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Jeff Davis: Candidate Profile

Naperville City Council (2-year Terms) (Republican)

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://www.electjeffbdavis.comOffice sought: Naperville City Council (2-year Terms)Age: 57Family: Married to Brenda and have two grown children.Occupation: VP Sales Administration Marketing Phoenix Closures, Inc. 1899 HIgh Grove Lane Naperville, IL 60540Education: BA in Marketing, North Central College (1992) MBA, DePaul University (1998)Civic involvement: * Naperville Public Library Trustee 2006-present (Current President 2012-2013) * Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee-Board of Directors 2009-2012 (Board Chairman 2009-2011) * Rotary Club of Naperville South - founding member 2008-present (Past President) * Rotary Club of Naperville member 2006-2008 * Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Board 2004-2006 (Legislative Committee Chair and also Washington DC delegation 2006 2011) * Served on three Indian Prairie School District #204 referendum committees in the 1990's which all passedElected offices held: Indian Prairie School Board 2000-2003 (Note, I was first appointed to fill an open position, then elected to a two year term).Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Economic Development is important for Naperville to retain and attract jobs. I am a strong supporter for the Water Street project, which has yet to be approved by City Council.I also think redevelopment opportunities exist on North Washington St and all along the Burlington Railroad.Key Issue 2 To be fiscally responsible and to insure taxpayers receive full value from their taxes. Currently, it looks like the city's revenue will come in over budget. If the reserve funds are adequate, we should look to give this money back to the taxpayers.Key Issue 3 Whenever I engage with the residents,road congestion always comes up. We must continue to work with our neighboring communtities and other governing bodies to review every suggestion to improve traffic flow.Questions Answers There are increasing concerns about safety in downtown Naperville, especially on weekend nights. Is the city doing enough to promote downtown safety and, if not, what other steps should it take?Let me first say that Naperville is safe, very safe. Recently the data came out that Naperville's crime rate is amoung the lowest of any city in the state. However we need to insure our city is as safe as it can be, and the city has embarked on several (what I consider) necessary steps including redeployement of police officers at peak hours to the downtown and having the fire department do occupancy checks. The Naperville Development Partnership and the downtown establishments have all been actively involved with the city.What is your vision for the continued development of downtown? Are there types of businesses you would like to see in the central business district or other parts of the city?I do think the proposed Water Street Project will be a huge boost for downtown and all of Naperville. This will be a catalysis for further growth south of the river. As I said above, prime areas for redevelopment exists along Washington St and along the railroad. Vacant land also exists along the Diehl Rd corridor.Has Naperville's image gotten better or worse over the past four years? What are two things the city needs to do better?Naperville's image has gotten even better over the last several years. This is a result of the whole community acting together. Examples include North Central College new dorm and indoor rec center, Navistar relocating just outside Naperville into an existing building in Lisle, Metea Valley opening which eliminated any concern about overcrowding in 204 schools, Naperville Central's remodeling, etc. The city must continue to work with the private sector to encouraging redevelopment. Second, the city must insure it maintains reasonable ordinances and taxes.In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?As a Naperville Library Trustee, I closely watched how the city cut their budget since the 2008/09 recession. I thought they did a great job and it is an example of good government. They worked over the numbers endlessly to insure the necessary cuts were in the proper places. Now that the revenues have increased, the challenge is how to spend the additional revenue wisely. We do not necessarily have to spend all the money, and strong consideration should be given to give at least some of it back to the taxpayers.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?SECA funds need to be carefullly reviewed. This source of revenue continues to grow, and I'm not sure we need to contine to give the same proportions to the same organizations.