Judith Brodhead: 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: Brodhead for NapervilleTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Brodhead for NapervilleOffice sought: Naperville City Council Age: 65Family: husband Gary Smith (married December 1972), son Matthew Smith, daughter Sarah Smith, son Garrett Smith (adults)Occupation: Associate Professor of English, Coordinator of Cultural Events, North Central CollegeEducation: B.A. Douglass College of Rutgers University (English)M.A. Rutgers University (English)Civic involvement: Transportation Advisory Board, 1990-1991Plan Commission, 1991- Jan 2002Chair, Plan Commission, 1997-2002Zoning Board of Appeals, 2002-2006Chair, Zoning Board of Appeals, 2004-2006Vice-President, League of Women Voters of Naperville, 2002-2004President, League of Women Voters of Naperville, 2004-2008Current committees: Riverwalk Commission, DuPage Mayors and Managers Legislative Committee, Community Alliance for Prevention (anti-substance abuse task force), Naperville Development Partnership Board of Directors. Previous committees: Downtown Advisory Commission, NCTV-17 Board of DirectorsElected offices held: Councilwoman, City of Naperville, 2009-presentQuestions Answers What should be the city's role in promoting availability of housing for people of all ages and income levels in Naperville? What should be more important in making decisions about proposed housing developments -- the opinions of neighbors or the housing needs of the community as a whole? Why?A great question and one I am prepared for, having served on the Plan Commission (1991-2002) and chairing it (1997-2002) during a decade when the city added close to 50,000 residents. I've observed a lot of residential development in all parts of the city. But this is not an either/or question: the city can both be responsive to nearby residents and plan for the housing needs of the community as a whole. The city always solicits and respects the perspective of neighbors both at the Plan Commission and City Council level. A smart developer will respond to residents, especially in regard to height, density, and design, and make some changes. Cities of our size need a variety of housing types, so people of various ages and family sizes can be accommodated, and cities that work make sure their residential development is balanced with commercial and retail development that add to the real estate and sales tax base. In the recent Water Street project, for instance, many neighbors as well as residents from other parts of the city rejected the idea of buildings seven stories tall, and the developer made major changes in height and use that resulted in an attractive and compatible project. The best projects have resulted from input from multiple stakeholders, including residents.How should the city prepare and pay for major expenses in its public utilities such as water, wastewater and electric service? How can this be done within the current financial principles of passing structurally balanced budgets, reducing debt and increasing reserves? Should those principles remain, or do they need to be changed? Why?Yes, we can prepare for major expenses in the public utilities while maintaining the financial principles of passing structurally balanced budgets, reducing debt, and increasing reserves. For instance, we are facing a large expense in removing phosphorus from our wastewater. However, it must be completed in ten years, so we can combine saving toward the expense (estimated at $30 to $50 million dollars) and bonding for it, probably in years eight through ten. the council will be looking at alternatives for how to accomplish that in the next few months. Whatever is saved - perhaps about 50% of the potential cost - can be placed in a restricted fund that can only be used toward that goal, thereby reducing the amount that we bond for.Rate the efficiency of your town's police and fire coverage. Are the departments well prepared for the next decade? What, if anything, should be changed? Do you have specific public safety concerns?I am very confident that the Naperville police and fire departments are both well-prepared for the next decade. We have a very low crime rate and we are consistently named one of the country's safest cities, but we're not immune to the same forces that have propelled the use of heroin and abuse of prescription drugs in the rest of the country. For example, Naperville Police Chief Marshall and the Police Department established a Connect for Life program that allows opioid addicts to ask for treatment; the alternative is continuing to break the law to procure the drug, continued addiction, and probable arrest. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) has been developed to handle situations where mental illness (including severe depression and suicide attempts) has put the affected person, their families and neighbors, and the police in danger; it includes training in de-escalation and partnering with community agencies to find treatment options. Led by Chief Mark Puknaitis, whose Firefighter Paramedics answer many of these calls, the Naperville Fire Department has not only increased its efficiencies by cooperating with bordering communities, but managed in the past several years to open a new fire station without adding additional personnel and found ways to deploy our firefighters more efficiently while maintaining high morale. Both chiefs and departments look to best practices around the country (especially in benchmark cities) to stay current. Interacting with the public in multiple ways, including the use of social media as well as in-person community outreach, is crucial.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?I think the budget is well-balanced. At this point the city has 41 unfilled positions; some of those will remain unfilled, as we see how efficiently various departments operate with a leaner staff. Cities provide services to the public, so our greatest expenses are in personnel. Our budget process is thorough and transparent (we hold multiple public workshops long before any final vote). We constantly challenge the staff to find savings and efficiencies within their departments. This is not an example of more spending, but I'd like to see our SECA (Special Events and Cultural Amenities) fund be able to devote more of its budget to actual arts funding.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The last time I was asked this question by the Daily Herald I noted that we had no group or volunteer board at the city that was devoted to senior issues. Now we do - the Senior Task Force - which has done excellent work looking at multiple issues affecting that age group, including transportation and affordable housing. We know we're a great place for families with school-age children and empty nesters. But we should also start thinking about Millennials, who get married later, buy houses later, and wait longer to have children than their Baby Boomer parents or Gen X older siblings. Their life choices are deeply affected by their college loan debts and memories of the recession. At North Central College, where I'm an English professor, we also have an Urban and Suburban studies program, and I teach a seminar in Chicago and Suburban Housing. I presented at an Urban and Suburban Studies conference last June on "Millennials and Naperville," looking at economic and demographic trends in the suburbs and how various employers are responding to them. We want to make the city a place where our next generation of adults want to live and work by considering and encouraging the kinds of jobs, workplaces, entertainment, and housing types that will attract them to our urbanized suburb.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?One of the most difficult issues our city faces, like almost any community in the country, is heroin and prescription drug use. It was a shock to learn several years ago that a drug that most adults thought had lost its power a generation ago was back with a vengeance. Cheap and widely available, heroin is fiercely addictive, even less expensive than opioids like hydrocodone. Addiction to prescription pain medication often precedes heroin use, and although heroin overdoses are down, prescription overdoses increased going from 2015 to 2016. (It's worth noting that those who suffered prescription drug overdoses in the past two years were often much older than the young people we worry so much about.)The Naperville Police Department and our school districts recognized several years ago that heroin was becoming an issue among the high school age population. In 2014 both departments began a Prescription Drug Drop Box program that has been very successful. Our police officers and firefighter/paramedics carry Narcan, which can reverse an overdose and save lives. Used twice in 2015 and five times in 2016, it was successful in all but one case. The "Connect for Life" program brings together opioid users seeking treatment and local programs. Many non-profit organizations in Naperville, including the Community Alliance for Prevention, work to prevent substance abuse among our students.Although the numbers have always been quite small compared to our population, every overdose is painful and every death is a tremendous loss for our city.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.She's not a political leader, but I do admire Sheryl Sandberg, the author of "Lean In." Successful, smart, and resilient, she's a great role model.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?I learned how to hold my own in lively discussions with my family at the dinner table. It was good training for teaching persuasive writing.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have taken the opportunity to travel more with our children when they were young, even if it stretched the budget.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject was my major, English. I've been lucky to have been an English professor for most of my professional life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be good to one another!