From David Jacobson
Question: What have been the City Council’s best decisions in your tenure as Alderman? The worst?
Answer: Best- The City has done well in dealing with several issues that have long plagued the City. One of the biggest issues we have tackled thus far was dealing with retiree benefit liabilities, recently bringing our program into line with nearly all other municipalities in the state. This change, which the council fought hard far, saved the City (and the tax payers) nearly $40 million dollars in future costs. We have made strides in how we deal with crime and reinforced our commitment to adequate staffing levels, even in difficult times. We have also made significant strides in dealing with the back log of legal issues the city has faced (in some cases for 5-10 years or more). Lastly, and most importantly, we have set out on an ambitious plan to ensure fund reserve balances never dip to the levels they did just before I was elected. While we have made measurable progress in these areas, they often seem like only flashes of brilliance. As soon as we start to make progress in one area, it seems like we make poorly thought out decisions in another, preventing us from truly gaining much traction toward the much needed global change in direction we, as a City, desperately need.
Worst- Where can I begin. There are so many issues we face today. Maxing out our debt limits. Strapping our children and grandchildren with huge amounts of bonded debt. The fundamental misuse and waste of TIF and Business Incentive dollars. Failure to adequately implement technological resources. Lack of long term planning, focus, and understanding. The City has progressively deteriorated in many areas based on the direction and decisions of Council and Staff, current and past. Many of the issues we face have been “years in the making”. In many instances, a lack of involvement or poorly managed involvement by the City has created the situations we are in (and which have only been exacerbated by the financial crisis). We need to immediately stop the “digging” of the proverbial hole we are in, and quit pretending that the same way of dealing with issues in the past is appropriate or relevant now.
The only way we can begin to fix our issues is to understand the realities our City, the residents, and the business owners face, using hard data to understand our market and its trends. Next, we need identify and admit where we went wrong to prevent repeating those mistakes in the future. Lastly, we need to commit to global planning solutions (as opposed to the piece meal, issue specific decision process of today) with input and discussion from all stake holders involved, most especially the residents.
From John Rey
Question: How will you balance your role as a local landlord with service on the City Council as mayor, avoiding conflict of interest?
Answer: In my two years of City Council service, there has not been a time I can remember where any notable conflict of interest has arisen due to my ownership of a building. I am not a traditional landlord per se, as the building I rent is leased on a long term contract to an alumni board of directors (and then subleased to individual tenants of an organization), I am rather insulated from the typical rental market. I would imagine that there’s no more conflict from being the owner in this situation, as any normal home or business owner would have. In many ways, I believe that my ownership has been a benefit to the City Council. To have someone that understands the issues that the rental market is facing, especially with the upcoming requirement that sophomores live within the dorms, and what a dramatic effect it may have on the city, allows me to provide the relevancy and depth of understanding necessary to make well informed decisions on how to deal with the issues we face. Going forward, if a conflict did indeed arise, somehow and somewhere, I would be legally (and morally) obligated to recuse myself from voting on the issue. By erring on the side of caution, I would happily do so to prevent any apparent or potential conflict if one did, indeed exist.
From Jennifer Groce
Question: Should the position of mayor be a full time position? Why or why not?
Answer: I expect, like most anything that matters in life, that the position can only be what a person puts into it. I regularly spend 20-25 hours a week on issues relating to my role as an Alderman. I would imagine, as Mayor, the job would entail even more time and effort to be done right. I believe that regardless of how many hours the mayor is paid for, he should have a regular presence in City Hall. The mayor should hold such regular hours to be able to meet with residents, staff, and community partners during their work days. I also think it’s important for the Mayor to step up and get more involved in the community. Whether it be in participating on commissions, attending more local events, or just getting out there and spending time with residents, I think that a more accessible mayor, one who has an increased and active awareness of what goes on in City Hall, is the elected representative that the residents deserve. How many hours a week will it take to be that representative? It’s hard to say exactly, but knowing what the aldermanic role entails (or what it should entail if all the council members were more actively engaged), it’s hard to believe anyone could effectively do this job well without having the time, energy and bandwidth to commit 30-35+ hours a week to it.
From Mike Verbic
Question: What leadership experience makes you best qualified to lead DeKalb as Mayor?
Answer: I have been blessed with the opportunity to have held many leadership roles, whether professional, volunteer, or elected.
– I have been the First Ward Alderman for the City of DeKalb for two years. I have been intimately involved in the decision making process and understand the realities of the lack of focus and lack of direction the City has taken and how it is affecting our residents. I have fought against wasteful spending and the mismanagement that has plagued our City. I have learned how to actively represent my community and how to put my own ideas aside in order to represent the people who elected me.
– I hold several volunteer roles including Board member of Sigma Alpha Mu International Inc., Treasurer of the NIU Alumni IFC, and Director of Student Involvement for the Greek Affinity Council (NIU Alumni Association). I have proven active, involved, and willing to make tough decisions to get the job done in each of these roles. I have also been given the opportunity, in each of these positions, to play the role of advocate to several different stake holders and constituencies.
– I have owned my own business for 6 years. I have learned how to make due with limited resources, how to plan for long term success, and how to be an owner, a manager, and sometimes the staff. Owning a business has taught me the importance of committing fully to projects, regardless of the time they take or compensation I receive. To get jobs completed, you need to have the ability to lead, while often taking the time to listen and learn as well, in order to see those projects through to the end.
– I have worked in management for several companies dating back to when I was still a student. My work experience includes time in the field of marketing and promotions as well as in child care. Being engaged, working with people of all ages, and being actively involved in staffing and logistics have prepared me both to be open and honest with people as well as to lead and manage others.
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