Naperville candidates weigh in on business development
Whether it's the future of the Water Street District, the need to fill vacant storefronts on Ogden Avenue or the desire to recruit more big corporations, Naperville City Council candidates have business development on their minds.
Several of the 20 candidates pursuing eight spots in the April 7 election say the city should focus on filling large vacancies such as two former Dominick's stores; while two candidates say the city should work to better support small businesses.
Regional solutions must be found through collaboration, a handful of candidates say; and some suggest listening to ideas from developers, forming a "think tank" or adjusting targets to match changing conditions. Two others say the best way to attract business is with technology.
Here is a rundown of the council candidates' views on business development.
Patty Gustin said the city should fill large vacancies to bring back business "synergy" that is lacking in some areas, such as Ogden Avenue on the northeast side of the city.
"We still do have a lot of vacant bigger parcels," Gustin said. "We need to be proactive and figure out what we can do to solicit other businesses to come to the area."
Improving "unproductive" areas such as Water Street south of the DuPage River will help, Kevin Coyne said.
"I think the area as it stands in downtown Naperville is dilapidated, it's unproductive, it's not producing tax revenue or sales tax revenue, at least not to the degree that it should," Coyne said. "I think the Water Street project will be a huge boon for the local economy."
Another benefit of large-scale projects such as Water Street District is they bring jobs, John Colletti said.
"In a big city like Naperville, we need to have big projects," Colletti said. "We need some development that will bring in real, good, solid jobs."
Filling large vacancies such as the former Dominick's stores could be accomplished by subdividing them or marketing them to sporting goods retailers or high-end shops, Dick Furstenau said.
"We have an economic and capital base of people who can afford nice things and that attracts businesses," Furstenau said. "We need to use that to encourage people to come to town."
Promoting hometown businesses is the best way to grow the Naperville economy, Becky Anderson said.
"We really need to build those entrepreneurial, independent businesses within Naperville because we circulate more dollars - it's almost four times as many dollars are circulated with independent businesses - and also we can create so many more jobs compared to corporate businesses," Anderson said.
Encouraging local businesses to set up in neighborhoods could spur economic development and calm traffic, Joe McElroy said.
"I think we should look at our zoning ordinances and instead of discouraging we should encourage neighborhood retail," McElroy said.
A regional strategy is the best approach, David Wentz said, especially for areas such as Ogden and Naper Boulevard.
"We want to look at this as a regional concern and not just Naperville," Wentz said. "I think it's something that needs a regional approach."
Paul Hinterlong said the city should continue collaborating with the Naperville Development Partnership, which already works to enhance the city's business climate and economic vitality.
"Keeping our current local businesses healthy and attracting new businesses to Naperville is key to job growth and future revenues," Hinterlong said.
When it comes to business, Rebecca Boyd-Obarski said it's best to keep the entire city in mind.
It's about "seeing and encouraging people to see all sides of an issue. Let's figure out how we can move this forward," Boyd-Obarski said. "We really want to look out for what is important for the whole city. We embrace that Naperville now is geographically expansive and we do have different areas of town and we need to have amenities and services and community-building throughout."
Collaborating with state economic development initiatives also could help, Wayne Floegel said.
"The city council is responsible for providing an attractive tax base, easy to navigate city processes and a city that can attract and retain a workforce," Floegel said. "As one of the largest cities in Illinois, we must ensure we manage our own city efficiently, but be an advocate for Naperville residents through the state."
Judith Brodhead lists economic development as a priority, along with maintaining a strong bond rating and efficient city services.
"We need to preserve our status as one of the safest communities in America, support initiatives that bring jobs and economic development to town and carefully plan the future of the downtown and other sectors of the city," Brodhead said.
Kevin Gallaher said Naperville needs to create an environment where rethinking land uses is encouraged and move away from a reputation as "a hard city to do business with."
"We should get the professionals involved and do nothing but listen, don't talk, and hear what they have to say," Gallaher said.
Listening and focusing on ways to improve common challenges faced by businesses is Bill Eagan's suggestion.
"The city council cannot help each individual business, but they can host forums, listen and find those things that are common among all to create the most beneficial environment," Eagan said.
Robert Hajek said cleanup work and fresh ideas could spark new growth in areas such as the eastern part of Ogden.
"Let's grab a think tank of entrepreneurs and set up shop in there," Hajek said. "There's so much talent in and around Naperville that this becomes a think tank for new businesses and new opportunities. Get those developers excited, get the people who own the space excited to come in and refresh it, clean it up a little bit."
As a businessman himself, Steve Peterson said the best way to grow business in Naperville is to use problem-solving skills and listen to multiple opinions before setting a course.
"Let's reinvestigate, let's get some more facts, let's talk to some more people and let's see what the options are," Peterson said. "I think that's going to be really useful in these discussions."
Nancy Marinello said the city relies too heavily on studies of what should develop in areas such as 5th Avenue and Ogden Avenue instead of evaluating economic conditions as they change.
"These things were written when? Don't you even look at what's going on now and say, 'This is what's going on now. The world has changed,'" she said. "These are pieces of property that can be developed, I say some of them could be for seniors - they're perfect locations."
Some vacant offices along Diehl Road could be perfect for high-tech companies, John Krummen said.
"I think it sends a powerful message when you have an engineer on council and you're talking to innovative technical companies and when someone says, 'Well, you don't understand our business.' 'Yes, I do,'" Krummen said. "I think I could go in and have a conversation with them and bridge the gap and understand what they need from the city."
The city should look to technology to advance economic development, Steve Purduski said.
"There's a lot of opportunities for not just replacement but enhancing our environment with technology. We can attract business with the right kinds of new technology infrastructures, high gigabit networks available in town for instance," Purduski said. "There are examples around the country of municipalities sponsoring the installation of those sorts of amenities, which attract high-tech businesses and which help to fill the offices here on Diehl Road."
Candidate Jim Bergeron has suspended his campaign and candidate Harry Thomas O'Hale has not responded to election questions or interview requests from the Daily Herald.
Naperville council candidates
Twenty candidates will be on the ballot in the April 7 election, seeking eight available seats on Naperville City Council. Here are the candidates in the order in which they will appear.
• Kevin Coyne, a 39-year-old business attorney and planning and zoning commission member
• Joe McElroy, a 62-year-old public policy consultant and city council member
• Dick Furstenau, a 70-year-old retired AT&T executive and former city council member
• Bill Eagan, a 41-year-old school district chief financial officer and park board member
• Wayne Floegel, a 43-year-old special education assistant and transportation advisory board member
• Jim Bergeron, a bar owner who has suspended his campaign
• Robert Hajek, a 47-year-old salesman
• John Krummen, a 50-year-old engineering executive and chairman of the public utilities advisory board
• Paul Hinterlong, a 49-year-old plumber and city council member
• Nancy Marinello, a 71-year-old retired environmental lawyer
• David Wentz, a 51-year-old lawyer and city council member
• Patty Gustin, a 55-year-old real estate broker and planning and zoning commission chairwoman
• Judith Brodhead, a 63-year-old English professor and city council member
• Harry Thomas O'Hale, who has not responded to election questions from the Daily Herald
• John Colletti, a 54-year-old adjunct professor of finance, accounting and economics
• Stephen Purduski, a 58-year-old computer engineer
• Rebecca Boyd-Obarski, a 56-year-old attorney and board of police and fire commissioners chairwoman
• Steve Peterson, a 42-year-old business executive
• Becky Anderson-Wilkins, a 56-year-old book shop owner and advisory cultural commission chairwoman
• Kevin Gallaher, a 51-year-old attorney and former city council member