Who's on your ballot? Meet Vaseem Iftekhar

In this series, we introduce you to the candidates running for election April 6 who share our democratic values. Please make your plan to VOTE in this election... by mail, early, in-person... it all counts.

Vaseem Iftekhar currently serves as CLC Trustee. Read his bio here. Find him on Facebook.

1) What do you believe is the most important issue facing the organization you’d be serving, and what should be considered when addressing it?

The pandemic has caused great economic harm and affected the students on many fronts Due to the economic recession, we will face student enrollment decline and those have to be overcome through innovative approaches reskilling and retraining as required. Another major issue is to adjusting to remote learning technical capabilities will have to be enhanced to adapt to these changes in hybrid learning.

2) Historically, voter turnout in local elections is very low. What would you say to community members to encourage them to get out to vote April 6?

A substantial percentage of our tax money is spent locally. It is important to elect local leaders that share values and can work hard for the betterment of the community. We need to remind citizens to vote through community organizations, social media, and another channel.

3) What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or watched recently and why?

I have attended a three-day seminar of the conference of community colleges to learn about the best practices of community colleges throughout the country.

4) Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?

I have over three decades of experience in Research and Development and have business experience as a project manager in companies including Abbott Labs. I will use my experience to make CLC even better. The focus of my work will be the educate students to make sure that they have a good future and gainful employment.

5) What have you heard/learned about what voters are concerned about?

Students are concerned about when the college will open for on-campus classes. Voters are concerned about the potential impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the fiscal management of College of Lake County and a potential increase in taxes.