Douglas Krause: 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: NapervilleWebsite: www.KrauseForMayor.comOffice sought: Naperville Mayor Age: 66Family: Married to Cyndee - 45 years Children: Carrie Koch (Chris), Grandchildren Elsa and Thomas) Justin Krause, Lukas (Valerie) Krause, and Amanda(She would have been 41 this yearOccupation: RE/MAX Real Estate Broker, CouncilmanEducation: Chicago State University BS in Business Education BS in AccountingCivic involvement: Winding Creek Homeowners Association: Secretary 1/04 to 2/05 Naperville Astronomical Society Naperville Little League Naperville Traveling Baseball Team Naperville Central Booster Club Varsity Basketball Varsity Baseball Wheatland Athletic Association Wheatland South Homeowners Association ïiquest;frac12; Organizer and member (1974 ïiquest;frac12; 1982) School District 203 Vocational Career Education Advisory Committee 1986-1989 Please visit www.KrauseForMayor.com for additional membership on Boards and CommissionsElected offices held: Naperville City CouncilmanQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?After Mayor Pradel announced his retirement, residents encouraged me to run for Mayor and continue being their voice at City Hall. My background brings a wealth of public and private sector experience to the position. During my many years on Council, I served on numerous boards/commissions. In the private sector, I have held numerous positions that were finance/controller-based and I have successfully owned two companies. I served as a Council member during Naperville's rapid growth period when we addressed numerous zoning, traffic, and business/residential development issues. I believe that my 26 years of Council experience provides a valuable historical perspective to the position of Mayor. During my tenure, I have prided myself on my accessibility to our residents and businesses while working to resolve their problems on an individual basis. I promise to use my experience to improve our reputation and our quality of life.How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services that people want?As required by Illinois State Law, Naperville's budget must be balanced every year and it is. It is interesting to note that the State is NOT required to balance its budget. Naperville holds several workshops through-out the year to construct a balanced budget. These workshops are structured to review the General Fund, each of the individual departments' budget, as well as the Capital Improvement Projects Budget, including the Library and Naper Settlement. During the review, my goal is to maintain the current services expected by the residents with the existing resources, which include sales taxes, utility taxes, real estate transfer taxes, property taxes and income tax from the state.How would you handle the role of liquor commissioner? Would you actively punish liquor license holders for violations that occur at their facilities? What type of punishments do you think are appropriate and what actions would you take to keep downtown night life safe?As Mayor, I will take my responsibility as Liquor Commissioner seriously. I will expect our current laws to be followed on a consistent basis by our liquor license holders. A liquor license is a privilege and not a right. Considering the recent incidents, I will absolutely punish license holders for any violations. As Liquor Commissioner, I will have the ability to impose penalties ranging from a simple fine, to closing the facility for a period of time or revoking their liquor license permanently. The punishment would depend on the severity of the consequence of the violation: i.e., from severe (selling liquor to under age individuals) to the utmost severe (loss of life).The top three goals in the city's strategic plan are adding more government services to the website, improving traffic flow and increasing two-way communication with residents and stakeholders. Do you think these are the best three priorities? If so, why? If not, which other topics would you prioritize and why?The current process for determining the City's Strategic Plan relies on the input of the Mayor, the Council and the city staff. I would like to see this process include input from the community and will act to propose a system that enables taxpayers to have a voice in setting priorities in the Strategic Plan in upcoming years. Regarding the current plan and its three goals, I believe there is value in focusing on a limited number of initiatives in order to successfully address them and see value in the three priorities in the current plan. That said, I would have hoped to see issues such as affordable housing for our senior citizens and our young adults addressed, as well. However, the most valuable perspective comes from the voice of the residents and what they feel is a priority with their tax dollars.As the mayor of one of the state's largest cities, what role can and should you play in pursuing issues of regional importance that extend beyond Naperville's borders?Naperville is the largest city of the 36 municipal members in the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference. We should continue this membership as it promotes intergovernmental cooperation for addressing regional issues. As Mayor I will support the Council members who will be representing us on their various committees such as Intergovernmental, Legislative, Regulatory and Transportation. As a 17-year member of the DuPage County Stormwater Committee, currently vice chairman, I can attest to the success of working with local and county governments to address storm water issues. Since 1991, Naperville has been the host community for Household Hazardous Waste Collection; Naperville is privileged to have one of the three Illinois locations. This facility emphasizes the proper disposal of hazardous materials, keeping them out of the waste stream or from being dumped into storm sewers. The funding for this facility is provided by the surrounding counties and the State of Illinois is responsible for disposal of collected materials. An example of existing regional cooperation is the agreement between Aurora and Naperville 911 Call Center. This agreement is structured to assure residents a quick response to their public safety call. Additionally, surrounding Fire Departments participate in mutual aid during events such as major fires or disasters, when additional resources are needed. I believe that some issues should be addressed state-wide instead of by individual municipalities. The state-wide approach would eliminate confusion and insure uniformity. Two examples are the smoke-free initiative in public buildings and concealed carry law.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?While balancing the budget each year is my first priority, other key issues include: 1. Increasing our road maintenance budget to address the traffic congestion created by Naperville's success. Over the years, the City has established new roads and widened intersections, but more work needs to be done city-wide. 2. Balancing the continuing growth of Naperville (remaining pockets of land or teardowns) while preserving the high standard and quality of life that Naperville residents expect. 3. Addressing senior citizen issues by providing a central resource for information concerning the numerous programs that can benefit them. This would include help in alleviating financial burdens, transportation services, temporary use of medical equipment, etc. 4. Working with local developers to build affordable housing. There are seniors who have raised their families in Naperville but are unable to downsize here, while there are young adults raised in Naperville who cannot afford to live here. One example would be considering the previous Public Works Building location on Fifth Avenue. 5. Implementing a three-prong approach to heroin, drug, and alcohol addictions. First, support the police to stop the access. Secondly, partner with organizations such as 360 and Kids Matter to educate. And third, promote assistance programs at Edward Hospital and with health professionals to rehabilitate users while providing support to their families.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Malala, the Pakistani activist for women's education and the youngest Nobel Prize winnerWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Your word is your bond, if you say you are going to do something - DO IT!If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Spend more time with my childrenWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Accounting, math is used everyday in ones life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?How you do anything is how you do everything.