Ronald Singer: 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: GenevaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Geneva City Council Ward 4 Age: 84Family: Wife, two boys and two girls and three granddaughters.Occupation: Retired secondary school teacherEducation: BS in Social StudiesMS in Administration and CounselingCivic involvement: Alderman of the 4th Ward for 20 years,served on the Central Kane County TRIAD, engaged in many fund raisers for the American Legion, donated my time at the Northern Illinois Food Pantry, vice chairman of the Ride in Kane Program.Elected offices held: Current Alderman of the 4th WardSenior Vice Commander of American Legion Post 75Vice Chairman of the Ride in Kane ProgramVice Chairman of the Tri City Ambulance ProgramQuestions Answers Do you support what the Downtown/Station Area Master Plan's suggests for redevelopment of several opportunity sites, including the Cetron factory site and the Mill Race Inn site, including calls for higher-density housing than currently allowed? Discuss in light of recent decisions against an apartment building at the Cetron site and townhouses/duplexes at the former Geneva Greenhouse site.I support the Master Plan. I opposed the Marquette development because of its density and height. No plans have been submitted for the Mill Race Inn site at this time, therefore, I can't address any specifics. I think the idea of a boutique hotel for that site has some merit though. I would have been all for the Geneva Greenhouse site if it were developed as single family homes which would fit the surrounding neighborhood.Should a city employee (the administrator or her designee) negotiate city union contracts, given that they, like other employees, will receive the same benefits as union members?Contracts should be negotiated on behalf of the city by an unbiased third party experienced in labor contract negotiationsMayoral candidate Tom Simonian has said he won't take the salary of mayor/liquor commissioner, or would donate it to charity. Is that a good idea? Why or why not?I think it's a marvelous idea. There are a great many charitable organizations in our city that would benefit from his charitable donation.Should the city do something to increase the amount of affordable housing in Geneva, as the Chicago Metropolitan Agency on Planning study calls for? If so, what?I have been an advocate of affordable housing for the past 20 years. We need a change in leadership for this to go forwardWhat is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?We have a marvelous senior center which accommodates the many needs of our seniors. Why not a teen center? A safe secure place for our Geneva teens to hang out.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The majority of the current aldermen agree that at the present time representation is upside down with the city dictating to the residents. We need to change the mindset of city government reminding ourselves that we are working on behalf of the residents and that's where our direction and motivation should come from.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope FrancisWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Living within the means of my family.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Reliving my high school years.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Political Science. My love of this subject matter has helped me become more attuned to my community's needs.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Show respect to all you encounter.