Our City has been blessed with Councilmen who have worked tirelessly and with the City’s best interests at heart.  The issues they have grappled with -- population growth, business development, property taxes, to name a few -- have become tougher and more complex than ever. It is that tradition of dedication, and the Council’s ability to effect positive change in our community, that motivates me to serve.

One concern I have, however, is that a tendency to micromanage can distract Councilmen from their proper role as policy-makers, legislators and overseers of City services.  The engineer in me loves dealing with technical detail, but I’ve learned that we mustn’t lose sight of our guiding principles. By clearly delineating those guiding principles and relying on our professional staff to carry them out day-to-day, policy can be enacted more efficiently and effectively.  In sum, Councilmen should communicate a vision, set measurable objectives, and then let the City’s professional staff do their jobs.

What do I see as my role as a Councilman?  First and foremost, councilmen should be responsible stewards of residents’ tax dollars. My approach is to set out specific goals before imposing taxes and fees. In this way we avoid situations like a culture tax on restaurant meals imposed before anyone knew how those funds were to be used.

In articulating vision, the Council sets the agenda for larger issue projects like community planning and transportation.  Working with professional staff to review and update policy documents like the Downtown Plan, teardown guidelines, STARLINE inter-rail plans, Plan Commission recommendations and Transportation Advisory Board recommendations, we empower City staff to formulate specific options and action plans for improving our City’s building and transportation structure.

On the subject of vision, the Council can and should be a catalyst for building consensus on City-wide issues, like recreational facilities, smoking, open space and affordable housing. By taking a leadership position in bringing together community leaders, professionals, residents and other local, county and state officials, we can arrive at consensus as to the best possible outcome for the City on the difficult topics we face.  We have a year, for example, to keep the Ponds of Hobson West from becoming a townhouse development, and the Council can and should lead a coalition with the Park District, the County Forest Preserve District, nearby property owners, the business community and City residents generally to preserve that open space.