Questions for candidates
I spent some time today thinking of questions to ask Elgin City Council candidates. These questions can be asked by anybody at the upcoming candidate forums, and I encourage you to do so. I’d also like to put together a questionnaire to pass along to the candidates in order to get their written responses. If you have questions of your own that you would like to ask, please post them in the comments section, and I will consider adding them to the questionnaire.
Here are the questions:
It is often said that Elgin has an image problem. Should the city address this problem? How would you propose it do so?
What kind of city do you want Elgin to be? Do you have a vision for Elgin? Please describe it. What concrete steps would you take as a councilman to make that vision a reality?
How would you describe Elgin to somebody who is not familiar with it?
Name the three most important challenges facing Elgin today.
Are you proud of Elgin? In what respects?
What can be done to reduce crime, especially gang-related crime?
What can be done to increase volunteerism and public service?
Is it important for the city to address “global warming?” If so, what does it need to do? If not, can you describe your views on conservation and the environment?
Development
Would you support the annexation of Villa Olivia for the purposes of redevelopment?
Has the development of the Far West Side in recent years been beneficial to Elgin? If so, in what respects? If not, in what respects?
Does the city have an appropriate mix of industrial, commercial and office space? If not, what mix would be appropriate, and how do you propose to establish it?
In what respects, if any, can development of the Far West Side be improved?
What are your views on Traditional Neighborhood Design or New Urbanism?
Downtown
Do you have a vision for downtown Elgin? Please describe it. What concrete steps would you take as a councilman to make that vision a reality?
What is the biggest impediment to downtown revitalization?
Do you support a Fox River pedestrian/bike bridge at Judson University/DC Cook?
Do you support the development of affordable artists housing (ArtSpace) in downtown Elgin?
Is there sufficient public art in downtown Elgin? To what extent, if any, should public art be funded?
Would buildings by famous architects enhance downtown Elgin or detract from its historic character? What steps, if any, can the city take to encourage the construction of famous buildings in Elgin?
Should developers be encouraged to build in downtown Elgin? If so, what incentives,if any, are appropriate?
What businesses should not be allowed to operate in downtown Elgin?
What incentives, if any, would be appropriate to encourage businesses, such as stores and restaurants, to open in downtown Elgin?
Has downtown TIF money been used appropriately? If not, what changes would you make?
Recreation
The City of Elgin spent $711,000 to bring the Chicago Bandits softball team to Elgin. Was this a good use of city funds?
City officials have spoken of plans for a city-funded, multimillion-dollar 4,400-seat sports stadium (at Spartan Meadows/ECC) for the Chicago Bandits. Do you support these plans?
The Centre of Elgin (recreation center) has run at a loss since its opening, and those who said it would be self-sustaining no longer believe that will be the case. Is this an acceptable situation? If not, what changes would you propose?
City funds budgeted for the East Side Recreation center are now double the level of subsidies given to God’s Gym when it operated as a nonprofit. Did you agree with the city’s decision to acquire and take over the operations of God’s Gym (Elgin Recreation Center/The East Side Recreation Center)?
Did you agree with the construction of a $4.4 million club house at the Highlands of Elgin golf course?
Did you agree with the $8 million purchase of Bowes Creek Country Club?
Golf operations in 2008 required a city subsidy of more than $200,000. Is it important for the city to operate municipal golf courses? If so, what level of subsidies are appropriate for city-owned golf facilities?
More than $1.6 million is budgeted for the operations of the Hemmens in 2009. Other cities like Aurora, have performing arts centers run by nonprofits or other private organizations. Some cities do not have such facilities at all. Should the city operate a performing arts facility? If so, what level of subsidies is appropriate for operating the Hemmens and providing programming, including performances by the Elgin Symphony Orchestra?
City officials have mentioned the poor acoustics of the Hemmens Auditorium and its small number of seats as being reasons to either build a new facility or renovate the existing facility. The price tag for a renovation was estimated at upwards of $20 million. Would this be money well spent?
The price tag for a new building was estimated at $125 million. In what circumstances, if any, would you support the construction of a new performing arts facility or concert hall?
What changes would you propose, if any, for the parks and recreation department?
Budget
Is there any city service (police, public works, recreation) that is understaffed? Is there any that is overstaffed?
In the event of a budget deficit, what parts of the city budget would you cut?
Has riverboat money been well spent? If not, what changes would you make?
The city provides grants to numerous nonprofit organizations in the city. Are there any nonprofit organizations for whom you would like to see grant money increased? Reduced?
Should the city continue to provide nonprofit funding through the United Way?
Illegal Immigration
Should city-funded nonprofit organizations be required to validate the legal status of participants in their non-emergency programs (programs like emergency food banks exempted)?
Should Elgin be a welcoming place for illegal immigrants? If not, what steps can be taken to discourage illegal immigrants from settling in Elgin?
Education
In 2004, Mayor Ed Schock and the Elgin City Council brought in a law firm, Futterman & Howard CHTD, to sue Elgin School District U46 over the issue of neighborhood schools. Though the city eventually chose not to pursue the case, the lawyers still filed a class action lawsuit and the case has been in motion ever since. A similar lawsuit litigated by the same firm against the Rockford School District cost that district $250 million. Do you believe the ongoing lawsuit against U46 has merit? How would you like to see this resolved?
If a costly settlement is reached or if U46 loses the case, what impact would this have on Elgin?
In the capacity of an Elgin councilman, in what cases would you support a lawsuit against your own school district?
City Council
How do you assess the performance of the Elgin city council in recent years?
The mayor has a single vote on the council, but has a significant role in articulating a vision for the city of Elgin. How would you describe that vision? Do you support the mayor’s vision, his goals and his performance? In what ways do you disagree with the mayor?
What ethics reforms, if any, are needed at the level of city government?
Would you accept campaign donations from parties that bring business before the city council?
How do you assess the performance of the current city manager, Femi Folarin?
Are there any senior city officials with whose performance you find fault?
With which councilmen, including the mayor, do you most often agree? With whom do you most often disagree?
Have you accepted campaign contributions from the SEIU (or affiliated organizations)? If not, do you plan to do so?
See also:
Comment policy
Candidates forum Thursday
Brenda Rodgers: City Council Candidate
Al Fernandez: City Council Candidate
Mike Warren: City Council Candidate
Questions for candidates
The SEIU candidates
Upcoming candidate forums
Candidate responses to AFLA questionnaire
City Council Candidates Forum (AFLA)
Linda Quezada: City Council Candidate
Emi Morales: City Council Candidate
John Prigge: City Council Candidate
Lenora Scruggs: City Council Candidate
Mike Robins: City Council Candidate
Charlene Sligting: City Council Candidate
Elgin candidates websites
Elgin City Council elections
Elgin City Council Candidates
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How many people die in Elgin per year from car crashes? How does this number compare to violent deaths, which usually receive more attention? What is being done to prevent the number of Elgin deaths from car crashes?
More people turn to alternative forms of transportation in hard economic times. What is being done to make Pace a viable option, even for car owners? Would you be open to promoting a car sharing program in Elgin? Would you be open to promoting a bike sharing program in Elgin? Do you support bus rapid transit on Randall Road?
One new subdivision west of Randall is building in a traditional urban style–on a grid system with alleys behind houses. This could greatly help with future public works problems we currently have in other parts of Elgin. Do you propose pushing for this type of development in other to-be-developed areas west of Randall?
Do you believe the odd/even parking ban is the most appropriate solution to public works problems? In Chicago there are many streets that have a ban on each side of the street just one day per week. This would greatly reduce the burden the parking ban puts on residents. Would you consider it?
Elgin is pushing for mandatory deconversions of multi-unit houses that do not provide off-street parking for each unit. Couldn’t this lead to more foreclosures if the homeowners cannot afford to either add off-street parking or lose the income from rents? Should that really be a priority in these economic times? And what about the deconversion grants, even if the deconversion is optional? Is it really a good use of taxpayer money to convert a multi-unit house into a single family or 2-unit building? Wouldn’t the money be better used to go toward homes that are not up to code, with costs that are pushing owners into foreclosure?
Lyle and Big Timber border Century Oaks West Subdivision and within walking distance is the commuter train station as well as two banks, Popeye’s Chicken etc along Big Timber. None of these merchants shovel their sidewalks of snow forcing commuters to walk in the street to the train station or to any of the businesses.
Would you support an ordinance requiring merchants in the city to shovel the sidewalk next to their business and fines high enough to provide for the city to shovel if the business won’t?
The three incumbents running for councilman have been in office a total of 65 years. Part of the reason it is so easy for them to get reelected is because chances are the more challengers there are the more votes the incumbents can get because a voter will vote for the one challenger they are interested in and then because of name recognition they go for two incumbents to complete their ballot.
A good strategy if a ballot is legal with just one vote for a four year councilman instead of the three allowed, is for all the challengers to advise their supporters to super power their vote by only voting for the challenger so there is no chance the incumbent will get the other two votes from the supporter. I have not gotten a response from the election office as to whether a vote is valid with only one vote for the four year councilman race.
Do any of you know for sure if my ballot will be a valid ballot if I give it superpower and only vote for one challenger and no one else and advise other challenger’s supporters to please consider doing the same?
Common Sense Clarence, I’m on board. We need to stick with one candidate so we don’t split our vote. One candidate for the two year seat and one candidate for the four year seat.
Great question Clarence. Many of our neighbors have sidewalk ordinances requiring property owners to shovel snow and I think that bit of information could be used to push Elgin in the same direction. I’m copying & pasting a list that I got from this site http://www.activetrans.org/blog/mkohara/snow-sidewalk
Algonquin
Chicago
Cicero
Countryside
East Dundee
Elmwood Park
Evanston
Grayslake
Haover Park
Palos Heights
River Forest
South Elgin
Wheeling
I’ll vote against ANY candidate wanting to require homeowners to shovel their sidewalks.
Why? I walk all around Elgin in the winter and I don’t walk on sidewalks, generally.
Why? Even if sidewalks are shoveled, at the end of the block I still have to climb over a snow bank on the street.
Why? In every block there is at least one sidewalk not shovelled.
Why? The snow melts along a shovelled sidewalk, refreezes on the sidewalk and I fall on my ass.
I don’t have any of these problems when I walk in the street.
I don’t shovel my sidewalk. Why? Because all the snow from the street is pushed onto my sidewalk.
I’m not shoveling that mess when EVERYONE can walk, unencumbered by snow or ice, 2 feet from my sidewalk.
My neighbor does shovel his sidewalk. But then he parks his car in the street so the snow plow never gets close to his sidewalk! And incredibly enough the same neighbor sometimes parks other cars 4 to 5 feet from the curb because the snowplow left snow 4 - 5 feet away from the curb! There is already a city ordinance against parking 4 - 5 ft away from the curb. Uphold existing laws and maybe our streets could again allow 2 way traffic at the same time!
On the other hand I would ask the city at least shovel the sidewalks on the bridges crossing the Fox River in downtown Elgin.
The importance of the sidewalk ordinance varies from street to street. I have seen people walking in the street on 31, Summit/58, Randall, and Big Timber. That is not safe. The urgency of having sidewalks shoveled on these streets (and HAVING sidewalks on these streets, period) is much more important than having sidewalks shoveled on a residential street in a cul de sac.
I do not know if any municipalities have done sidewalk ordinances that only apply to certain roads or not. It could be determined by the average daily traffic. If you’re road has an average daily traffic at or above X, you must shovel.