Thomas Simonian: 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: www.simonianforgeneva.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Simonian For GenevaOffice sought: Geneva Mayor Age: 57Family: Divorced with no children.Occupation: Founder CEO of Array Enterprises, Inc. and Ultimate Choice, Inc./Own two CD One Price FranchisesEducation: Saint Louis University - BS Degree in FinanceCivic involvement: Current 5th Ward AldermanFormer Board Member Geneva Community ChestVolunteer to Many Charitable OrganizationsDonate to Many Charitable OrganizationsElected offices held: Current 5th Ward Alderman - City of GenevaQuestions Answers In some village board or city council races, we have more specific questions for some candidates based on special issues they face in their community. Please use the drop down menu below to choose your specific race. If none apply, please select "None apply" and continue to the next page.Candidate did not respond.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 development if it fits into the character of the neighborhood, benefits Geneva and is respectful to the residents impacted. Recent submittals to the city council have failed this litmus test. Regarding the Marquette project at the Cetron property, I attended every public hearing and plan commission meeting (city hall, public works, FONA and the school) so I could hear what the citizens had to say. When Marquette asked me what I needed in order to support their project, my answers were 1) maximum of three stories high 2) set back from the residents/streets and 3) be of a design that blends in or complements the neighborhood. What was proposed wasn't even close. I support the residents' objection to this project.The Greenhouse project I believe is closer to a plan that the neighborhood could support. As it stands right now, the project is too dense and there are safety issues. The current zoning does nothing to protect the neighborhood from a developer changing their mind mid-development and building something other than what was originally planned. If the developer came back with a project a less dense, address the safety issues and there was rezoning or covenants on the land to protect Geneva and its citizens, I may be able to support it in the future; but as it stands now, I do not support this project. To date no proposal has been made for the redevelopment of the Mill Race Inn property.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?Absolutely not. This flies in the face of logic, fairness, common sense and should incense every Geneva taxpayer. This has been a practice for years, and I've been fighting it since I've been on the City Council. In the past, the assistant city administrator negotiated the union contracts, which indirectly impacted non-union wages and benefits including her own. I spearheaded to eliminate the assistant city administrator position, which was successful during the last budget cycle (May 2016). Going forward I'm going to insist that the city engage outside counsel to handle these matters for us. This can be paid for with the savings the city realized with the elimination of the assistant city administrator position. Millions of taxpayer dollars are tied up in these union contracts and they need to be fair and make common sense to both parties.Mayoral 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?The position of mayor is a part-time position and currently the compensation seems excessive. I believe that a reasonable stipend should be made for the position similar to what the aldermen receive (approximately $240 per month), to compensate the mayor for expenses such as gas, phone, computer, etc. Because I don't agree with the $28,000 a year the mayor is receiving, until compensation can be changed, I am going to donate back the entire salary to the charities and organizations of Geneva such, as the Mothers Club, the Lions Club, the Community Chest, the American Legion, and the Rotary Club.I believe monetary reward should not be a reason to serve your community. The call to serve one's community should come from a sincere desire to make a difference, not for prestige or money.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?While we should continue to improve the range of housing that we can offer current and future residents of Geneva, currently the City of Geneva has a good mix of housing from affordable to high end. We have nice town homes for less than $150,000, and we have homes exceeding millions of dollars. Where we need to increase our housing stock is nearer the downtown area, close to shopping, transportation and senior friendly housing with first floor masters.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?In all four (4) of my businesses I contract with a company called Listen 360. Every time a customer interacts with anyone of my businesses they are emailed a one question survey asking them to score their experience from 1-10 as to whether they would recommend that service to their family, friends and neighbors. Each day I get a report on what my customers experience is. They can also leave comments, which they regularly do. I believe this concept/idea should be implemented in Geneva and every citizen, visitor, business and developer that interacts with the city is provided this customer satisfaction survey. These scores will be shared with the staff, department heads, employees, elected officials and most importantly the citizens of Geneva. We should also include these scores and comments in our meeting packets, city web-site, Facebook, Twitter and city newsletters. I believe a part of performance pay should be tied to these scores.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.https://fs30.formsite.com/tbroderick/files/f-17-40-8755452_u3Rb6ir3_Simonian_Mayoral_Photo_Jan_2017.docxWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Pope Francis "â#128;œ He did not rely on the status quo and set the Catholic Church in a completely new direction and included everyone.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?(Mom)Listen to your mom and I still do(Dad)It can take a lifetime to earn someone's trust a second to lose itWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?There are no do overs. We should all remember every word and every action has a consequence and effects our future.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Math. I have always been fascinated by numbers.