Why Did I Run for Village Board?
Since beginning my professional career almost 20 years ago, community development and community involvement have been at the core of how I serve people and build relationships. When the opportunity presented itself to get involved at a deeper level for the Village of Mahomet, I felt called to serve and play a more active role in our wonderful community.
What Are the Top 3 Issues I See Facing Mahomet?
I view issues as opportunities to continue building a stronger Mahomet for our residents where they can work, live, and play.
- Public Safety-As we continue to grow in population, we get to assure our residents feel safe in Mahomet. We have the opportunity to support our police department by listening to their needs and keep staffing levels where they need to be for a community of our size. We also can provide our police with the most up to date equipment and technology to perform their role at the highest level. We always welcome and encourage feedback and suggestions from our residents about their experience with public safety. I want to assure residents of Mahomet feel we are providing them a safe place to live, work and raise their families.
My Solution: Be an active listener to our police chief and our residents. Help oversee good fiscal management of the village budget to assure we can provide the funding our police department needs to execute their role. I also want to bring feedback from our residents to the police chief and village staff about opportunities we have to be better at providing a safety community for our residents.
- Infrastructure-Keeping our local infrastructure updated is critical to the economic development in Mahomet. Inflation over the past two years has brought significant increases in project costs. Our roads, bridges, access to water and other facilities are critical to the well being of Mahomet residents and it will help us attract new commercial and economic development to our community.
My Solution: Actively participate in conversations with village staff about the infrastructure needs of today and in the future. Stay aware and advocate for state and federal dollars that can be made available to the village for infrastructure projects. Make myself available to residents who have concerns or ideas around infrastructure and innovation.
- Public Amenities-Continuing to improve and provide new amenities to Mahomet residents is important to me. Close proximity to amenities builds positive feelings about the community we live in. I want residents of Mahomet to find a lot of pleasure in their community and enjoy a diverse offering of amenities for sports, play and leisure time.
My Solution: With the Barber Park project, the idea of the Mahomet Community Foundation was born in 2021. I recognize continuing to add amenities to our community comes with a cost. With our community foundation, we have an opportunity to look for grant funding, build donor relationships, and raise funds to help bridge the funding gap for new amenities now and in the future. These amenities will serve future generations for many years, and gives community members an opportunity to leave a legacy in Mahomet. I serve as Vice President of the Foundation and will continue to build brand awareness for the Foundation, and look for opportunities to support the needs of our community.
What Do I Believe is the role of a board member? In the village of Mahomet, a trustee serves a legislative role. A board members primary role is to evaluate, amend and vote on proposed ordinances for the village, as well as provide support and oversight of village finances. In addition to that, I believe as a board member I get to be active listener to residents. I want to hear what our residents like about Mahomet, and what opportunities we have to be even better. Those conversations help influence my decision making and keep the voice of our residents at the fore front of any decision we make for Mahomet.
Jason Tompkins
Tell us about yourself:
My name is Jason Tompkins. My wife Jill and I have lived in Mahomet since 2000. We have two daughters. Elise (19) is in her second year at the University of Illinois and Elena (17) is a junior at Mahomet-Seymour High School. I graduated from the University of Illinois in 1996 and serve as general manager of Bendsen Signs and Graphics in Decatur. I am actively involved with the Rotary Club of Mahomet, serving as President in 2020-2021.
Why did you decide to run for the Village of Mahomet Board?
I was appointed to the Village Board of Trustees in March of 2022 to fill the vacancy left with the passing of Trustee David Johnson, who had just been re-elected. I am seeking election for a two (2) year term to fulfill the balance of Trustee Johnson’s original four (4) year term. I chose to run because I have thoroughly enjoyed my short time on the board with my fellow trustees and working with our incredible village staff. Along with thousands of others, Mahomet has given me and my family a wonderful place to call home. I am committed to doing my part to keep this community great today and moving forward to many bright tomorrows.
What are the top 3 issues you see facing the district in the next four years, what are your solutions to those issues and how do you plan to bring those solutions before the board?
*Safety in our community must be paramount. The Mahomet Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Metzler, does a tremendous job of keeping our community a safe place to live and work. While on the village board, I have supported measures to provide local law enforcement with the tools needed to help keep us safe. I will continue to support measures deemed appropriate by our law enforcement officials that help keep us ahead of the curve in terms of public safety for our village.
*Mahomet is in a prime position for increased commercial growth. I believe our proximity to the interstate highway and Champaign-Urbana place us in a unique position. I am encouraged by the increased commercial growth over the last decade, but also believe there is potential for more. I would support appropriate measures that actively recruits commercial development which would enhance and benefit the village.
*The Mahomet-Seymour School District is one of the main reasons people move to Mahomet. It is no secret; the school district is battling significant capacity issues. I am committed, and support, continued collaboration between the village and school district to resolve issues they mutually face. Enhancing commercial growth would help increase funding opportunities for the school district which are currently mostly bore by the property owners in our community. The fact is the school district and village benefit from each other. I am committed keeping both organizations moving forward together in a positive way.
What do you believe is the role of a board member?
The role of a village trustee is to do what is right and good for the community. The Village of Mahomet has an incredible group of professionals that work each day to make this a great place. My role, as a Trustee, is to listen to their needs and act appropriately to support them. I also believe the responsibility of a Village Trustee is to work with our community in setting a course for the future. Many have served before us and made critical decisions that have helped place us in the valuable position we are today. It is now our turn to make the critical, and sometimes difficult, decisions that will insure Mahomet is a great place for generations to come.
