Patty Gustin: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: NapervilleWebsite: http://http://www.electpattygustin.comOffice sought: Naperville City councilAge: 51Family: Married with three children all wonderful products of the Naperville school system. One dog, two cats, one snake and fish all loved members of our family.Occupation: Naperville Real Estate BrokerEducation: DePaul University, Chicago, IL. BARoosevelt University, Chicago, IL. Certified ParalegalState of Illinois Department of Banks Real Estate BrokerCivic involvement: Plan Commission, city of Naperville, Secretary (2010- Current); Member (2007-Current)Zoning Board of Appeals, City of Naperville, Acting Chair (2yrs); Member (2001-2007)Professional Standards/Grievance Board, Real Estate Association of Western South Suburban Board (nka Mainstreet Realtors), Member (1994-2006)Zoning Board of Appeals, Village of Lisle, Member (1994-1998)Planning Commission, Village of Lisle, Member (1998-2000)Naperville Exchange ClubVarious Homeowner Association BoardsYouth Organizations Director and VolunteerElected offices held: See above Civic Involvement section.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Improving, now, how the City of Naperville meets the needs and exceeds the expectations of all of its residents and businesses; and planning, now, for how to do that in the future.Key Issue 2 Freeze City taxes at current levels, promptly eliminate unnecessary #8220;stealth#8221; City fees and #8220;special#8221; taxes, and get the City back within its budget and its foreseeable means.Key Issue 3 Retain and rebuild as necessary a strong city workforce and a unified city council.Questions Answers The city has slashed dozens of jobs in the last year in an attempt to balance the budget. Do you see more of this in the future?Not all things are foreseeable, but increasing staff costs, health costs, and other costs were. We have a great City, but we failed to timely identify that there will be challenging financial days. We failed to plan. We failed to acknowledge that Naperville is no longer a teenager, it is a middle-aged adult. Where building fees and transfer taxes and impact fees paid the bills in the past, in a maturing community we must plan for revenue in a different way. But, certain things are fundamental to keeping Naperville the best City in the USA. It must be a safe place that people want to move to, to do business, to play in our parks, and to educate their children. We have yet to make the transition to maturity. We opted to pay for things that we couldn't afford. Now after two more years of work, we are still in a hole. Are more staffing cuts possible? Yes. Everything must be on the table. However, balancing the budget deficit on the backs of the City's employees is not the answer. We need their shovels to fill in the hole, and to put out the fires we have now, and to protect us while we work toward a balanced budget and renewed growth. We need to think out of the box and be innovative.Based on your experience as council member or mayor, are there any programs that you already know you would seek to eliminate if you were to be elected mayor?As a council member, programs must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis as to what they provide to City residents and businesses and at what cost.Some things are not of equal value and benefit to all residents, to all businesses.Perhaps some services are more cheaply performed by Naperville businesses or, in conjunction with the county or other government units (only a limited amount currently exists). We need to re-examine Government matching fund projects that the City must also contribute funds, and can't afford to do now. Yes, everything is on the table. Each budget item, line by line, must be reviewed, not just for its value to the City but what we can afford now and in the future. Community ideas and input are critical to our success. Eliminating more volunteer boards so is not the answer. The City needs a new perspective on the council, and, with and for its residents.What are your thoughts/concerns regarding the city creating a shuttle bus service to help seniors and others commute to and from the downtown and other popular locations?Currently the City has a circulator bus service for local transit service with two purposes: to provide mobility within a local service area and to provide connection between the local service area and other regional services such as Metra train stations and Pace bus routes. This service should be investigated as to the cost effectiveness and its City-wide use. It seems that few residents ride this system, and it is not; as Naperville strives for, green friendly. If the City can afford it, and there is a need by seniors and others, we might consider cab-fare subsidies with our local cab companies. We might consider partnering with faith-based organizations. There are many immediate options short of a carbon-fueled bus service. Many local communities already have park district programs that provide shuttle bus service to help seniors and other commuters to and from their downtown and other popular areas. A positive discussion with our Park District is warranted. And there are things for us to look at for the future, now. As Plan Commission Secretary, our Commission recommended the new green solar/wind energy ordinances. That was one step in the right direction toward the future. There are others, including transportation. In the Naperville Downtown 2030 study the vision of transportation is limited. Reporter Bill Mego suggested a Personal Rapid Transit or POD car system, similar to Sweden. Two years ago I suggested an electric or natural gas Naperville Trolley Train option. That vision was embraced by the Metropolitan Planning Council that supports the Livable Community Act of 2009 (best place to live criteria) and almost all of the business owners I have spoken to. It's a way of linking all of vast community, in a green way, east and west, north and south. Of course there will be those nay-sayers that there is no budget, no use. I share the concerns, but disagree. Residents and businesses will embrace a trolley/pod as long as it embraces the character of our community. The Committee on Appropriations provided $54.99 billion in 2010 for Transportation on that bill. With a future plan and a serious discussion this can happen. It can be paid for without borrowing. It will take time. But, again, we must plan for the future AND deal with the current financial challenges that we failed to foresee.The city recently purchased the site of the DuPage Children's Museum on the city's north side. Do you support leaving the museum in place or freeing up the potentially valuable real estate at the city's northern border for economic development?As a Naperville Plan Commissioner, an advisory Commission, I was not involved in the purchase or leasing of the DuPage Children's Museum. But, it is too late now to second guess the decisions that were made by the council. There is money spent, money matched, leases in place, and a hope of success.There is no dispute that the DuPage Children's Museum is a desired asset for our community. The issue is whether we can afford the cost, not just today, but tomorrow. The City has agreed to lease the property to the museum for $1.00 a month for 5 years. The risk of the museum purchase thus fells on the backs of the residents. If the museum becomes profitable, and if the real estate market improves, the City might recoup the money it has paid for the property. For now, we must wait and see if this was a very desirable luxury that we simply could not afford. As a Plan Commissioner, staff presented the Fifth Avenue Study and other overlaying studies that addressed the future, highest and best use of this property. The reports should be a point of reference when, every year of the new 5-year lease, we determine if we can afford to continue lease the property rent-free in the future. I hope the DuPage Children's Museum is a wonderful success, and hope that the risks that the council accepted prove to have been good ones. I am told due to the city's purchase the museum may now qualify for various state and local grants, I wish them much success.What can be learned from the furor over the city giving police officers 3 percent raises then enacting layoffs? How should the city deal with its unions? Should it agree to raises when it knows layoffs will be a result?The law requires that each party negotiate in good faith. The best agreements are those where neither party walks away totally happy, but each side knows their unhappiness because they will surely deal with it the next time they negotiate. Both sides are unhappy here, but one side is recapturing the cost of the #8220;bargain#8221; reached. What have we learned? There was an absence of candor somewhere in this process. What has occurred here has caused unnecessary morale issues and raised the bar for the next time the City negotiates. We need new council members that can negotiate from a position that does not carry over the taint of what has transpired. We should immediately try to build common unity that must exist among the City and all of its Unions. This does not mean give up the ship, but work together to keep the ship afloat. We must not allow the current situation to further decay while we wait to negotiate the next contract.