John Rey, candidate for mayor of DeKalb, submitted his survey response on Feb. 25. Evidently there was some sort of cyberspace glitch between the SurveyMonkey system and the email address used by the Rey campaign website that caused a delay in his response.
Rey initially declined to participate in the survey because he felt he didn’t have the time to devote to the survey in its format of agree-disagree. “I am going to have to pass this DeKalb County Online opportunity at this time – just do not have time to devote to the survey in its format of agree-disagree. I find many of the queries require qualification. I do not have the time to prioritize this at this time. Sorry to disappoint you,” wrote Rey in an email.
David Jacobson, Jennifer Groce and Mike Verbic had all provided their response but publishing the survey was delayed in attempts to get Rey’s participation.
On Feb. 25, Rey submitted his survey response and wrote, “I have completed your survey this morning – just transmitted via Survey Monkey. Thanks for the opportunity to weigh in on these issues.”
The three other candidates did not have the opportunity to purview their opponents’ answers as did Rey. In his survey response Rey chose not to participate in the “range of agreement” portion of the survey. In an attempt to be fair to all we removed the “range of agreement” tables and added Rey’s additional comments following those of the other candidates. To review the original survey click here.
How do you feel about the overall direction of the City of DeKalb? (Additional Comment) | ||||||
 The first step to admitting you have a problem, is admitting you have a problem. The City is addicted to spending. While cuts have been made, quite a bit of “pork” still exists. The current Council will often take a strong stance on spending one week, just to follow it a few weeks later with a several large, unnecessary purchases. All too often the council, as the elected officials of our City, are rushed to make a decision, without the full and proper options, background, or discussion needed to fully understand its impact. The fact of the matter remains, as the elected officials, the COUNCIL is charged with the responsibility not only to make the decisions, but set the agenda. I feel that this is lacking, and wholly do due a lack of leadership, vision, and direction. The council, and most especially the Mayor, has often abdicated not only its right, but duty to “take up the reins” and lead the city. More time, more effort, and more dedication needs to be spent on this task. If a council member, or city staff member cannot make that time, or feels that its is someone else’s job to do, I strongly believe that they have most definitely over stayed their welcome. Has the city, as a whole, staff and council included, done a bad job? Not necessarily. Does the probability exist that they can do a much better job? Certainly. We have made progress, we have dealt with many issues, and attacked several major long term problems (retiree benefits, staffing, etc.). We need to take that same energy, focus, and vigor and set to work dealing with issues globally, rather working on a few piecemeal solutions to an issue here or there, when convenient. | ||||||
 These questions refer to “the plan.” I don’t see that we have a plan for all facets of municipal operations. The council has made some tough fiscal and staffing decisions over the past few years in turn we have a much improved fiscal outlook, our bond rating has improved and we are working towards reaching additional fiscal goals. Those are good plans that we need to continue. I think we need to develop a plan for economic development, housing and allocation of resources based on priorities of the community such as safety, security and equipment and infrastructure needs to keep the quality of services and life residents deserve. The role of the City Manager is to implement the will of the council. At times, we are lacking clear direction from the current council. If we are unsatisfied with our staff, we should first start by asking if we are satisfied with the direction we gave them? | ||||||
 The current Mayor and Council have accomplished a number of good things but there is a lack of long-range planning while including priorities from all residents. We need improved leadership from our Mayor to establish consensus among Council while building an agenda for our City Manager and staff to follow. Our City Manager has too often times had the “cart before the horse”, meaning that he and staff have gone too far with an idea prior to consensus among Council. One recent example is the proposed Irongate development in which our City Manager discussed parameters with other taxing bodies prior to establishing consensus among Council. | ||||||
 Your questions require an explanation – not just a simple agree or disagree. Here are my answers: a. The current mayor and council have a plan that needs to be upgraded. There are five areas that we need to focus on: • Smarter use of our budget • Making DeKalb a safe place • Working to improve relationships with NIU and others in the region • Bringing new businesses and jobs • Give a greater voice to you the citizens b. According to DeKalb Municipal Code Chapter 3, City Administration, 3.07 City Manager – “Appointment and Removal. The City Manager shall be appointed by the Mayor and Council voting jointly; provided, however, the City Manager shall not be removed from office during a period of 30 days following any regular city election.” As mayor I will be working with City staff and the City Council. I will spend the first 30 days looking at jobs in the city. I am focused on making DeKalb the best it can be. Together we can trim waste and improve transparency. | ||||||
What are your views on public safety in DeKalb? (Additional Comment) | ||||||
| The DeKalb PD’s 20/20 plan is excellent. The council will need to find he resources need to so the plan can be fully implemented and move us towards proactive policing. | ||||||
| City of DeKalb Police should share knowledge with NIU Police but both work under separate employment and financial parameters. We need more City of DeKalb Police on the streets in certain areas. My ideas for improvements include better lighting, red light and rail crossing photo-based safety technologies and partnering with property owners to enforce parking restrictions in certain areas. | ||||||
| Question one is a difficult one. I don’t personally feel unsafe in any neighborhood of DeKalb. I live in one of the highest crime rate, highest call volume neighborhoods, and wouldn’t think twice about going out at any time of the day or night. Why? Because a significant amount of resources are being spent on keeping the street safe (both by the University and City). Some nights, nearly every other car that drives by is a police car. I think it has been quite effective, and the resources are necessary. I think that its apparent that at some time, in the very near future, it is likely more officers and more resources will be needed. I do strongly believe though, that the value of these services must be maximized and that those expenditures have to make financial sense. Crime, no matter how many dollars are spent, will still exist, to some point, no matter where you are. Throwing more and more money at the issue wont necessarily solve it. At a recent Candidate’s night event, I mentioned that while the perception lingers that DeKalb is unsafe, the reality is (both in hard data and everyday experience for most residents) is that it is not. One of the other candidates retorted that If a single person feels unsafe at night, we have a problem. I whole-heartedly disagree. An unlimited amount of resources could be spent, placing a police officer at every block in our city. Yet, crime, in reality, would still exist (albeit in a much stealthier way). The City would likely go bankrupt providing such resources, and it is very likely that at least one resident of another suburban community (based solely on a news report they heard) may still think DeKalb was unsafe. There are only two things that change such a bias; Education and Results. The “results” piece is certainly in the works. Soon after his hiring, the new Police Chief set out on an ambitious 20/20 plan to make our streets safer. I wholly support this effort, and think that the vision and leadership demonstrated by the new chief should be a model for the city, its residents, its staff, and its elected officials. As part of this plan, “taking back our neighborhoods” is a major step in its success. Implementing new technology, and new strategies of policing is a great start, but the single biggest issue we need to deal with is citizen interaction with police. Residents need to feel comfortable using the police as the major resource they are. If we all work together in making DeKalb a place uncomfortable for criminals, it is the strong hope that they will move on, and go elsewhere. In addition to better, stronger, models of community policing, reallocated new and existing resources is a major concentration. With 3 police forces (NIU, City of DeKalb, and DeKalb County) and often a fourth (State Police) regularly patrolling our streets, it is paramount to explore ways to use the resources better, cheaper, and most effectively for those agencies. I think this is one area, if we set our minds to doing so, that can be the model of inter-governmental co-operation at its finest. If we cost-share, resource-share, and time-share, both the departments and the tax payers get the most “bang for their buck” and guarantee the maximization of the each of the member departments benefits while eliminating costly, duplicative services. I strongly feel that it should be the City of DeKalb’s responsibility to take the lead in such efforts. The second piece, then, is “education”. We need to find a mechanism to promote the good aspects of our community, well beyond city limits, so that individuals outside of our area aren’t left with the constantly negative impressions by the few, and generally rare, “Major Crime” incidents that have rocked our community. Most residents know, that deep down, DeKalb is a great place to work, live, and raise a family. Its that spirit that we have to highlight and share. As for the Gun Control Issue, I will try and keep it brief (as Ive already evidenced my passion for “safety” in the several paragraphs above). Criminals are criminals because they don’t mind breaking the law. More often than not, the fire arms owned by these criminals aren’t legally purchased in the first place. In essence, no matter what new laws you create, it wont take guns out of the hand of criminals, it will only take them out of the hands of responsible, law abiding gun owners. Whether a citizen agrees with the idea of private gun ownership or not, the courts have been very clear in supporting the constitutional right to own them. I think the financial burden in defending a local ban on fire arms would be an enormous cost burden on our community and that those dollars can be spent in much more effective ways elsewhere. | ||||||
| As I stated, your questions require an explanation – not just a simple agree or disagree. Here are my answers: a. As far as gun safety, the state of Illinois has issued and is currently in the process of issuing additional gun laws. The courts’ rulings on this have changed again today. b. I will stay on top of these ever changing laws and work to keep DeKalb safe. c. Safety is a concern of mine and I have already met with Police Chief Lowery. He has a 20-20 initiative underway – twenty programs/initiatives planned over the coming twenty months. Four areas can be improved: • Hiring additional officers • Additional training and curriculum for officers • Co-policing with NIU, county and state police • Special Units established Additionally, I have met with Chief Hicks and Deputy Chief Hoyle of the Fire department to learn of the needs to improve fire safety. | ||||||
What best describes your approach to Tax Increment Financing? (Additional Comment) | ||||||
| We need to end one TIF district before we start another. This will provide us with the data necessary to make better decisions regarding future TIF district considerations. All citizens need to be involved to better establish long-range priorities in addressing structural developments, enhanced infrastructure and blighted area improvements. We must secure private investment in proposed TIF districts to match our public investment prior to moving ahead. In our current economic condition, a TIF district may not generate enough revenue to cover a proposed public debt. We must proceed with caution and with significant input from the public and involved governing bodies. Our downtown is more appealing but lacks enough private investment to call it a success. Better uses for TIF include, but are not limited to, increased access to quality housing, increased home ownership, increased neighborhood choice, structural developments and enhanced infrastructure. | ||||||
| TIF, in and of itself, is not at all a bad thing. The misuse and mismanagement of TIF, however, especially in the City of DeKalb, is the problem. Wasted dollars, missed opportunities, spending on frivolous and unnecessary “wants” (as opposed to “needs”), and worst of all, poorly directed incentive dollars have all marked the potential shortfalls of our TIF program. TIF remains one of the few mechanisms to allow the funding to effect major change in neighborhoods. Projects such as the development of the Sycamore Rd corridor (a major job creator and sale tax generator) would have likely been impossible without it. The redevelopment of South 4th street is another perfect example of where TIF dollars, if spent wisely, can make a huge impact. I personally view spending TIF money in as common sense terms as possible. How many Jobs will the expenditure create? How will spending TIF cure blight? Is the expenditure truly an investment in bettering our community? If not for TIF assistance, will the project continue? Those are the questions that need to be asked (and more importantly, answered) before a single dollar should be spent. I have been a strong opponent of wasteful Incentive spending (and voted NO against Olive Garden, CVS, and Dunkin Donuts Incentives). I certainly would have voted against the TIF bonding for the downtown project. TEN MILLION DOLLARS (and considerably more, if you account for interest) was spent and billed as an “Investment.” The returns have been non existent. Vacancy is as high or higher than before the project began. We have really nice sidewalks, but empty storefronts behind them, and worst of all, another $10 million of outstanding debt. Imagine the difference that same $10 million could have had on a neighborhood (say the Ellwood Historic District or South Fourth Street Area come to mind). Imagine if we had provided job training, incentives for new business development, or funding for a real or existing (the library, perhaps) business incubator in the down town area. Unfortunately Re:New DeKalb and City Staff had their own vision. It was always “their” project (when it was “our” dollars paying for it) and they made sure to remind us of it at nearly every opportunity. The next phase of TIF mismanagement, spending the money on public buildings, is already in the works. The Library wants $1.5 million (In addition to $7.5 million in additional, General Obligation debt), City Staff want $4.5 million to remodel City Hall, The School district wants $2 million for renovations too. Effectively this will “earmark” a large majority of the existing and anticipated (using what I would consider as generous calculations) fund balances. In the last paragraph we imagined all the good TIF COULD do. If these expenditures are approved, that possibility disappears forever- all to create ZERO jobs, and ZERO sales tax dollars… but hey, I’d bet those buildings will all have REALLY nice sidewalks! TIF and Economic Redevelopment, were, in truth, one of the big reasons I chose to run for mayor. Re:New DeKalb has already proven (in my mind) to be a poor steward of TIF funds, yet 2 of Mayoral Candidates, who were intimately involved with the mismanagement, continue to tout it as a success. The third candidate overbuilt a “Taj Mahal” High School so big, the district couldn’t afford to adequately staff it, or pay the utility bills and remains at a $2 million+ annual deficit. The “Build it, and they Will come” Ideology didn’t work then and it won’t work now… How bad do things have to get before we decide to embark on a new path? | ||||||
| TIF is not the solution for every economic development situation. Every TIF must be looked at carefully, as opposed to having a universal one size fits all policy. We need to consider the project, goal and ability to accomplish the project within the TIF. We should also consider the impact of the TIF on taxing bodies and the need for and implications of debt. | ||||||
| The question in your survey cannot be answered by a simple agree or disagree. Here are my answers: a. TIF funds are taxes you already pay. TIF allows some of those dollars to be earmarked for improving run down areas of DeKalb. The state of Illinois regulates how many TIF districts a city may have, what the money can and cannot be used for and how long each TIF will last. b. Re:New DeKalb has taken a good start at revitalizing downtown DeKalb. The projects completed are a beginning in the process of building a vibrant, thriving downtown. The economy has presented challenges. We need public-private partnerships, such as the DeKalb Public Library expansion. There are opportunities for such partnerships on the south side of the city. Possibly there are commitments of TIF funds that could be redirected to these projects. | ||||||
What are your views on the City’s public debt? (Additional Comment) | ||||||
| Imagine a world with over borrowing, over leveraging, over spending, and committing yourself to burdensome debt obligations for 20 years or more (while only vaguely defining how to pay for them). Appetites for building grow larger than our financial stomachs can bear. Committing yourself to spending nearly every dollar that comes in (while before they do, in fact, come in) while incurring vast amounts of unpaid debts elsewhere becomes the norm. That world existed, in many individuals lives, just a few years ago. The excuse “borrowing while the money was cheap” fueled spending, rise in EAV, and debt onligations quicker than any other generation in our history. Times were good, interest charges were cheap, money was easy to borrow, and investment returns kept getting better and better. And then it all stopped. The bubble burst. We had one of the worst recessions in our country’s history. Nearly all citizens had to quickly learn to do things differently. Many lost their houses or were forced to declare bankruptcy. Businesses were forced to close, and jobs were lost. Nearly all quickly realized that things had changed, dramatically. Unfortunately, for Government, in many cases, the mentality seems to still remain “business” as usual. Look at the last 24 months of City spending direction. We have effectively borrowed up to (an possibly over) all of our predetermined limits, spent all of the revenue coming in, and burdened the next 20 years of residents with today’s “great” projects. We’ve underfunded pensions, and haven’t yet defined how to pay for other benefits (But that’s OK in Illinois right?). While everyone else in the world learned how to cope, Governments did not. Maybe its because those in charge (often making 6 figures) weren’t hit as hard, maybe its because its easier to raise taxes (in the public sector) that get a raise at a job (in real live), maybe its because they just don’t get it. Whatever the case, its wrong… It needs to end and at some point, it necessarily will have to. Its my belief that he city needs to run like a household, or business. It needs to realize that times aren’t going back to how they were anytime soon. Strapping the next generation with copious debt, huge financial obligations, and no way to pay for them ISN’T SUSTAINABLE- no matter how nice their new office will be. | ||||||
| Legally, there are no limits on debt in HR communities, but the debt policy should be followed and residents should be able to trust that elected officials are developing and enacting sound policy. Debt policies are to serve as a strong guide for fiscal matters, but good fiscal planning leaves some room for flexibility. Extending debt limits beyond the approved debt policy should be an absolute last resort. Advance planning and careful decision making should consider future debt needs and whether or not leaders will have the resources needed to avoid having to go against a debt policy. | ||||||
| If debt exceeding policy limits is absolutely necessary to cover previously agreed upon commitments, and the need is well-defined with an affordable re-payment schedule, the voters of DeKalb will step up by voting “Yes”. It is not realistic to schedule voter-approved debt re-payment during a four-year term. | ||||||
| I am responding to your questions with more complete answers – not just a simple agree or disagree. Here are my answers: a. Home Rule is designated by the state of Illinois and gives cities of 25,000+ citizens the ability to make decisions for their town. Otherwise, it would take getting the Illinois state legislature to give permission for each item individually that the city wants to do – including borrowing money at a reduced rate, tourism tax dollars, and other restrictions on tax dollars. b. I will work to keep control of the budget. I think it is important to continue the annual budget review workshops that are in the special committee portion of City Council meetings. This will keep council focused on what is best for the city and each citizen. The Finance Advisory Board that is staffed with competent citizens is a good source of input. If you are interested in serving, please contact me. It is important to keep long-term impact in focus as short-term needs are met. This is part of the sustainability initiative for the city. I am convinced we have to spend our dollars better not just spend more. | ||||||
What are your views on Neighborhood Development? (Additional Comment) | ||||||
| I do not believe increasing rents or selling prices “increases the quality of people.” We have great people living in DeKalb. I think we do need to develop a strategy to address the over and under supply of housing and the various challenges we are facing. I believe housing will be one of the most significant issues our entire community will need to address. City, NIU and residents will need to work together on some likely tough community development issue in the coming years. I would like to see investment in economic development of the east and south side of town, not simply beautification. | ||||||
| We should not tell the community what to embrace. We should let them tell us. DeKalb rental properties are private businesses. They have customers to keep satisfied and, if they don’t maintain a good relationship, will lose those customers like any other private business. Our role in City government is to support our private businesses with ordinances previously established. We should not create new ordinances to finance new government. Our budget cannot afford a $150,000 compensation package to fund a new housing bureau director and property owners along with renters cannot afford higher fees to pay for this new layer of government. We need to meet more regularly with our rental property owners, rather than one task force, to better determine the state of their industry. A result of those meetings may include a freeze on rental property registrations until our market needs more. Beautification can include efforts similar to the Annie Glidden Road project between Taylor and Lincoln Hwy. I support non-rental residential construction on existing lots. I also support new residences unique to our community like age 55 & over development, homes at $300,000 and above along with owner-occupied condominiums. | ||||||
| My stance here is simple. We don’t need any more Multi-Family housing; not now, not any time in the foreseeable future. We need to commit our time and energy to identifying mechanisms to invest and improve the existing housing stock before we even think of more new homes. We need to enforce existing laws, and make code enforcement a priority without adding to the expense of bureaucracy and management. I was, and remain, a strong opponent of the Housing Bureau. Many of the issues that plagued our housing stock were created and allowed to exist because of poor management decisions and lack of and ability to adequately use those resources we already had. They were only further exacerbated by a lack of planning and a lack of accountability, in terms of enforcement. Without a change in course from this direction and management philosophy, 30 new pages of laws and a 1/2 million dollars in new annual expenses aren’t going to make a difference (and will indeed just add to more waste). I still have a very hard time believing 2 new code inspectors, spending their days writing homeowners “reminder” tickets to mow their lawn, or shovel their driveway, are going to make any impact whatsoever on creating or preserving better, more quality neighborhoods. We need to concentrate on what makes sense. By giving homeowners the information and tools THEY need to maintain their properties, by enforcing the quality and safety standards that have been on the books for decades, through working with neighborhoods and individual citizens to promote pride of ownership, and by making available resources to help promote private investment, we can expect real, lasting, progress, not just short term “Do what I say or get a fine” quick fixes. | ||||||
| As you can see from my answers, a written explanation is needed to properly explain my position. a. I support the major components of the recently enacted Housing ordinance, including: crime free leases with tenants, disorderly house violations, registration of landlords, and sidewalk inspections of properties to insure safety. The housing codes/ordinances set standards for tenants and landlords to make this city a safer place. It is important for the city and landlords to cooperatively evaluate how they are working to assure they are effective for DeKalb. As mayor, I will monitor their effectiveness with the input of citizens. b. There are already proposals to build new homes in DeKalb. These proposals confirm that DeKalb is a desirable place to live and work. As we plan for the next twenty years, we need to balance the needs of our existing farms and businesses with the growth needed to bring new jobs and develop our economy. As mayor, I believe I can achieve this balanced growth through maintaining business- friendly services and proactive recruitment efforts. | ||||||
Do you consider a city employee to be the city’s biggest asset or biggest expense? Explain: | ||||||
| I commend our Public Works staff for a job well done during these economic conditions. Our City employees are the City’s biggest asset as they deliver the essential services that everyone one of us rely upon. | ||||||
| The short answer to the question is Yes. Our employees ARE our biggest asset. They are ALSO our biggest expense. They are ALSO our single biggest opportunity to cut back on wasteful spending . Overtime and workmans comp claims are out of control. Dealing with and crafting long-term solutions to these issues should be among the cities top priorities. The residents are tired of talk, they need to see action. I think there remains several options to get a better value of out of our work force. Implementing new resources and new technologies will ease the burdens of many of our departments and reduce the need for some positions, allowing us to re-allocate money toward the areas they are sorely needed. We need to concentrate on this area and commit to doing so. I do believe that we DO need more police officers. I also believe that we need to identify cuts, DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR before hiring them. Raising taxes and fees is certainly not the answer (if it was, there would NEVER be ANY financial accountability standards that would actually matter). Lastly, the city needs to work better with our unions. We are all in this together and need to start our contract negotiations with that in mind. To say the system, in its current form, is “unsustainable” is an understatement. We can’t afford the pension and benefit obligations now, much less at retirement age for our new employees. The average city employee is often making 2-3X the salary of the average resident and that’s before figuring in the cost of the AMAZING benefit packages they receive… Whats wrong with that picture? I strongly believe this is one of the areas that sets me apart from the other candidates. The reason we are in this situation is because those “feeding at the trough” refuse to make a change that may effect them. I am a small business owner, I pay for my own benefits (at a fraction of the costs the City pays for its employees) and will likely never see any sort of pension. I believe its our duty to create a system where employees are fairly and correctly compensated, and where benefits make sense to the tax payer. When push comes to shove, will the other candidates be able to make the tough decisions the city needs to pursue this path, knowing full well that they enjoy the very same benefits, as pensioners and NIU (state) employees, that the City may very well need to reduce or do away with? | ||||||
| I believe our employees are our biggest asset. I have been fortunate to work with nearly every city department at one time or another over the past 9 years. We have a great staff that is dedicated to providing good services for residents. Their dedication and community pride contributes greatly to the quality of life DeKalb affords. | ||||||
| I could spend a lot of time answering each question, but in short: a. Employees are our greatest asset. The Mayor and the entire city staff work together. The first priority is for us all to be a team, serving citizens of DeKalb. My first task as Mayor is to lead. I have gotten many groups to work together and I can use my skills to do that with city staff and City Council. Everyone will be accountable to do their job and I will assess performance. b. There may be valid reasons for living elsewhere, but residence within close proximity to the city will be strongly encouraged. We all need to work and make this the best place to live, work and raise our families. | ||||||
What qualities do you bring to the table that sets you apart from your competition?
| ||||||
| Proven results in leading an elected group of public officials. 20 years of successful leadership in small business. Experience in negotiations with corporations and developers. Real partnership development with NIU. | ||||||
| I think all four candidates for Mayor bring some unique quality to the race. I strongly believe, however, that this election comes down to the philosophy of leadership of the candidates. The questions voters need to ask themselves is simple. Do you believe that we are going in the right direction? Do you want more of the same, or a concerted effort towards a new, more democratic, more engaged Mayor/Council based form of government. I don’t, by any stretch of the imagination, claim to have all the answers. I believe that through citizen input, and most importantly through strong and engaged discussion between the mayor, staff, council, and most importantly, residents, we can make this town a better place to live. We need to question what it is we are doing and why, more often. We need to live up to the ideal that our role implies and SERVE the public as a public servant and not merely make arbitrary decisions on their behalf. We need to be accountable to the voters in our decision making and most importantly in our financial endeavors. We need to invest in our community and take the lead in bringing about policy that will benefit all of the various stakeholders. I truly believe that the job of Mayor is a full time (and then some) job. I have the time, energy, knowledge, desire and ability to step up and make the important decisions DeKalb desperately needs to ensure a stable future. I pledge to be honest, straight forward, and tell it like it is; no more, no less. By engaging issues openly, honestly, and getting into the “shoes” of our residents prior to making decisions, we will forge a new, more stable, more positive direction. I am a renter, an owner, an NIU graduate, a business owner, a community member, and an advocate for my community. I am so privileged to be a part of the diversity that makes DeKalb a great place to live. I have fought for two years, as an alderman, on behalf of the residents of the First Ward and the City, as a whole, to change the City’s way of thinking. What we need is a strong dose of some good, old fashioned, common sense. I have shown that I’m ready to roll up my sleeves, get educated and engaged, and not afraid to tackle major issues, leading in the direction of how things SHOULD be in our City. Through my character, work ethic, and guiding 4 pillars of government (Accountability, Transparency, Financial Responsibility, and Leadership) plan to continue to lead toward a more citizen focused, cost maximizing, and model form of government. I invite each of you to visit my website to continue to learn more about my goals, platform, and beliefs of how Dekalb can be successful, both now and for generations to come. | ||||||
| a. I have already met with individual council members, city staff and other community leaders to understand the issues, preparing to lead the City Council forward. b. I bring common sense and direction to the City Council. DeKalb has made some improvements over the past four years. However, I see many challenges continuing to confront the city. These challenges are: 1) smarter use of the budget, 2) making DeKalb a safer place, 3) working to improve DeKalb, 4) bringing in new businesses and jobs, 5) giving a greater voice to you. I believe that my business and community service make me the best candidate to address these challenges. While at DeKalb Ag, I was in charge of overseeing annual budgets in the range of $110 million. My community service includes: past president of the School Board, Ben Gordon Board and Kiwanis Club; founding member of the District 428 Multicultural committee and DeKalb Education Foundation; serving on the Re:New Board of Directors, Safe/Quality Housing task force, Fire and Police and City Economic Development commissions. I am a community leader and a volunteer. I have been both appointed and elected to serve in offices that have allowed me to lead diverse groups of people in a common direction to benefit the community. I will apply myself to work with city council members, providing value to the citizens. I see public and private resources being used for improvement of our city. | ||||||
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