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Candidate Survey: Craig S. Roman

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Response to the budget crunch (candidates were given a selection of multiple choice answers to choose, from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree)
  • Unfortunately taxes and fees must be increased to meet expenditures. Disagree
  • Lower the expenditures to meet the revenue. It’s that simple. Agree
  • Taxes are high enough so let’s raise fees. Disagree
  • This is a time to lean on staff for their recommendations. Agree
  • Let’s do what the citizen advisory committee recommends. Agree
  • Hold the line on taxes. Use the rainy day fund to cover expenses. Things have got to get better. Strongly Agree
  • Explain: Taxes are high enough, but I do not agree with raising fees unless the fee is substantially low, we are not to make money taking it from our citizens on fees. I would listen to staff and take their info and evaluate it, as I would also take the advice of the citizen advisory board and I would evaluate that information and come to an educated decision. I would also take the citizen input I receive during my meetings with them. As we heard the school board is possibly going to be looking at a sales tax increase referendum, we have a 3.5 cent local gas tax, an 8% local sales tax. I pay over $7700 in property tax, I drive 45,000 miles a year for work. Trust me I will not only look at any proposed tax rate as how it might affect you I will also see how it will affect me. I have a family budget as well as I believe you do and any increase in fees comes right off the top or may make you forgo something for your family or yourself. We need to truly look at bringing business here and drawing from the east, customers to utilize the business. I would support advertising of the city to areas east of us to promote the city and what we offer. Even on our busiest of traffic days we are nothing compared to RT 59 or Randall Roads traffic congestion. If they could find the same businesses here with less traffic then we have a win-win for all of us and the other towns are now the one talking about leakage from their community. I don’t expect this to happen overnight but it would be a long term plan of mine. I would love to learn the feasibility of bringing the passenger train out to DeKalb that would be another item that would increase demand into DeKalb and would spur growth. The issue with that would be funding and where would the funds come from. But know I am open to the idea.
What type of taxes/fees/fines would you increase if you must? (candidates were given a selection of multiple choice answers to choose from)
  • Property taxes: I will not increase this tax/fee/fine for FY 7/1/2015 – June 30, 2016
  • Retail sales tax: I will not increase this tax/fee/fine for FY 7/1/2015 – June 30, 2016
  • Gasoline tax: I will not increase this tax/fee/fine for FY 7/1/2015 – June 30, 2016
  • Utility tax: I will lean on staff recommendations in my considerations for this increase
  • Water usage fees: I will lean on staff recommendations in my considerations for this increase
  • Building permit fees: I will lean on staff recommendations in my considerations for this increase
  • Business/Building registration/license fees: I will lean on staff recommendations in my considerations for this increase
  • Fines for city ordinance violations: I will lean on staff recommendations in my considerations for this increase
  • Fines for traffic violations: I will lean on staff recommendations in my considerations for this increase
  • New tax, fee or fine proposed (use explain): Yes. I will increase this tax/fee/fine if needed to meet operating expenses for the next fiscal year
  • Explain: I only selected I would agree to increase an unknown fee, if there appears to be a need to create the fee structure. As an example I’ll use and idea I would like to offer to home owners, the option to place a wind turbine on their property to harness the winds that we have in DeKalb. Since there is no ordinance describing the fee structure I would have to vote a permit fee for the installation of the turbine. Other than that, I would hold the city’s part of the property tax, sales tax and the gas tax 3.5 cents (the gas tax is actually 1.5 cents higher than I thought it was) As the Utility fee, Water Usage Fee, Building Permit Fee, Fines for Ordinances Tickets I would rely on the department heads or the Chief as to their recommendations.
Where would you cut expenditures if necessary to balance the budget? (candidates were given a selection of multiple choice answers to choose from)
  • Senior administration: Highest priority to balance the budget
  • Administrative support: What senior staff recommends
  • Police department: Only if absolutely necessary
  • Fire department: Only if absolutely necessary
  • Planning department: What senior staff recommends
  • DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport: What senior staff recommends
  • Public works department: What senior staff recommends
  • Streets department: Only if absolutely necessary
  • Water department: What senior staff recommends
  • Professional consultants: Highest priority to balance the budget
  • Social services: I will not cut expenses to this department
  • Economic development (DCEDC): I will not cut expenses to this department
  • Tourism department (DeKalb County CVB): What senior staff recommends
  • DeKalb Chamber of Commerce: What senior staff recommends
  • Downtown DeKalb promotion: What senior staff recommends
  • Across the board cuts to meet to balance the budget: Only if absolutely necessary
  • Hold the line use rainy day fund to balance the budget: Highest priority to balance the budget
  • Instruct senior staff to recommend precision cuts to balance the budget: Highest priority to balance the budget
  • Explain: If the Governor’s budget proposal passes, we will be losing close to $2.1 Million dollars, losing that kind of money would require a more stringent look at all departments and their budgets. I would require all department heads to give us their recommended cuts to their departments equal to the amounts that we could possibly be facing.
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts in DeKalb are expiring. Should it be extended or expanded or replaced by the Enterprize Zone program? (candidates were given a selection of multiple choice answers to choose from)
  • It’s time to end the TIF program. Return all TIF funds to the local government units. Strongly Agree
  • The TIF program should be extended for the DeKalb City Center/Communiversity plan. Disagree
  • The old Greek Row and University Village area should be a new TIF District and revitalized. Undecided
  • Replace TIF with the Enterprise Zone Undecided
  • Let TIF expire but employ a pay-as-you-go (no debt) plan for the remaining term. Strongly Agree
  • There’s a better idea for TIF (explain): Strongly Agree
  • Explain: I believe that the TIF funds have been a fund that may have been unwisely spent and possibly not to the truest form of what TIF is to be used for. I believe if we do nothing to expand or prolong the TIF Districts they will expire during our first term. I am not a proponent or a supporter of creating a new TIF unless there is a true need and a specific plan to revitalize the area. Lincoln Highway and Pearl Street has been a blighted area by the hands of a developer not the citizenry as a whole, I do not see that area as a need for a TIF.
Do you support the DeKalb City Center/Communiversity plan?
  • Other (please specify): I agree with the plan in theory, I would like to remind people that we have a history and historic homes, we do not need to remove older homes just to redevelop an area. The rehabbing of older homes add charm and character to an area. Not everything has to be new. To point out the business that we are missing from likewise university towns gives us a road map of what business we need to attract to the area. A defined plan is better than throwing darts at a map any day, but I am not a person who says that the yoga facility has to be here and that the vegan restaurant has to be here. The free market, the business plans and the owner will make the decisions on where they can be profitable. Then we need to realize that we have our own identity and we don’t have to conform to these other areas. The other thing is we need things for the younger generation to do, a chuck e cheese or like business could possibly locate here.
Should the Office of City Clerk be fully restored as independent of the city manager, mayor and city council?
  • Yes
  • Explain your answer: We have taken an independent full time job and have reduced it to a part time job equal to or less then minimum wage depending on the hours the clerk puts in. As we can see during this election cycle, not one citizen has offered to run for the clerk position. That has to show that the public doesn’t agree with the decision of this council to cut the Clerks job duties and pay.
How would you rate the job performance of the current incumbent serving as alderman in your ward?
  • Explain: As I agree with the votes Monica has made as of late, I still bring up the fact that she hasn’t been active in the ward. After we were redistricted from ward 6 to ward 7, she did nothing to welcome us as her new constituents. I being the active person in Devonaire farms notified our neighbors in our online group that we were now in a different ward and told them her name. Then I sent Monica an email inquiring if she was seeking to run again, it took her 2 weeks to respond to me. Something I vow that I would never make a resident wait that long for a response from me. Then she has admitted that she is just getting the hang of the job, after 4 years I would hope that the learning curve was learned a long time before 4 years in office.
How can you improve the ward you are seeking to represent?

I will bring a fresh breath to the 7th ward. I will hold meetings and explain what is going on. I don’t expect all residents to pay attention to all things happening in city hall all the time. I would just hope that they could give me an hour or two every couple of months to give them an overview of what happened, what could happen and what new business are moving in and to get the feedback from then. Then if these take off like I hope they will, I have no qualms about reaching out to Bob Brown and Ruth Ann Tobias, their county board representatives, or seeing if I can get their state representatives Tom Demmer or Bob Pritchard or even possibly see if the need arises to get Adam Kinzinger our Congressman or even one of our Senators. I want people to connect with government and I would like to help do that on a small level in our ward I am not a politician, I’m a concerned resident that is willing to give my time to make DeKalb and the 7th ward a place others are willing to call home too!


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