CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Candidate:  Chad E. Schmidgall          Position Sought:  Council Person, City of Pekin

1.  Why are you seeking this office?

I want to represent the citizens of Pekin in an effort to improve the town.  I have lived in Pekin most of my life.  I have a desire to become more involved with the City, am a good listener, and an efficient problem solver.

2.  What are your qualifications for this office?

I have formal training in Urban Planning, through my current job as an Architect, I have experience working with all of the building trades, dealing with multi-million dollar contracts, and have served on several community Boards.  For a complete list, please see www.voteforchard.org

3.  Have you ever owned or managed a business?  If yes, please explain.

No.

4.  How do you propose to retain, expand and attract businesses in the Pekin area?

I will work with local business owners to continue successful programs and to determine future needs.  I will work with City staff to expand tourism and continue to pursue development of current infrastructure.  We need to effectively market our current Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) and Pekin Area Enterprise Zone (PAEZ), and explore the possibility of creating new TIF districts, possibly for Southside businesses.

5.  What role should the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations play in strengthening the City's economic base?

The current mission statement of the Chamber, "...to promote the growth of the Pekin area through the collective efforts of our members" is why the Chamber exists.  This should continue.  We have valuable assets in our local business owners, many of whom are extremely active in the community, and understand what is needed for the City to continue on a positive path.  These business organizations and owners should lead the efforts with City Staff and City Council support in strengthening the City's economic base.

6.  Do you support the continued construction of Veterans Drive?  Why or why not?

Yes.  The City and State have already invested heavily in this Ring Road and new councils should continue this endeavor.  It will provide better access to services, and specifically increase the appeal of Riverway Business Park, helping to sell the currently vacant lots, and bringing in additional tax revenue.

7.  Do you support the proposed change to the Route 9 designation from Court Street to the southern/western leg of Veterans Drive?  Why or why not?

Yes.  If the state attempts to upgrade Court Street to existing State Route standards it will mean years of construction on one of the main roads through Pekin.  Many business owners will lose revenue, and some would need to be relocated entirely.  In addition, if the State designates the new section of Veterans Dr as Route 9, the City will get additional funding for both Court St and the new Veterans Drive.

8.  What is your vision for downtown Pekin, including riverfront development, West Campus, and James Field?  What should be the City's role in these efforts? How should these projects be paid for?

The City should encourage the owner of West Campus to pursue development, and encourage District 108 to maintain James Field in a way that will best benefit its students.  We should provide matching TIF funds to business owners who wish to match the downtown's façade improvements and update infrastructure, especially eastward of the existing downtown area.  Steve Brown, the recently hired Economic Development Coordinator should continue with the planned phase II of the Riverfront Development and encourage private development adjacent to the cities improvements.

9.  What, if anything, should the City of Pekin do to promote tourism in Pekin?

We should continue to utilize Steve Brown and his staff.  We should encourage them to work with other organizations, such as the Economic Development Council for Central Illinois, to make Pekin and the surrounding communities a desirable destination.  We should market our beautiful parks, golf courses, and newly redeveloped Riverfront as destination locations.

10.  What are your thoughts about City finances?  Are there opportunities to cut expenses?  Specifically, where are those opportunities?  Is there a need for new or additional revenue?  Specifically, where would it come from?  Are there areas where spending needs to be increased?  Specifically, where does spending need to increase?  Specifically, where would the money come from?

As I mention below, having a balanced budget is the highest priority.  Obviously there are many opportunities to both cut expenses and/or expand services.  Both of these decisions need to be made with the entire city's best interests at the forefront.  If we annex property and increase business opportunities, as 8 of the first 11 items in the City Conceptual Plan state, then expanding infrastructure into the newly annexed areas and increasing capacity in the newly developed higher density areas will have to be a top priority.  Ideally, as these areas are annexed and built up, this will also bring in more revenue to support the additional expenses.  Many of the other items on the City Conceptual Plan will have costs associated with them, and these should only be undertaken when we have secure financial means to pay for them.  As the City expands, we have to continue to fund our basic services, such as the library, the police and fire departments, our schools, including programs such as DARE, and other City departments.  If we can't fund these services adequately, then we should hold off on expansion until we are financially able to meet all of our obligations.

11.  Do you have any "conflicts of interest" with the City of Pekin, either financially or personally?

No.

12.  What are your thoughts on the City Manager form of government?  Has it been successful for Pekin?  If not, what form of government do you believe would be best for Pekin?

The current form of government has been successful.  It gives representation to the people, and has effective checks and balances in place.

13.  What do you believe is the role of a city council member in the city manager form of government?

The city council serves as the legislative body of government.  The elected officials primary role is to create and modify ordinances with the assistance of the City Manager, the City Staff, the city boards/commissions and the input of the people.

14.  Do you believe city council members should serve on the various city boards and commissions?  Why or why not?

The current form of government is not meant to be run with council members on city boards and commissions.  The city boards and commissions should report to the City Manager, and the City Manager should report to the Council.

15.  If elected, what would be your top three priorities?

A balanced budget is the most important priority for any city.  With this in place we can begin to look at other priority areas, such as safer streets for our children (especially around grade schools), and creating a TIF district for the Southside.  There are many other priorities which need to be accomplished, including updating infrastructure to accommodate growth, implementing a landlord ordinance, continuing the Veterans Drive project, planning for expansions of fire department and police services, and hiring a City Engineer to take over Dennis Kief's previous duties.

16.  At the end of your term in office, how will you know if you've been successful?

If the citizens of Pekin choose to re-elect me, then I will know I have served them well.