Daniel Schultz: City Council Candidate
The questionnaire below was completed by city council candidate Daniel Schultz. Mr. Schultz will be a candidate in the city council primary election on February 26th.
Name:
Daniel Schultz
Seat for which you are running:
2 year city council
Can you tell us a bit about your background, both personally and professionally?
Personally, I am a go-getter. I am outgoing, and I like to stay educated. Professionally, I graduated from Elgin Community College with an Associate in Arts. I will be continuing my education to get a second associates and a bachelors. I was accepted to Illinois State with the intended degree of Accounting, but I decided to continue working as a lifeguard at the YMCA. Since then, I changed my plan from accounting to getting a bachelors in political sciences.
Why are you running for Elgin City Council?
I would like to help my city, and I am tired of being part of the generation known as the “dumbest” or “worst” generation because my peers don’t know much politically. I am hoping by attaining a seat in local politics, I can get my peers back into politics. The future of a city, state, and nation are in our youth, and our youth isn’t paying attention. I want to change that.
What do you view as the major issues facing Elgin in the next few years?
I think the biggest issue is taxes. We need to reduce taxes to only the ones we need, then we can fix the situation once it is settled. I believe another big issue is spending. We should spend money on things that will help Elgin prosper or change Elgin for the better.
Are you generally in agreement with decisions the city council has made in the past few years? Please describe any measures with which you particularly agreed or disagreed.
I am generally not in agreement with the city council. It was mentioned above, a little. I feel they are overtaxing and wrongly spending. Sometimes, a city needs to add or increase taxes, but we need to slow that down. We don’t give our citizens and businesses time to adjust, and frankly, the increase and addition to taxes is ridiculous. If we would spend more appropriately, we wouldn’t have to tax all we do.
If elected, what do you expect to accomplish during your time on the council?
I want to help the citizens and businesses by spending more appropriately, so we can reduce taxes. If an increase absolutely needs to be made, I won’t reduce one tax and increase another in hopes the citizens don’t notice. I think that is wrong, and that our citizens and businesses need to know exactly what is being cut and what is being added. I hope to tax less, spend less, and be more transparent.
From a crowded field of candidates, why should voters choose you to represent them on the city council?
I realize that being on city council makes me a politician. Politicians are public servants. I want to give the public what they want. The only time I would stray from that is when the public doesn’t know what’s best, and that is rarely the case. I believe the current city council does not pay attention to the residents and businesses of Elgin, and I hope to be better at representing the people and business of Elgin. Not only that, but as mentioned above, I feel I can bring our youth back into politics. That is a good thing because our youth is the future. We also see the world with an open mind. Instead of taking to what were told, we always ask questions. Many people see the world through tunnel vision. I would like to change that by bringing more of peers to the scene. Our future needs it.
What’s the best way for voters to find out more about your campaign?
“Right now, I have one social media site devoted to all Elgin. It is www.facebook.com/d.schultz4politics
I was informed that some people aren’t getting all the updates from that page, so I am working on it. Aside from that, you can email me at dwschultz007@aol.com”
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Daniel, I disagree with your answer about the city funding DNA and the Chamber. Perhaps you need a history lesson on the Chamber. The concept of the Chamber of Commerce is that businesses join and they have lunch together and listen to guest speakers. Maybe they share an insurance pool for small businesses. And they network. If the body shop needs a CPA or a lawyer, maybe he does business with a fellow member.
Together they can lobby city hall or Springfield. Whatever. But they fund their own activities.
In Elgin the city pays the Chamber to promote business and some other activities by taking biz license money and giving it to their pals at the Chamber.
Do you think that’s OK? Some business owners have remarked, “If I wanted the Chamber to represent me I’d join. You guys are taking the biz license fee and turning it over to them.”
It very much matters where the money comes from and who controls what they do with that money.
Daniel, let me get this straight. I should vote for you because…uh…er… my future is “in our youth”!
And your platfom on taxes is ” We need to reduce taxes to only the ones we need, then we can fix the situation once it is settled.”????
BUT, ” Sometimes, a city needs to add or increase taxes”????
My only question to you is are you 12 years old? Not meaning to disparage 12 year olds.
Oh, one other question - have you ever paid ANY property or income taxes in your life?
Paul, there is many issues that need to be settled, and I think reducing or cutting back on taxes is essential to fixing the issues. For example, we would like to revitalize Downtown Elgin. As mentioned in the other comment, I believe the business tax is one of the things that is keeping business from coming to Elgin. Now, you quoted the “Sometimes, a city needs to add or increase taxes,” but you did not quote the words after it “but we need to slow that down.” What I am referring to is when a city is in a deficit. Decreasing spending and increasing or adding taxes helps a city leave a deficit. Now, that is not the case for Elgin because we are not in a deficit. In fact, we are in a surplus. Some people might read the budget and not see that, but I am sure you are all familiar with the “unallocated funds.”
I am 21. I am sure you know this, but 12 year old’s are not allowed on the ballot, but thank you for not disparaging them. They might be the future you as far as we know. Now, I mentioned my youth in the questionnaire because most the candidates all seem to say the same things about taxes. They want to have less spending and less spending. Now, I have no idea if they will stand behind that, so I wanted to bring about a different perspective to the race. Many people see the world through tunnel vision. Because of my age, I am open to solutions. I want to represent the people and the businesses to the best I can, so I appreciate the feedback. I do not feel like the current Council is paying much attention the people, and I want to turn that around. After all, the power is in the people.
One Vote, I appreciate the History lesson. However, according to Wikipedia,
“A chamber of commerce (also referred to in some circles as a board of trade) is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses.”
Now, I do not disbelieve what you said because it basically supports that definition, but you bring a seemingly pessimistic view to it. In other cities, the Chamber of Commerce is funded by the city, and there are some cities where the Chamber is not. Now, I do not think we should be funding the Chamber of Commerce because it does not seem like they are doing what they are defined to do. There is all this talk about Elgin needing business, yet it has not come to Elgin like we would want. Thus, I do not think it is OK that we take business license tax and give it to our pals at the Chamber. I think the Chamber should fund itself, like other cities have done - or find an outside resource to fund it, and if that is not feasible, it, at the least, needs a cut. I have also heard similar remarks like the one you quoted, which is why I am reluctant in supporting the Chamber with tax dollars. I also disagree with the business tax, in general. I believe that is a reason we are not seeing business.