Who Are You? with Nicholas Gaudi, Open Local Illinois

Posted on February 16, 2016


As part of a grueling ELGL initiation process, new members are asked to complete our version of the Wonderlic test. It’s an open book test and participants do not have to use a dull number 2 pencil to fill in tiny circles.12341401_10153917045187873_1422852425311330445_n

Nicholas Gaudi (LinkedIn and Twitter) serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Open Local Illinois, a non-profit organization. Open Local Illinois is committed to educating residents on the practices of their local government, and developing greater civic engagement through more informed citizens and voters. He also hold a position with Savino Del Bene as a Customs Brokerage Entry Writer.

Complete the following sentences.

In 2016, I will….

Be applying to an MPA program to help increase professional opportunities for me in local government.

I joined ELGL because…..

I strongly believe in the great work being done by ELGL to develop a community of leaders in local government that take a fresh approach to municipal work to bridge the divide between municipalities and the residents they serve.

On my way to work, I am thinking…

About how much I would enjoy doing the work of the people in a local government position. I also think about Open Local Illinois, and how I can continue to work on achieving its mission of educating residents about local government, allowing them to more effectively engage and communicate with elected leaders as well as staff.

Once I win the lottery, I will…

First, do the responsible things, such as pay off the bills and take care of the future needs of my family. Then, I would purchase a Tesla because I love technology that pushes boundaries, and I would much rather plug in my car at night.

You should probably know that I….

Enjoy spending as much time on a tennis court as I do researching and reading local ordinances.

Do you agree/disagree with the following statement(s)……Explain….

Police departments should equip each officer with a body camera.

I would agree that police departments should equip each officer with a body camera as it helps to tell the full story of an incident. The camera adds a measure of safety for officers, and it helps provide transparency to the interaction law enforcement has with the community.

I am well versed on my retirement benefits.

Unfortunately, I would have to disagree, as I have not had the time to completely read through and fully understand my retirement benefit options. 

I have no idea, nor do I care, how to use Snapchat.

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I would agree. The more traditional social networking platforms, such as Twitter, can provide a more engaging town square or town hall discussion on various issues or news taking place.

I rather be an assistant manager than the manager.

I would disagree. Being responsible for leading an organization would be one of the most fulfilling professional experiences. I believe in thinking differently about issues and exploring outside the box solutions. It is what lead me to co-found Open Local Illinois.

I am a big user of the sharing economy.

I would agree. I have been a big user of the sharing economy as it relates to technology, and more specifically, cloud computing. Much of our organization’s work requires it. It allows us to bring in outside resources more easily, and without it growing our organization would be far more difficult.

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