advertisement

5 city council hopefuls file early Monday in Elgin

Five city council hopefuls are vying for the coveted top-of-the-ballot spot in Elgin.

Incumbent John Steffen and challengers Fred Moulton, Mohammad "Mo" Iqbal, Jaime Hjelm and Andrew Cuming filed nominating petitions Monday to run in the April 7 election.

Five 4-year seats will be open in Elgin, including the mayor's. Petitions can be filed until 5 p.m. Nov. 24.

All five candidates showed up at the city clerk's office before 8 a.m. Monday, so they will be part of a lottery Dec. 3 to determine who gets the top placement on the ballot.

"I'm running to make sure we spend our money wisely," said Moulton, retired from AT&T and IBM, pointing to infrastructure needs and abandoned homes.

Steffen, an attorney who's running for a third term, said he wants to continue working on initiatives such as the expansion of the 311 Contact Center and code enforcement changes.

He also wants the city to implement performance-based budgeting, he said. "We can rely on our ability to collect data and mine that data, and see what works and what doesn't work."

Iqbal, a retired attorney and civil engineer, said the city must address its low per capita income.

"We need economic growth. We need to attract more middle-class families, and the building code needs to be enforced for overcrowding," he said.

Cuming, a Web designer and president of the South West Area Neighbors, said he wants to reduce the size of local government and curb "wasteful spending."

"It's about making the business climate easier and more open," he said.

Hjelm, owner of A Taxicab Leasing Corp. in South Elgin, said many residents are unaware of "creative" city taxes that show up on cellphone and utility bills. She also pointed to the city's proposed 2015 budget, which is $9.7 million larger than this year's.

"I've had some issues with the city over the years, like with the code department. Being a homeowner and business owner, I wonder what's happening with other people?"

Moulton, Iqbal and Hjelm were among candidates who applied to fill an open council seat in the spring. Cumings unsuccessfully ran for a council seat in 2013.

Councilwoman Rose Martinez was appointed to that seat, which is among those open in April. Also up for election will be the seats held by Mayor David Kaptain and council members Toby Shaw and Tish Powell.

A primary election will take place Feb. 24 if more than four people run for mayor, and more than 16 people run for city council seats.

  Fred Moulton was the first candidate turn in his paperwork Monday morning on the first day of filing for the April election in Elgin. Moulton is running for one of four open city council seats. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.