Monday, March 6, 2009: A reported audience of 189 people observed the candidates for the DeKalb Mayor and City Council races in the historic Egyptian Theatre in downtown DeKalb. The forum was sponsored by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Parent Advisory Council (District 428). It was the first of two local candidate forums planned by the two community organizations. The next forum, featuring candidates for City Clerk and for the District 428 Board of Education, is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8, 2009 at the Egyptian Theatre. The forum started with the candidates running for 2nd ward alderman. Tom Teresinski, who was appointed to fill the 2nd ward seat when Kris Povlsen was selected to serve as acting Mayor upon the untimely death of Frank Van Buer, faces Bob Carlson, owner/operator of Carlson’s Appraisal Service. Teresinski served multiple terms on the District 428 Board of Education and as President of the Board. He is currently on District 428’s Facilities Planning Committee and its Citizen Finance Advisory Committee. Before taking the seat on the City Council he served on the City of DeKalb’s Finance Advisory Committee. He has pursued a career in the private sector in finance. Carlson was motivated to run for 2nd ward alderman because of an effort by the City of DeKalb to pass a rental inspection and a chronic nuisance ordinance in 2007. He had recently purchased some rental property in DeKalb and felt the ordinances, that would have created licenses, fines and fees would place an undue burden on landlords and tenants. The second ward is by far the largest ward in the City of DeKalb. A total of 1757 votes were cast in the April 2005 elections in the 2nd ward. Donna Gorski did not seek re-election for the 4th ward leaving the seat open to challengers John Anderson, TJ Batteast, Brendon Gallagher and Matthew Kapustianyk. Batteast did not attend Monday’s forum. The 4th ward is one of DeKalb’s larger wards, in terms of voters, with 1214 votes cast in the April 2007 elections. Anderson is a retired union electrician. He is running because of feedback he heard while circulating the Home Rule petition. A 1951 graduate of DeKalb Township High School, he received more than 400 of the 782 signatures on the petition that was ruled invalid over the objections of David Castle and Mike Larson. He said many of the signors expressed dissatisfaction with the City Council and were struggling to make ends meet. Gallagher is self employed as a financial planner. He is currently Chair of the District 428 Finance Advisory Committee and is President of the DeKalb Rotary Club. He served as a Trustee on the Village of Shabbona Board where he instituted a recycling program. He is running because he feels it is his civic duty. Kapustianyk is a drug counselor. He currently serves as Chair of the DeKalb Liquor Commission. He wants to put the experiences he has had living in DeKalb to use on the City Council. Sixth ward alderman, Dave Baker (incumbent), is facing challengers Craig Roman, Jared Lash, and Eugene Smith. Michael “Max” Maxwell has withdrawn from the race and has announced his support for Roman. The sixth ward is almost evenly split between college residents and single family residents in the Knolls, Devonaire Farms and along West Lincoln Highway. In the last 6th ward election in April 2007 a total of 331 votes were cast — 174 for Baker and 157 for Jesse Perez, who was at the time a college student. Baker is the most experienced alderman on the City Council. He’s been a successful business owner for more than 30 years, starting out as a college student himself. Roman is a funeral director. He believes DeKalb would benefit from a controlled increase in economic development that fills the gaps to reduce the residents’ need to drive outside of the city for goods and services. Lash moved to DeKalb in 2004 as an NIU student and chose to make the city his home after graduating. He pledges to work to bring more local, good-paying jobs. Smith is a student at NIU and has lived in DeKalb for three years. He will work to make the City Council become more accessible and approachable to residents. Mayoral candidates Kris Povlsen, Lynn Fazekas and Paul Kallembach concluded the evening’s forum. Videos have been posted by Mark Charvat at his YouTube site and others are being uploaded to DeKalb County Online. |
Mar 182009
Some observations:
For not being on the ballot the Home Rule issue is shaping a lot of this election. The 782 voters who signed the petition should be proud. People are learning more and more about Home Rule and to become better informed is a good thing.
Pinochio’s nose is growing however. The pro tax and spenders, desperate to cling to their enabler (Home Rule) have changed tactics (fibs aka Intellectual Dishonesty). No longer comfortable spreading their BS about how losing Home Rule would cost them $6-$8 million from the operating budget, because they’ve been busted, the story is now changing, as expected, to how Home Rule helps economic development. They would like to dumb down voters to believing that without Home Rule they could not have attracted the commercial developments that have come to the city.
Rayovac chose Dixon (non-home rule) over DeKalb a couple of years back. Lowes chose Rockford (non-home rule) over DeKalb. Rochelle (non-home rule) has attracted several DeKalb potentials.
When Home Rule is abused, like in DeKalb, it can become a barrier to economic development (like in DeKalb). When taxes are increased to unhealthy levels, like in DeKalb, then Home Rule chases business away and/or increases the need for incentives.
The issue over Home Rule is simple. There are no checks and balances on tax increases and public debt other than “Vote the Bums Out!” That needs fixed.
I am almost amused by this ill-advised strategy. Home Rule (the system) is being protected at all costs at the expense of good people. I’m a big believer in DeKalb’s people. I think we do have good people in city government (at least they start out that way) and that its the system that is bad (for proof, see your tax bills). But they keep insisting otherwise.
That’s a tough campaign strategy for an incumbent. Don’t fix or replace Home Rule replace the people.
OK.
I was in Villa Park again last night. The people there were very nice, I thought the streets I drove on were kept up, I did not see any empty stores, and what I saw generally looked nice. Villa Park is non-home rule.