Mark steen
Wilmette Village Board
candidate video
responses to voter guide questions
Please tell us about yourself, your qualifications and what prompted you to run for Village Trustee.
Wilmette has been my home and where I have raised my family since 2008. I appreciate all that being part of this community has given to my family – and I’m happy to have given back, both by volunteering formally as a District 39 School Board member and, less formally, as I describe below. I’m running for Village Board because as a Trustee, my distinctive combination of scientific and financial training, strategic thinking, and local governance experience will strengthen the Board and our community.
I served on the D39 school board for eight years and was chosen by my fellow Board members as Vice President and then President. During my tenure, my colleagues and I:
I am proud to have been endorsed in this race by the D39 Board members with whom I served.
I have also been involved around the Village in many less formal ways. To name a few, I’ve:
Professionally, I have a Ph.D. in physics and have been designated a Chartered Financial Analyst, and my career has been in corporate strategy and finance with McKinsey & Co, Sanford Bernstein, Citadel Asset Management, and Corning Incorporated. I am currently the executive in charge of sustainability and climate initiatives at Corning.
You can find out more about my experience and my passion for strengthening Wilmette’s community at www.steen4wilmette.com. On April 1st, mine will be the fifth and final name on the ballot for Village Trustees. Please seek it out and vote for Mark Steen.
Questions:
What do you believe is the most pressing issue facing the Village of Wimette, and how would you address that issue as Village Trustee?
The design and plans for the new police station will likely be the most pressing issue over the next year or so. In making decisions about the police station, I will consider two groups of criteria:
“Serving the needs of our police officers” means listening to public safety officials about what’s required in a modern, effective station. I will carefully question our professionals to understand their assumptions, but also recognize that my role is to weigh community priorities, not provide expertise in policing. “Financially responsible” means avoiding incremental taxes to pay for the station.
I’m optimistic that we can build a station economically that satisfies our public safety needs - it will take much more creativity to build one that advances broader community goals. It will be easy, but disappointing, to create a station with asphalt parking lots and streets on three sides, especially if we tear up swaths of Howard Park to do it. That’s a cookie cutter station and not worthy of the character of Wilmette. I would push the Board toward creative designs that incorporate nearby community assets, like Howard Park and the Youth Warming House. I want a station that serves multiple community goals: creating stronger connections between our public safety officers and our citizens, potentially providing more indoor community space, and increasing the foot traffic near - and value of - the commercial district at Ridge and Lake. I would also push for joint sessions with the Park Board to ensure coordination between the assets that the two boards are planning, potentially creating joint solutions that better serve the community at lower total cost. As a Village Trustee I will always advocate for strategic thinking that builds the value of Wilmette’s distinctive character.
What, if any, capital projects do you think the Village should undertake during your term, and what do you think of projects that are currently underway or proposed, such as a new police station? How do you propose funding new capital projects?
Wilmette’s ability to finance its capital needs is enviable, but still requires careful management. In the near term, major projects include the police station, resurfacing our roads, replacing lead pipe water lines, and other water system upgrades. Based on 2025 Village budget estimates, I expect that these projects will require more than $200 million over the next ten years. My financial experience will be helpful in funding these projects while maintaining our ability to handle unexpected challenges.
I agree with the Village’s goal of funding the police station and road resurfacing without raising taxes. That requires a careful dance between the amount of debt we raise, our debt rating, and budget for debt service.
For our water system upgrades, we should stay within our Water Fund. We may have to reduce the transfers we typically make from the Water to the General Fund. We also may need to increase wholesale water prices that we charge to other municipalities or we may need to slow our system upgrades.
In 2023, Wilmette government agencies hired a shared Sustainability Coordinator to implement programs that protect our environment, conserve natural resources, and address the climate crisis. In what areas do you feel the Village has made the best use of this Coordinator's time, and where would you like to see increased focus?
I lead sustainability for a Fortune 500 global manufacturer, giving me unique insight into our Sustainability Coordinator’s work. Sustainability benefits from coordinated efforts, so sharing the Coordinator’s time between agencies may be the most impactful, wise decision.
I especially appreciate the education work that the Coordinator and the Environmental and Energy Commission have done. There’s considerable desire to act more sustainably among residents, but people have to know how to effectively do so. Efforts like giving out free native or pollinator-friendly seeds for gardens are inexpensive and effective. I would like to see increased focus - and increased budget - devoted to efforts that educate about and help residents enact other sustainable practices. Solar (either rooftop or community-based) can greatly decrease our greenhouse gas emissions. Rain barrels and permeable pavers can cost-effectively improve flooding issues. Triple pane glazing could help reduce energy use and cost.
I am also excited about our Village efforts on biodiversity, including attention to native species in our parks and pollinator and monarch corridors. I hope to find even more cooperation with other governmental agencies, including the MWRD and Metra.
Currently, the Housing Commission is working on a Housing Plan. What is your position on the availability of affordable housing in Wilmette? How, if at all, would you address affordable housing in Wilmette?
We do not have enough affordable housing in Wilmette. Very few of the teachers, fire fighters, police officers, Village staff and other people who make Wilmette what it is actually live in Wilmette, in part due to the high cost of living here. More affordable - and attainable - housing may also increase the percentage of younger families living in Wilmette. Residents 20-50 years old are critical to the Village’s long-term vibrancy, but that group has shrunk from a third of the population in 2000 to roughly a quarter now. Solving housing, however, is a problem all over the country and the solutions are not straightforward or easy to adopt: any plan will require tradeoffs that some citizens will not welcome. When considering the recommendations of the Housing Plan, once produced, I will apply similar principles as those I have outlined above: enacting fiscally responsible strategies that are impactful in increasing housing affordability and, wherever possible, creatively further the other goals outlined in our 2024 comprehensive plan.
Wilmette has been my home and where I have raised my family since 2008. I appreciate all that being part of this community has given to my family – and I’m happy to have given back, both by volunteering formally as a District 39 School Board member and, less formally, as I describe below. I’m running for Village Board because as a Trustee, my distinctive combination of scientific and financial training, strategic thinking, and local governance experience will strengthen the Board and our community.
I served on the D39 school board for eight years and was chosen by my fellow Board members as Vice President and then President. During my tenure, my colleagues and I:
- Ensured fiscal responsibility, balancing budgets and keeping fund balances reasonable
- Negotiated roughly a half dozen union contracts, each time reaching responsible and equitable conclusions without disruption
- Maintained and upgraded our buildings, including new classrooms, libraries and air conditioning to eliminate heat-related cancellations
- Improved the way we measure student performance, implementing growth-related metrics
- Expanded our focus on student mental health
- Hired a new superintendent
I am proud to have been endorsed in this race by the D39 Board members with whom I served.
I have also been involved around the Village in many less formal ways. To name a few, I’ve:
- Served on the D39 Education Foundation
- Participated as a parent volunteer in rec league and travel sports
- Helped start the Science Olympiad
- Volunteered multiple years as a New Trier Caucus member
- Helped other candidates for local election
Professionally, I have a Ph.D. in physics and have been designated a Chartered Financial Analyst, and my career has been in corporate strategy and finance with McKinsey & Co, Sanford Bernstein, Citadel Asset Management, and Corning Incorporated. I am currently the executive in charge of sustainability and climate initiatives at Corning.
You can find out more about my experience and my passion for strengthening Wilmette’s community at www.steen4wilmette.com. On April 1st, mine will be the fifth and final name on the ballot for Village Trustees. Please seek it out and vote for Mark Steen.
Questions:
What do you believe is the most pressing issue facing the Village of Wimette, and how would you address that issue as Village Trustee?
The design and plans for the new police station will likely be the most pressing issue over the next year or so. In making decisions about the police station, I will consider two groups of criteria:
- The non-negotiables: the station must serve the needs of our police officers and be financially responsible. I will not vote for any plan that does not meet these two requirements.
- The opportunities to improve: how can this major, new (expensive!) asset accelerate our progress toward our broader community goals?
“Serving the needs of our police officers” means listening to public safety officials about what’s required in a modern, effective station. I will carefully question our professionals to understand their assumptions, but also recognize that my role is to weigh community priorities, not provide expertise in policing. “Financially responsible” means avoiding incremental taxes to pay for the station.
I’m optimistic that we can build a station economically that satisfies our public safety needs - it will take much more creativity to build one that advances broader community goals. It will be easy, but disappointing, to create a station with asphalt parking lots and streets on three sides, especially if we tear up swaths of Howard Park to do it. That’s a cookie cutter station and not worthy of the character of Wilmette. I would push the Board toward creative designs that incorporate nearby community assets, like Howard Park and the Youth Warming House. I want a station that serves multiple community goals: creating stronger connections between our public safety officers and our citizens, potentially providing more indoor community space, and increasing the foot traffic near - and value of - the commercial district at Ridge and Lake. I would also push for joint sessions with the Park Board to ensure coordination between the assets that the two boards are planning, potentially creating joint solutions that better serve the community at lower total cost. As a Village Trustee I will always advocate for strategic thinking that builds the value of Wilmette’s distinctive character.
What, if any, capital projects do you think the Village should undertake during your term, and what do you think of projects that are currently underway or proposed, such as a new police station? How do you propose funding new capital projects?
Wilmette’s ability to finance its capital needs is enviable, but still requires careful management. In the near term, major projects include the police station, resurfacing our roads, replacing lead pipe water lines, and other water system upgrades. Based on 2025 Village budget estimates, I expect that these projects will require more than $200 million over the next ten years. My financial experience will be helpful in funding these projects while maintaining our ability to handle unexpected challenges.
I agree with the Village’s goal of funding the police station and road resurfacing without raising taxes. That requires a careful dance between the amount of debt we raise, our debt rating, and budget for debt service.
For our water system upgrades, we should stay within our Water Fund. We may have to reduce the transfers we typically make from the Water to the General Fund. We also may need to increase wholesale water prices that we charge to other municipalities or we may need to slow our system upgrades.
In 2023, Wilmette government agencies hired a shared Sustainability Coordinator to implement programs that protect our environment, conserve natural resources, and address the climate crisis. In what areas do you feel the Village has made the best use of this Coordinator's time, and where would you like to see increased focus?
I lead sustainability for a Fortune 500 global manufacturer, giving me unique insight into our Sustainability Coordinator’s work. Sustainability benefits from coordinated efforts, so sharing the Coordinator’s time between agencies may be the most impactful, wise decision.
I especially appreciate the education work that the Coordinator and the Environmental and Energy Commission have done. There’s considerable desire to act more sustainably among residents, but people have to know how to effectively do so. Efforts like giving out free native or pollinator-friendly seeds for gardens are inexpensive and effective. I would like to see increased focus - and increased budget - devoted to efforts that educate about and help residents enact other sustainable practices. Solar (either rooftop or community-based) can greatly decrease our greenhouse gas emissions. Rain barrels and permeable pavers can cost-effectively improve flooding issues. Triple pane glazing could help reduce energy use and cost.
I am also excited about our Village efforts on biodiversity, including attention to native species in our parks and pollinator and monarch corridors. I hope to find even more cooperation with other governmental agencies, including the MWRD and Metra.
Currently, the Housing Commission is working on a Housing Plan. What is your position on the availability of affordable housing in Wilmette? How, if at all, would you address affordable housing in Wilmette?
We do not have enough affordable housing in Wilmette. Very few of the teachers, fire fighters, police officers, Village staff and other people who make Wilmette what it is actually live in Wilmette, in part due to the high cost of living here. More affordable - and attainable - housing may also increase the percentage of younger families living in Wilmette. Residents 20-50 years old are critical to the Village’s long-term vibrancy, but that group has shrunk from a third of the population in 2000 to roughly a quarter now. Solving housing, however, is a problem all over the country and the solutions are not straightforward or easy to adopt: any plan will require tradeoffs that some citizens will not welcome. When considering the recommendations of the Housing Plan, once produced, I will apply similar principles as those I have outlined above: enacting fiscally responsible strategies that are impactful in increasing housing affordability and, wherever possible, creatively further the other goals outlined in our 2024 comprehensive plan.