John Rey responds to questions from candidates

From:  Dave Jacobson
Question: Do you feel that City staff, the Mayor, and/or the City Council are leading in the correct direction?  What would you change? Keep the same?

Answer: The current mayor and city 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 business and jobs.
• Give a greater voice to the citizens.

It is important 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.  Financial stability of the city is important.  An update on financials issues is forthcoming to the council and will serve as input to the planning process.

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.

We need to balance the needs of our existing farms and businesses with the growth needed to bring new jobs and develop our economy.  Balanced growth can be achieved through business friendly services and proactive recruitment efforts.  I see public and private resources being used for improvement of our city.

I bring strong, proven leadership and vision for a better community.  My cooperative style helps move decisions forward in a positive way.

From: Jennifer Groce
Question: Should the position of mayor be a fulltime position? Why or why not?

Answer: The mayor needs to give full time thought to the position and concerns for the city.  Regular hours – not necessarily full-time – need to be available for citizens and staff to access the mayor.  The mayor is the official representative and spokesperson for the city.  The mayor and city council set policy direction for the city staff.  The aldermen/women and mayor are not expected to be full time positions.  I am willing to work full time at current pay.

There may be irregular demands on the mayor to fulfill needs of the city – emergency response, dedications, other community events, city manager search.  My time is available and I am willing to dedicate myself to lead this city into the future.  I look forward to continuing relationships with leaders from business and education to respond to needs and opportunities that will make DeKalb a better place.

My dedication to this office can be seen in the time I have devoted to meeting with numerous community leaders – NIU officials, City Council members, City staff, landlords, business men and women, citizens, opponents – in preparation for the campaign.  I believe it takes dedication and commitment of time to do the job of mayor.  The replacement of city manager will require time devoted to a thorough search process to get the right person in this position.

I offer strong leadership to guide City Council policy into the future.

From:  Mike Verbic
Question: What leadership experience makes you best qualified to lead DeKalb as mayor?

Answer: I believe my experiences/successes demonstrate my leadership abilities to lead a better DeKalb community.   My activities include:  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.

My experience includes work in public and private organizations.  While at DeKalb Ag, I was in charge of overseeing annual budgets in the range of $110 million.

I am a community leader and a volunteer.  I have been appointed and elected to offices that have allowed me to lead diverse groups of people in a common direction to benefit the community.  I will apply myself to lead the team of city council members and staff, providing value to the citizens.

I have proven leadership skills.  I helped build DeKalb.  I want to give even more to the city I love because DeKalb is a growing, thriving city that is in a unique position with our rich farming community and as a university town.  I will work full-time as your Mayor.  I see us spending our resources better.

I see the city of DeKalb as a community with forward-thinking public and private institutions that are working to serve and anticipate the needs of the residents and region.

I continue to contribute time and energy to this community, as I have throughout my adult life.  My dedication and leadership in many organizations makes for positive growth in the community.  I gravitate to a leadership role among peers in organizations with which I become involved.  I bring these strengths to City Council, as a leader.

I see a better DeKalb!

From John Rey:
Question: Why do you want to be mayor?

Answer: 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 appointed and elected to 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 and staff, providing value to the citizens.

I see public and private resources being used for improvement of our city.  I offer proven leadership experience, working with diverse groups of people focused on common goals.