Anna Moeller: 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: ElginWebsite: http://www.annamoeller.comOffice sought: Elgin City CouncilAge: 39Family: Married with two daughters (ages 5 and 7).Occupation: Executive Director of the McHenry County Council of GovernmentsEducation: Bachelor of Arts in History from Northern Illinois University, 1995Master of Arts in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University, 1999Civic involvement: Current member of the Elgin Planning and Development Commission (since 2004), Vice-President of the Northeast Neighborhood Association of Elgin (since 2005), Treasurer of the Channing Memorial Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization, former member of the Elgin Human Relations Commission, former volunteer as an English as a Second Language Tutor for the Literacy Connection.Elected offices held: None to-dateHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Effective financial management and oversight of the city's budget. We are still in the midst of the national economic downturn and our strained financial resources require tough decisions. We need to prioritize our spending while holding the line on taxes and fees. Our limited resources need to be allocated where they can provide the most good for the community. And thus funding for neighborhood and housing grants, infrastructure improvements, economic development and programs that increase public safety must be a priority.Key Issue 2 A need for safe and quality housing options and greater support for our neighborhoods. The collapse of the residential housing market has resulted in some of the most challenging of Elgin#146;s problems: (1) home foreclosures, (2) the need for safe and quality housing, and (3) a growing inventory of substandard housing situations. We need advocacy that puts Elgin families facing foreclosure in the best possible position to take advantage of available assistance. We need proper planning to see that Elgin has ample safe and quality housing options and landlords #8211; and home owners who#146;ve become landlords #8211; do what is expected of them. Finally, funding for neighborhood and housing grants, infrastructure improvements and programs that increase public safety must be a priority.Key Issue 3 A need to support existing local businesses and bring more jobs and businesses to Elgin. We need to find and take advantage of opportunities for economic growth that makes Elgin an attractive community to new residents, small businesses and larger corporations. We need to ensure that incentives and assistance to all businesses are fair and targeted towards job creation.Questions Answers What prompted you to run for this office? What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am running for City Council because I want Elgin to be a sustainable, diverse and vibrant community where people enjoy living and working. As a 12-year resident of Elgin and a public administration professional, I have formed an agenda that recognizes Elgin#146;s strong potential to become a premier community in Northern Il: a sustainable, diverse and vibrant community where people enjoy living and working. #147;Sustainable#148; means living within our means and marshaling our resources so that we can adapt to change. #147;Diverse#148; means valuing the contributions of all Elgin residents and attracting a variety of businesses and industries to our community. A #147;Vibrant#148; community is one where people enjoy living and working; a community with walkable and safe neighborhoods and responsive public services. The City Council cannot address every problem or concern; but it can take on directly many of the challenges Elgin confronts today. I believe my vision for the City, my professional experience working in local government planning, economic development and budgeting and history of civic involvement in Elgin make me the best candidate for the job. As a working mother of two young daughters, I believe I would also bring a perspective to the City Council that is currently lacking.How will you deal with declining revenue, particularly in the riverboat fund?We need to prioritize spending on projects that address essential infrastructure improvements, help our neighborhoods and attract new investment to the city. Previous City Councils were wise to establish policies that set aside riverboat funds for special projects- and not for General Fund operations, like police, fire and public works. The decline in riverboat revenues will require us to prioritize those funds on projects that provide the greatest good and benefit to the community.How well has the city addressed the issue of illegal immigration? Has it done what's appropriate or is there more to do? Please offer specifics.I believe the city has done what it can within its limited jurisdictional authority to address the issue of undocumented workers in the community. It is my understanding that the city works closely with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency on law enforcement matters and has taken the additional step of auditing firms that do business with the city to ensure that their workforce is legally able to work in the US.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to? Does the city need to reprioritize the funds it puts toward municipal projects? Non-profits?We need to prioritize our spending on areas that provide the most return on investment and address the pressing needs for the community. This may require deferring non-essential or less time-sensitive projects to a later date and until revenues improve. For example, the 2011 budget includes a line item in the Riverboat Fund for upgrades to the Wi-Fi system for City facilities at an annual projected cost of $500,000 starting in 2012. While this project may be worthy of funding in better economic times, I believe this kind of program can be deferred. Our limited revenues need to be targeted, in large part, toward helping our neighborhoods by maintaining the city's infrastructure, public safety and programs that assist blighted areas of the community to revitalize. We also need to look toward longer-term financial sustainability by investing in economic development efforts that keep existing businesses and attract new businesses and jobs to the city.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?In these tough economic times, the City Council will have to be very focused on effective financial management to ensure we are living within our means while maintaining excellent public services. This is going to be the biggest challenge facing our community in the coming year. The best thing we can do as a City Council is to ensure that we manage our resources effectively and position ourselves so that when the economy improves, we will be in a position to take advantage of opportunities for continued redevelopment, economic development and further revitalization.