Steven Gaugel: 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: St. CharlesWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: St. Charles AldermanAge: 40Family: Married 12 years to wife Jennifer with 4 children.Occupation: Procurement at Fermilab. I competitively bid, source, administer, and issue government contracts.Education: BA University of Illinois 1992.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The primary reason I am running is to bring back citizen representation to the 4th Ward. Many residents feel their concerns have fallen on deaf ears over the years. The residents want to know their Alderman will listen to their concerns and address them. I want to be a voice of the people of the 4th ward in St. Charles.Key Issue 2 St. Charles needs a diverse foundation of businesses located here. Retail establishments will attract people to shop, visitors to come to the city and more businesses to locate here. We need to look at the vacant properties and work tirelessly to attract new businesses. This includes the old St. Charles Mall property, and the existing Charlestowne Mall property, as well as the first street corridor.Key Issue 3 We cannot look at raising taxes as a means to increase revenue in the city. In these difficult economic times, we need sound fiscal policy, control over spending, and incentives to stimulate existing businesses. Questions Answers Explain whether you or do you not support the construction of the Red Gate Bridge project and the funding mechanism the city has established for its construction?I do support the Red Gate Bridge project, but with some concerns. First, the impact the bridge will have on the residental areas immediately surrounding the new bridge needs to be continually monitored as the project progresses. This includes taking the concerns of the residents to City Council. In addition, we need to keep an open line of communication with neighboring communities including Wayne and South Elgin.The city has done a good job of financing the bridge, and that needs to continue for the remainder of the project. I support the funding mechanism the city has in place which helped St. Charles accumulate the $6 million they currently have. This was done by settng aside 7% of the taxes from the general fund for many years. The $10 million from Kane County, $700,000 from the State of Illinois, and the $6 million St. Charles has accumulated, put the city very close to the projected project total of $18 million to $22 million. The keys going forwrad are for the city to keep the project costs at or under the $18 million estimate, and not increase taxes to pay for any shortfall if one does occur.How should the old St. Charles Mall property be redeveloped, if at all?The old St. Charles Mall property must have retail included in the plan. The Randall Rd. corridor is a high traffic retail corridor, and St. Charles needs to utilize that property in that context. The highest and best use for that property must include retail in the plan. I am not opposed to a mixed use property, however retail must be at the forefront of any plan going forward.Do you support the current vision new ownership has for Charlestowne Mall? What should the city do to help the vitality of the mall and the attractiveness of the Oliver-Hoffman property?The vision the new owners of the Charlestowne Mall have for the mall is not clear. With the recent announcement that Sears will be moving out, the property would appear to be headed in the wrong direction. This needs to be fixed by having open communication between the city and the Charlestowne Mall owners. The city needs to understand what the owners plans are, and offer assistance where feasible in achieving their vision. The same is true of the Oliver-Hoffman property. All options, including TIF districts, need to be looked at in order to revitalize the Charlestowne Mall, and facilitate development of the Oliver-Hoffman site.The city is projected to finish the fiscal year with a small budget deficit. What, specifically, must the city do in the next fiscal year to avoid a deficit? Would you support the creation of new taxes to shore up the budget?To avoid a defecit next year, the city needs to cut expenses. I would not support the creation of new taxes to shore up the budget. Spending should be looked at and controlled first.Explain your reasons for whether you do or do not support the creation of a stormwater management fee or tax in St. Charles to create funds to address flooding problems?I do not support the creation of a stormwater management fee or tax. I believe the projected costs are too high. The estimate of $2.1 million to run the program annually, which translates to a monthly residential fee of $4.40 to $6.25 is too high. We need to treat areas prone to recurring flooding on an individual basis without raising taxes, or creating new fees.