Bob Porada: Candidate Profile

Back to Des Plaines City Council Ward 7

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:BioQA Bio City: Des PlainesWebsite: NoneOffice sought: Des Plaines City Council Ward 7 Age: 55Family: Married to Kathleen for 27 years; two sons, Robert, 23 and Stephen, 17Occupation: Attorney at Law with ownership and management of my own business since June, 1990Education: J.D. 01/1984 Loyola University Chicago B.A. 05/1981 Loyola University Chicago Admitted to Practice in Illinois 05/10/1984; Admitted to Practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois June 28, 1984 with Trial Bar Certification November 3, 1987Civic involvement: 2007-2015 City of Des Plaines Zoning Board of Appeals, including co-ordination of Re-write of Rules of Procedure 2005-2006 City of Des Plaines Consumer Protection Commission, including re-design and re-write of public informational packet 1980 - present: Generally, involvement in numerous and varied philanthropic, civic, charitable, and educational organizations "When one does good those actions should speak for themselves without expectation of public acknowledgment"Elected offices held: None electedQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?With its beautiful homes, friendly neighbors, excellent schools, and convenient transportation, the 7th Ward is the "crown jewel" of Des Plaines. Our unique neighborhood deserves exceptional representation so I pledge to be: Accessible - Connected by e-mail poradaserves7thward@gmail.com or telephone (847) 878-5289 [after May 5, 2015] Accountable - Dedicated to the concerns of all 7th Ward residents Dependable - Focused on the 7th Ward and its significant role in the City of Des Plaines Honorable - Committed to the highest ethical standards for all elected officials, appointed officials, and staff Knowledgeable - Familiar with Des Plaines City government and its impact on the 7th Ward While alderman for 12 1/2 of the past 18 years my opponent has contributed nothing, accomplished little, and delivered mediocrity. Now, he wants another 10 years as alderman so that he can do, or not do, more of the same. The 7th Ward deserves so much more than an alderman who thinks his only job is to fill an empty chair two Mondays a month. On almost all of the significant issues my opponent was faced, he was wrong: Voted against the Des Plaines casino and the $10,000,000 a year it brings to our City Lobbied for a handgun ordinance similar to those found unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court Repeatedly suggested that regardless of their opinions he "knows what's best" for his residents. The hard-working taxpayers of the 7th Ward deserve someone like me who will fight for them and put their interests first.Do you approve of the direction in which Mayor Bogusz is taking the city? Why or why not?We are fortunate with our first-rate staff. City Manager Mike Bartholomew has stabilized the "revolving door" in City Hall. Police Chief Bill Kushner has restored his department's pride, productivity, and professionalism . Fire Chief Alan Wax enhances our fire service's sterling reputation. Finance Director Dorothy Wisniewski is without peer and her expertise ensures our financial stability. Engineering/Public Works Director Tim Oakley conscientiously manages our infrastructure and physical needs which often outweigh the funds necessary to address them. CED Director George Sakas' creativity is necessary to ensure our City's ongoing economic sustainability, viability, and desirability. Any Mayor's role is to conceptualize a vision, articulate its promise, and implement its goals. While I believe that the Mayor is sincere in his vision for "change" and to "move our City forward in a new direction" and "beyond the politics of the past" his only 7th Ward decision is totally contrary to this stated objective. The Mayor's appointment of my opponent is not "change". My opponent has been a lackluster alderman for 12 1/2 of the past 18 years yet wants another 10 years to continue his legacy of mediocrity. The only "change" brought by my opponent is when term limits finally drove him out of office in 2009. The Mayor's appointment of my opponent is not "forward thinking" or "moving beyond the politics of the past". My opponent is old enough to be the Mayor's father and when my opponents' positions were not 100% wrong they were ill-advised, regressive, and lacked meaningful initiative.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The lion's share of the budget is non-discretionary spending devoted to personnel salaries and benefits dictated by various collective bargaining agreements to which the salaries and benefits for the non-unionized workforce are to a large extent indexed. Many of our collective bargaining agreements also dictate specific staffing levels and "hours of work" requirements. "Trimming" these budgetary items is problematic. We should commend previous Mayor Marty Moylan for doing the heavy lifting a couple of years back by expending his own political capital to reduce the city workforce by approximately 70 employees. With very few exceptions these targeted reductions yielded significant taxpayer savings with little associated loss of services. I am very concerned that recent personnel decisions expanding the employee count will reverse this achievement. We must remember that with every additional employee not only comes additional salary and additional benefits but far greater additional long term "legacy costs" for healthcare and pensions. Noting that our pensions are only 52.94% funded, prompt, not panic driven, attention must be given to address this shortfall. While the City must spend money not only to meet its responsibilities but also to succeed, all spending must be done wisely and not foolishly. Wise spending on necessities such as public services, infrastructure, and economic development is money well spent. Foolish spending on consultants whose effectiveness is questionable, on studies whose advice is not enlightening, and on pet projects whose purpose is unnecessary, is money wasted. Simply, the City must receive value for the money it spends.What is the single biggest problem in your ward not getting enough attention right now and what do you propose to do about it?The single biggest problem in the 7th Ward is Don Smith. What I plan to do about it is retire him - this time permanently - as 7th Ward alderman. The single biggest problem in the 7th Ward not getting enough attention is constituent services. We own some of the nicest homes, share some of the best neighborhoods, and pay some of the highest property taxes but, I believe, receive less than our fair share of city services. Our department managers competently and collaboratively direct their well-trained employees who are dedicated to serving our residents. However, the primary responsibility of the 7th Ward alderman is to care about the ward, pay attention to what happens in the ward, listen to the residents of the ward, attempt to address the problems in the ward, and take the initiative to work with the department managers to achieve a resolution. By developing and utilizing my five point plan: Accessible - Connected by e-mail poradaserves7thward@gmail.com or telephone (847) 878-5289 [after May 5, 2015] Accountable - Dedicated to the concerns of all 7th Ward residents Dependable - Focused on the 7th Ward and its significant role in the City of Des Plaines Honorable - Committed to the highest ethical standards for all elected officials, appointed officials, and staff Knowledgeable - Familiar with Des Plaines City government and its impact on the 7th Ward I am confident that our 7th Ward residents will have an alderman who knows how to get the job done.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Two great ideas: Downtown redevelopment: Prior well-intentioned development proposals have created visibility, accessibility, and marketability problems for these merchants. Of significant concern is the lack of destination business especially restaurants. The necessary start-up capital, the high overhead, and the failure rate discourage almost everyone including the national tenants. The City owns two storefronts on Miner Street east of Lee which currently are unused and generate no tax revenue. Their entrance configuration and proximity to the bus stop is not welcoming to a customer. The city should issue an RFP for a local restauranteur to occupy this/these space(s) at an annual rent of $1.00 for the first year. If the business succeeds market rate would be charged thereafter. Ideally, the food would be prepared at another location and transported to the Miner Street storefront for final preparation/warming. Since no cooking would occur on Miner Street there would be no initial need for costly remodeling (prep sinks, food storage, et al) When successful, the restaurant could remodel and remain or move elsewhere in Metropolitan Square. With the City as an incubator, the restaurant would incur substantially less risk. Most importantly, this proposal would drive sorely-needed downtown foot traffic. Citywide: For every improved street and alley, street cleaning on a regular basis at an established time and snow plowing after 2 of snow. No exceptions. No excuses. Odd/Even scheduling, signs posted, tickets issued. Streets cleaned and plowed. If Chicago can do it in congested Lakeview and Lincoln Park, Des Plaines can do it.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The city must think progressively, not fearlessly, think beyond today, and "think outside of the box". The good news is that Des Plaines has an admirable history dating back to 1835. The bad news is that in a few respects Des Plaines has a mindset dating back to 1835. The world has changed dramatically in the past 15 years, not to mention in the last 180 years. As the 20th largest municipality in Illinois, Des Plaines must willingly accept these changes, not fear them. As a major component in the northwest suburbs, Des Plaines must enthusiastically embrace these changes, not run from them. As a major player in the O'Hare region, Des Plaines must adapt to these changes, not fight them. While change in the pursuit of progress is no vice, change for the sake of change is no virtue. What Des Plaines must never do is turn its back on its proud heritage, disown its unique character, or abandon its principles which have endured for nearly two centuries. I have long held that public service is a noble endeavour worthy of sacrifice and want to be instrumental in shaping Des Plaines' destiny.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bill clintonWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Tie: The world is much larger than you alone and life involves many others beside yourself Live each day as if it was your lastIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Perhaps pursuing a parallel career in architectureWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Holy Cross HS Sophomore Honors English with Ed ("Bruiser") Brazouski which taught me intellectual curiousity, analytic ability, pursuasive writing, and the value of scholastic rigorIf you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Make the most of what you have to achieve the best of what you want