Elections ’11: David Jacobson, Candidate for DeKalb First Ward Alderman

Damon Lindsay, the City of DeKalb just spent $10.8 million on the downtown. What is it you want down there?

I certainly support new police facilities, the ones we have are far outdated. We need to upgrade our local justice system, sadly, the economy went into recession just as the need became obvious. We should new have new bond referendums placed on the ballot while the interest rates are favorable. Money is so cheap today, but it’s hard for lay people to understand municipal financing. …As far as that goes, DeKalb’s downtown could really use a new influx of bond money as well–the gap between DeKalb and Sycamore is growing, just take a look at the vibrant downtown Sycamore has compared to DeKalb’s, but that’s an argument for another day.

Nadine and all- Yes, I am feeling a bit better today! Unfortunately, with Voter Registration, City Council, Safe Housing Task Force, Airport Task Force, and Relay for Life kickoff meetings all in the last 48 hours, I really didn’t have much of a choice!

Nadine- Up and until Monday night, I was unaware of a scheduled debate… Kay announced, at city council, the debate would be held on March 21 at 7 pm. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict that same evening, I think it is unlikely I would be able to make it in time (My flight lands at O’hare at 7:05 pm). As it is the earliest flight I can make, I will hope to make the tail end of the meeting, but more than likely will miss “my turn.”

I will have to rely on my website for those constituents of the first ward to “get to know” both myself and my platform better. I hope to have the site up and running by the end of this weekend and will surely post the link here once its up!

In addition, I plan on scheduling a few “get to know the candidates” open forum meetings (along the lines of Alderman Naylor’s “Coffee with the Alderman”) in the very near future! I hope that you, the readers of DCO, and any interested residents of the first ward can attend!

David, are you feeling better?

Well David if I lived in the First Ward, you’d have my vote! I guess the buzz words were a little ambiguous but the sentiments you expressed in your posting were right on. The interplay between council, city staff, and the citizenry is not healthy.

Most importantly, I hope you feel better very soon. You are a real trooper to provide such ideas while recovering and the public should applaud your spirit. Do you need a good soup recipe?

Do you plan to debate the incumbent? I would definitely come to that!

The DeKalb Police Department is short people and space. The Police have to rely on outside funding for equipment and vehicles.

A couple of summers ago, I spent a couple of hours at the Police Station with a survivor of domestic abuse. The victim was uncomfortable with all of the people coming and going waiting for the officer and remained uncomfortable while giving information for a report. There was no good place to wait for the officer and not enough privacy to tell the story. There is more privacy at Ogilvie Transportation Center (I would write Grand Central Station but I have not been there). I knew what happened and kept coaxing the victim by saying, “tell the officer about . . .” The physical space of the station failed that citizen.

When my apartment got broken into in 1991 and I went to the Police Station to file a report, I thought it was too small then. It felt like being in Mayberry, but without Barney Fife and Otis the Town Drunk.

While I do not believe that throwing random money at problems solves them, I do believe that a lack of money exacerbates problems. The NIU Police outnumber the DeKalb Police yet they serve a smaller population, almost half as large, and the bars are in the city, not on the campus. The DeKalb Police remain at the back of the TIF money line, after the $kating rink, the sidewalk to nowhere, and the brick mania and are near the end of the line of the general revenue money, behind the airport. For too long, the city focused on wants and not needs. Even the library temporarily jumped ahead of the Police Department for more building space.

I talk to too many people who say they are afraid to go out, especially at night. Well, there is no point in having a larger library or an enhanced downtown if there are people who are too afraid to go there.

There is only so much a group of people can do when there are not enough of them. Just look at what happens in Chicago, which could use an additional thousand police officers based on its population and crime statistics. Criminals kill police officers in Chicago–we do not want that here, at least I do not. I think that sends a loud and clear message about who has the power and control of what happens on Chicago’s streets, no matter what shows up on the crime statistics. I do not want DeKalb to become worse, and have the types of crimes they have in Chicago (or Rockford).

Nadine And All-

I apologize for being unable to answer your questions in a more timely fashion, but fighting through a cold, and a personal scheduling conflict kept me away from my computer for most of the past 24 hours. (As a side note, I wasn’t even able to get online to send my mother a link to my candidate profile, an issue which, as I’m sure you can imagine, I received an email about this morning…) As your questions were poignant and required much more than a sentence or two of explanation to answer, I hope you can understand why I waited until this evening to get a well thought out and well prepared answer back to you.

I wholly look forward to the opportunity to engage each of the DCO readers and answer each of your questions, and will try to do so in an expeditious manner. I will try, for ease and readability’s sake, to answer most questions under individual bullets…

In response to your questions Nadine;

– It seems to me that at a majority of City Council meetings, a bevy of comments always seem to illicit some sort of non-verbal reaction from the watchdogs and attendees, including myself, within the audience. This reaction may be a simple nod of the head, a smile and look amongst one another, or an outright gasp; depending entirely on the severity of the issue and comments made. There are several perceptions that I, as an admitted outsider, have garnered over the past many months of sitting in Council Chambers, or while watching comfortably from my couch at home (more often than not in the wee hours of the morning). It seems to me, that with stunning regularity, that several members of our City Council often seem to forget what it is they are supposed to be doing while sitting up in those nice, big, comfortable chairs. I have heard several instances along the lines of “Well, my constituents want this, but I disagree” (or verbally stated decisions to vote in clear opposition to what their constituents would like). Coupled with the all-too-regular admissions of ignorance regarding matters by City Council Members (and even our Mayor), the seemingly ever constant “Communication Block” between City Council members and EVERYONE (residents, city staff, Police and Fire Departments, one another, etc., etc., etc.) seems to be exacerbated. It is often issues and situations such as these, that lead to the majority of the “non-verbal reactions” I mentioned earlier. More often than not, these reactions are formed from the combination of the feelings of confused amazement, utter frustration, and out-right disgust at the way things are being handled.

In my opinion, the situation has degenerated to the point of our City Council completely losing its way. As elected LEADERS of this town, they should be taking the LEAD in setting the agenda, pushing for change, examining and discussing solutions, and DOING something about the problems. After constant “Talking things to DEATH” (as my opponent alluded to at the previous Council meeting), it seems that little ACTUAL change has been made in recent years. The current Council has made some difficult cuts to the budget (the one thing I really give this past Council credit for, as I know the decision to do so was not easy in most cases). They have seemingly tweaked a few laws here and there, albeit often those dealing with small and somewhat frivolous issues (Frivolous in the sense, that when comparing them to they MAJOR issues of budget reform, a solution for the police station, airport issues, etc. they pale in comparison). Occasionally, they even made some little tidbits of headway here and there. Unfortunately, it seems, that in the last 4 years MUCH has been talked about, but nearly ALL of the major issues will remain, essentially being “gifted down” into the laps of the next members of City Council! I feel that if the Council made a concerted effort to “take up the reigns” if you will, from those members of the city staff that I feel have incorrectly usurped them, that quickly, we will see clear and progressive change every other Monday night, and not just 8 elected officials having the city staff’s agenda read to them and being allowed to discuss…

I apologize for being long winded, but I’m hoping to fully answer your questions…

– In terms of the conflict in Egypt, I second your sentiments. What started as a small, youth backed, online protest, and became a country-wide (and who knows, maybe even eventually a region-wide) quest for the freedom of democracy (a freedom that unfortunately many Americans often take for granted) was unlike anything I have ever seen. The fact that the conflict was resolved, in favor of democracy, with such limited violence, and through the resolve of the people, is inspirational. It should serve as a reminder of how important a strong government LED by representatives selected BY THE PEOPLE should be to each of us. In support of this freedom, we as residents of DeKalb, and citizens of this great Nation, each need to GET OUT AND VOTE on April 5 and make our voices heard!

– As for the Crime/Drugs/Gangs issues DeKalb is currently facing, I would like to take a moment to comment on Chief Feithen’s (and the DeKalb PD’s) job thus far; I feel that up until now, he and his officers have done an exceptional job doing what they can, with what they have, to hold the “flood waters” from breaking through the “dam.” I am a strong supporter of the Police Department and it’s officers. Do I think more can be done? Absolutely! Do I think the current Department is under staffed, overworked, under “housed”, and stuck with a host of deteriorating and outdated equipment? The answer, again, is ABSOLUTELY!

With that being said, I think that an important aspect we need to look at is what we plan on doing to support the men and women of the DeKalb PD. Several times, in my young campaign, I have asked the question “What all is NEEDED and not just WANTED.” I rarely get much more than a vague response or discouraged answer from any of the officers. (I can only guess, that at some point, city staff will attempt to spend tens of thousands of dollars in hiring a company to get these answers, rather than just running downstairs with a notebook and asking…). While much has been said about the under-suitability of the current police station, it was not until seeing the overcrowding, lack of maintenance, and poor layout of the station and municipal building as a whole, first hand, did it become apparent to me that this issue needs to be at the top of the City Council’s agenda. A comprehensive solution that all can work with (as it seems from my conversations thus far, few will be overly happy with) MUST be formulated. While I appreciate my opponents rousing comment along the lines of “Lets TIF the heck out of this Pig to slap some more makeup on it,” I truly feel more adequate forethought needs to go into the plan and that headway must be made sooner rather than some distant, far off, conceptual plan of “Later.”

Once the facility is up to par, officers have adequate work stations to do the jobs necessary of them, our communications systems and dispatchers have the space they require, there is adequate training and educational space for our officers, and the equipment our officers need is provided, (again according to NEEDS not WANTS) we can concentrate on the next big steps.

No one would claim that the Greek Row neighborhood is one of DeKalb’s safest. As it is my neighborhood, I have been actively involved in several meetings to discuss how we can change it for the better. It is also one of the several areas the Police Department and Mayor have attempted to focus efforts on to make a safer, more live-able area. As part of these efforts, this past summer, NIU PD and DeKalb PD worked out an agreement to help one another patrol the area. While I, as a property owner and resident, appreciated this step, and truly felt it made some progress, I feel it is just a start. We NEED to start utilizing and maximizing the benefits our Communiversity has to offer. The City, University, and County need to learn to work together, not just “at the same time, in the same place.” Long standing feuds/disagreements/ squabbles or whatever issues the officers have with each other and the other departments, need to be put to rest, once and for all, for the good of this City and it’s residents. Community Policing and the values of SERVING AND PROTECTING need to be at the forefront of policing efforts. Ticketing parked cars and writing drinking tickets isn’t stopping the burglaries, muggings, or the spread of “hard” drugs and gangs.. Solutions such as cameras, call boxes, foot patrols, neighborhood policing, etc. have all been discussed, but few have been implemented effectively, or at all. It especially amazes me how often times, especially in those neighborhoods where Police action is needed most, that many residents fear the police or perceive them as the enemy. With education, re-focused efforts to work together IN PARTNERSHIP, and through MEASURABLE RESULTS we need to overcome this mentality. As we continue to talk in circles, neighborhoods continue to deteriorate. Discussing the issue ad nauseum the 2nd and 4th Monday each month obviously isn’t getting the job done. We need to stop talking about solutions and take the lead in actually implementing them, before its too late!

– As for your last question about the “Cities,” this was obviously a case of my spell checker changing “citys” to “cities.” I had written my thoughts on the DCO page earlier in the day, and unfortunately due to a cyber-space error, my entire “Platform” section was not received by DCO. In a rush to get the article back together, and up onto the site, a few typos missed obviously missed my final edit. I will wholly take the blame for that error and will make a concerted effort to try to eliminate such errors from further posts.

Kerry, In response to your question;

– Again, several solutions have been discussed in terms of new revenue streams. Parking passes/meters, Vehicle Stickers, Raising of fees and fines, etc. have all been thrown around. I think second looks need to be taken at some previously proposed ideas, and new ideas should be brought to the table. I think we need to take a strong look at how to include the University student base into solutions as opposed to just the “Year Round” DeKalb residents.

Obviously, the best case scenario, when speaking in regards to revenue, would be to improve our existing sales tax base (Adding more business revenue, not raising existing tax amounts). I feel a prime area to target would be the Downtown area and upcoming SHO-DEEN Development between the NIU campus and the existing Downtown area. While the city has spent millions on improving this neighborhood, I still see it as a collection of hit-or-miss, niche market, stores that stimulate a “stop in if you need something” mentality as opposed to a “Lets go downtown and shop around” one . While I personally enjoy regular trips to the several resale shops, and local establishments, I don’t feel that the downtown area would be considered a “Must Shop” area for most residents (even with the chance to stop by the former site of DeKalb’s infamous “Million Dollar Ice Rink!”). We need to bring in some “anchor stores”, revitalize the shopping experience, and compliment our existing restaurants and businesses with others that will stimulate an “afternoon of shopping” experience in the downtown area; An idea which will allow all businesses, as well as the City, to benefit.

I also personally feel that we need to do more to stimulate new and existing businesses within the City. It seems to me that the expense and requirements statutorily imposed on some businesses and industries have been over utilized and are quickly nearing to the point of being detrimental to those seeking to start new businesses, or continuing to run existing ones. If we continue to over regulate, over charge, and over assert the City’s role in private industry, I feel that, in the near future, the City will have difficulty attracting new businesses – an issue I already feel is being seen, to a degree, in terms of the here and now. If small business owners want to make an investment in our City, it would only make sense for us to support them in doing so and not to take counter productive steps to hinder growth and development.

Again, I look forward to your questions, comments, and concerns, and appreciate the opportunity to answer them! I feel that by working together, taking the lead, and making things happen, we can make DeKalb a better place to live for generations to come!

I was really hoping David was engaged with the DCO community and would answer questions. Perhaps he is just another political panderer.

I like what Davidhas to say. It’s sad his opponent, Mr Simpson, in is position as incumbent alderman has voted in FAVOR of nearly Every TAX INCREASE and fee increase that has come before the council. Mr Simpson has also stated, on camera, in council chambers that he depends upon City staff for guidance on the issues that come before him, He NEVER mentions his constituents opinions on the issues.

Hi, David, thanks for speaking out against “political pandering, lack of forethought, and special interests”. Those are among my pet peeves. Can you give examples of how you have encountered those things here?

It’s exciting to see the throngs on the streets of Egypt and reconcile those notions against what they are experiencing with the ousted regime.

How do you propose dealing with “crime, gangs, and drugs”? With you Associates Degree in Criminal Justice do you have some insights that the chief of police has missed?

When you mention investing in our “Cities” future, are you talking about dividing DeKalb into multiple cities? That is such an interesting idea!

It’s so exciting to have so many wonderful people running for office in DeKalb!

“Good Luck” to David Jacobson in his run for first ward alderman. This is a well-written bio and platform. I hope we hear more from Mr. Jacobson, especially more detail on what he thinks might be viable new streams of revenue for the city.

I also encourage other candidates to take the opportunity Mac has presented here. Please send your bio/platform to be published ASAP at DeKalbCountyOnline.com. Lots of citizens are waiting to hear from you!