Jason Dusenberry: Candidate Profile

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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: ElginWebsite: http://www.dusenberryforcouncil.comOffice sought: Elgin City Council Age: 37Family: Married to Janet.Occupation: General Manager for the Hampton Inn of ElginEducation: B.A. from Western Illinois University (1999)Civic involvement: Three years serving as a member of the Elgin Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau; Home-Owner in Elgin's Historic District; Board Member of Elgin OCTAVE; Volunteer for Love Elgin Day, Volunteer for MDA Lock up fundraiser; Donor of supplies via Elgin Junior Women's Club for use at Elgin Community Crisis Center.Elected offices held: noneQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Taxpayers deserve a stronger voice on Elgin City Council. Whether we are in times of uplifting prosperity or down in a depression, the City of Elgin keeps spending more money. City expenditures go far beyond basic services, and more importantly what our citizens actually want. We need good streets, waste removal, and public safety. On the other hand we don't necessarily need three golf courses, more image consultants, yoga classes, or indoor water parks. City Hall should not be the principal patron of the arts in Downtown Elgin. And we shouldn't be buying tickets or tables for city workers and politicians to attend high priced fundraisers. I'm a business professional with a record of meeting budgets, reducing expenses, and leading teams to accomplish common goalsâ#8364;brvbar; And while those aren't the most exciting qualifications to run for office, they are exactly what we need in Elgin right now.City Manager Sean Stegaall says that the city's property tax levy -- which is staying flat this year -- is projected to increase by 5 percent in 2016 and 2017 unless cuts are made to public safety. However, some believe public safety budgets are untouchable. What is your stance? Would you make such cuts? If not, what alternatives would you propose?This is fundamentally a false choice. City revenues are at all-time highs thanks to a diversified tax model recently adopted in 2012. Implying that the City of Elgin needs to dramatically hike property taxes or jeopardize citizens' public safety is ridiculous. Elgin is a city with three golf courses, vast real-estate holdings and a $40 million recreation center that loses nearly $1 million annually due to cost over-runs. We subsidize and give free rent to non-profits ranging from the Chamber of Commerce to a Symphony Orchestra. The city is in the process of giving a private developer $4.5 million to turn the Historic Elgin Tower building into apartments. These are all nice things, but where does it stop? Elgin is no longer flush with casino cash. We have a pension crisis. Do we continue to approve nearly all expenditures proposed to the council or do we make smart, reasonable reductions and start finding creative ways to meet our challenges head on? There is a trust deficit between the residents and City Hall. Taxes were just raised a few years ago and now tax hikes are being considered again. That damages the psyche of struggling homeowners and business owners and shatters trust.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.Overall, our crime rate is down, especially major crimes. As of a few years ago, we were ranked one of the safest cities in Illinois with a population of over 100,000. Leaders in cities such as Rockford have attempted to use our successful community based model of policing to combat their high crime rates. However, I still hear concerns regarding abandoned/foreclosed homes, blighted neighborhoods and the inherent dangers associated with these challenges. Fixing it is complex and will not be solved overnight. I believe the best thing we can do to combat this is to start developing a stronger, more specific economic development plan. This will lead to a better business climate, an increase in jobs, ultimately giving people in our area more opportunities to pay the mortgage and for neighborhoods to foster prosperity.The city of Elgin has invested resources into promoting arts and entertainment downtown, which Mayor David Kaptain and others believe can be a long-term economic engine . Do you agree with the approach? If so, why? If not, what would you propose instead?Like many people, I appreciate arts and entertainment and the amazing culture it brings to our community. My wife and I always enjoy visiting the Art and Soul on the Fox event each year. However, studies show that the arts as an industry make a subpar economic development driver. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis consistently ranks the Arts and Entertainment industry in the bottom 10% of economic output out of every single industry. As of 2012, it was 1%, last of any national industry. The Mayor's investments, while admirable, will not restore prosperity to Downtown Elgin. We need to pursue more traditional economic development approaches currently employed by our more successful neighboring cities and villages such as Algonquin, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, St. Charles and even Streamwood. In many of these communities, they have done well with employing a "multi-pronged" attack. This means retail, restaurants, office space and a bevy of different types of industries and businesses. If we have art as our main attraction, I fear we are "putting all of our eggs in one basket", which is risky at best. I believe we also need more business community outreach and a more targeted, strategic economic development plan. An inventory of approximately 300 city owned parcels and properties is almost complete. We should develop a plan to tie those in with our economic development plan. We should implement separate strategies for attracting and retaining businesses based on business size and unique, corresponding needs.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?During my years of service on the Elgin Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau I've recognized a need in the city for a banquet hall to host large events. We often get passed up by groups and organizations looking to host their trade shows, annual meetings or other events due to a lack of space. When companies or organizations select another city over us, hotel rooms remain unrented; restaurants go unfrequented, retail stores are not shopped at and so on. If we did have a larger facility, we could capture more events and it would provide a potential boost to our local economy. Many Elgin area organizations feel compelled to host large events to the north at the Crystal Lake Holiday Inn or east at the Seville in Streamwood. While I do see an unmet need, I would caution the City of Elgin against building a large event facility like the Hoffman Estates Sears Centre or the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel. This void should be filled with private investment instead of relying on beleaguered taxpayers.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Much like the State of Illinois, the City of Elgin faces a serious pension crisis. We currently have a total unfunded pension liability of approximately $164 million. While I do appreciate efforts by the council to accelerate payments and catch up, I believe more should be done by prioritizing city expenditures. The City Council should have a meaningful conversation about wants vs. needs. If elected, I'll make resolving this long-term debt a higher priority.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I'll choose two. Both of my parents. They have been great leaders and have guided me well over the years.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?The value of hard work to reach goals. I also learned the importance of respecting others and their viewpoints, even if they differed from mine.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?To be able to meet my wife earlier in life.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I always loved U.S. History. I believe it is difficult to get to where we want to be if we don't know where we started.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?My wife and I do not have children, but if we did I would tell them to simply be true to themselves.