Juan Figueroa: City Council Candidate [2009]
Elgin City Councilman Juan Figueroa at a candidates forum on March 16th, 2009 (Photo by The Elginite).
Juan Figueroa, an incumbent member of the Elgin City Council, is running for reelection.
Mr. Figueroa has been on the Elgin City Council since 1999. At the time, he was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Ed Schock resigned his council seat to assume the position of mayor. The mayor expressed his desire that the seat be filled by a Hispanic–then 25% of Elgin’s population, and almost half a dozen Hispanics applied for the position. Mr. Figueroa was chosen from a group of three finalists.
At the time of his appointment, Mr. Figueroa was a loan representative in the affordable housing division at First Chicago bank in Elgin. He also served as president of the Elgin Area School District U-46 bilingual parents advisory council.
He successfully won reelection in 2001 and 2005.
On his campaign website, he lists his accomplishments as an Elgin city councilman:
Promoted citizens’ participation on board and commissions.
Sponsored Elgin’s Homebuyer’s Expo to promote homeownership and city housing stock.
Sponsored Homeless Task Force to address Elgin’s Homeless issues.
Sponsored the Labor Day ordinance to protect workers against temporary agencies’ unfair labor practices.
Co-founder of Fiesta Salsa: second largest city festival.
Sponsored The Centre Advisory Board to address customer service issues at The Centre.
Sponsored Elgin’s Local Cable Programming Task Force to bring local cable television back to the community.
Promoted Excellence in Customer Service as one of Elgin’s goals.
Sponsored Elgin’s Waste Transfer Station which will bring over $500,000 a year to city’s coffer.
Promoted funding for Youth Recreational opportunities ($20,000 in new funding was secured).
Promoted city’s diversity throughout community events.
Promoted non-Latino participations on community boards.
Sponsored the Fiscal Analysis Report for housing developments.
Promoted street improvements including Walnut Avenue resurfacing.
Sponsored the Elgin’s Street Gang Task Force to address Elgin’s gang issues.
Worked with Neighborhood Associations to address neighborhood’s concerns.
Facilitated a land park donation and $2 Million in capital improvement to an eastside rental affordable housing building.
The below are selected responses from a questionnaire prepared by the Association for Legal Americans. You can read all of Mr. Figueroa’s responses on their website.
13. Should Elgin build a new performance hall?
I believe that a new performance hall could be a positive economic development opportunity for the City of Elgin. I have had the opportunity to visit other communities with new performance halls and I have seen how this entertainment venue has transformed a city into a destination. It would support our local restaurants, retailers and hotels. It would help the city to enhance its tax base. However, I would like to the see the findings of the study being made by the city before I can make a final conclusion.
14. Do you support Elgin’s subsidy of developments such as Burlington Coat Factory, Seimens, and the proposed riverfront high-rise condos?
Yes. I do. I believe these subsidies have allowed us to bring quality developments to the City of Elgin. Burlington Coat will allow the city to enhance its tax revenues, Seimens will be bringing more skilled jobs and enhancing the City’s Green initiatives, and the riverfront high-rise condos has allowed the City to diversify its housing stocks in downtown. However, as we go through this economic downturn it will be important to be wisely about spending and making sure that we encourage the right developments with fewer incentives.
15. How should the city council interface with U-46?
I believe the city council should continue developing partnerships and strengthen lines of communication with other government bodies including U-46. It is important that we continue enhancing our communication to avoid conflicts that could diminish the efforts being made by each party. I think it would be beneficial to have annual meetings between members of the U-46 board and city council to exchange ideas on how we can work together and move the community forward.
It should be noted that in 2004, Mr. Figueroa was among the group of Elgin city councilman–the others were Ed Schock, John Walters and Brenda Rodgers–who voted to retain the law firm of Futterman & Howard CHTD to sue the U-46 school district. While the council eventually chose not to pursue the case, the lawyers never went away, found other plaintiffs and the lawsuit against U-46 is still in motion to this day. The same law firm sued the Rockford school district years earlier, costing that district $250,000,000.
20. Should the city continue to spend money on green initiatives?
The City should continue looking for ways for better planning and most efficient use of community resources. Like other communities the City needed
to hire the expertise to analyze how it could most efficiently achieve the zero-waste goal. If the City wants to be serious about being a sustainable community and save money, it needs to invest money on green initiatives.
21. Would you accept support and/or public endorsement from AFLA?
Respectfully no. I am seeking individual voter’s support not organizations.
While Mr. Figueroa says he is not seeking the support of organizations, voters should note that Mr. Figueroa has accepted at least $4,238 in contributions from the SEIU.
23. Would you be in favor of a moratorium on all incentives such as TIFs and bonuses for businesses that hire Elgin residents?
No. I wouldn’t. TIF districts represent the most powerful economic development tool available to municipalities that seek to increase property value by encouraging development within the designated area. TIF district generates revenue to the city. The City needs to diversify its revenue sources. In
addition, given incentives to companies looking to locate in Elgin and creating jobs for Elgin’s residents should be promoted. It would be part of Elgin’s green initiatives in using effectively community resources.
Mr. Figueora has been on the council for ten years now. He’s asking for another four. Does he deserve it?
Have your say.
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Heavens, no. We CANNOT afford 4 more years of this type of leadership, or, lack thereof. We have had enough disasters. Figueroa is in office for one reason and one reason only. To foster the desires of illegals. THAT’S IT.
A vote for him means more illegals coming to Elgin while the getting is good. He said it’s ok to be for illegal aliens and sit on a sworn-in council. That’s like saying he’s all for vandals and it’s cool to be on the council.
Figueroa is one dangerous man to the well-being of Elgin citizens who are victims of illegal anything. Aliens, drugs, burglars, etc. If you are for ANYTHING illegal, you should NOT be on a city council. PERIOD!
For starters, why did we need to resurface Walnut Avenue with bike lanes? I live in that area and I haven’t seen but about a dozen bikes per month in those bike lanes! Most of the bikes I see on that street are either kids only or parents with kids. I know the law states that bikes are not to be ridden on the sidewalks, but I won’t let my 10-year-old ride her bike on the street with the ruthless traffic we have now-a-day, would you? It did nothing but cut down on the residents of that street to have less places to park and the south side of the street’s residents have to park their cars on the north side and not always in front of their house to where they could feel comfortable being able to watch their personal property.
I would also like to know if Figueroa voted for Wing Park Boulevard’s inconvenience. In my eyes that was not only a waste of taxpayer’s money, but more dangerous to drivers on that strip! Concrete is very expensive and there was a lot of concrete poured there, and servicing it in the winter is worse! Who has to clear the snow? Is it the city at more expenses to taxpayers or is it the residents who have to take more time and money to clear that area in front of their homes themselves?
Plus it has decreased the width of traveling vehicles when passing parked cars! Myself when I pass a parked car on the side of the road, I want an escape plan! That’s called defensive driving! If there is no oncoming traffic you have the option to shift to the left to avoid someone that is exiting their car that was just parked. You can’t do that with a street island down the whole strip! Lets face it people, how many times have you passed a parked car with someone throwing their door wide open without caring of the traffic coming from behind them? That is an easy law suit!!
Second, the condos downtown was a joke! I’m not sure if this is true, but I was told that the city purchased the property by the casino at the taxpayers expense and given to developers to build on it. The condos by the casino and the condos in the old “Downtown Elgin Mall” on Grove Avenue were ready to be lived in before this economic crunch, but are they filled? No!!! Just like the condos on Kimball Street that haven’t been filled for years even with the beautification of that street for the recreation centre!
I hate to get started on the recreation centre! Even though it was proven in other communities that it doesn’t work, our council at the time said it will help our economy. It ended up costing our taxpayers to maintain it!! The citizens of Elgin that aren’t on welfare pay out the “butt” to use it, while others get to use it for free!
To build a performance hall is just another cost to the taxpayers! WE don’t need to bring in more outside people that will trash our town and leave, or make us taxpayers fork out more money for more police and fire protection that we can’t afford already even though we have the casino! This has been a secured satellite city for years prior to this administration! A city that did not need outsiders to survive! A city that employed its citizens and was structurally sound! I was breed, born and raised in this town for almost 43 years! I have seen this town support itself by working as a community, keeping itself as a unity by everyone working together raising our youth and providing within its community without growing out of control with outsider influence! (Paying hundreds of thousand dollars to advisers) This town has deteriorated by council decisions and it has to stop! We need to spend our money on infrastructure to clean-up this town and make it safe for our own citizens to go downtown, not worry about outsiders, or making our boundaries larger by stealing property (annexing)! We have city buses that can bring even senior citizens to the downtown, but they are afraid to go there! I know this, because I have talked with them! We need to take our city away from politicians that promote growth and give it to us! The people that pay for this town!!
By the way, Mr. Figueroa, one of AFLA’s choice of candidates did make the ballot. Mr. Robins came in fourth. Charlene S. came in 5th. I believe the information coming to the surface of her drinking and driving, along with the video that was approved to be shown, wonder who approved it, caused her not to make it.