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John D'Astice: Candidate Profile

Rolling Meadows City Council Ward 6

Back to Rolling Meadows City Council Ward 6

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: Rolling MeadowsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Rolling Meadows City Council Ward 6 Age: 62Family: Happily married to Mary Lou for 36 years. We have 4 children - Nicole, Michelle, Dominic Angela. All attended Central Road Elementary School and graduated from Rolling Meadows High School. All have worked at the Nelson Sports Complex pool in various capacities from pool attendant to life guards to swim instructors to swim team coach to supervisors.Occupation: Director of Sales Marketing for Embassy Suite by HiltonEducation: Graduate from DePaul University with a Bachelors degree in Marketing and minor in accounting.Civic involvement: Rolling Meadows Ad Hoc Capital Improvements Review Committee 2015-2017Rolling Meadows Economic Development Committee 2003 - 2017Co-Chair of the Rolling Meadows 60th Anniversary CommitteeRolling Meadows Street Light Improvement Committee - 2016Rolling Meadows City Signage Improvement Committee "â#128;œ 2016Rolling Meadows Ad Hoc Directional Signage Committee - 2017Lisle Convention Visitors Bureau Marketing committee 2006 - 2010Board of Directors "â#128;œ Greater Woodfield CVB 1995 "â#128;œ 2005Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce Member 2002 "â#128;œ 2004Indian Princess/Indian Guides leader 1990-2007Elected offices held: Elected Rolling Meadows Ward 6 Alderman in 1993, 1997 and 2001; Term limits break for 4 years; Re-elected Rolling Meadows Ward 6 Alderman in 2009 and again in 2013.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?The resident's belief in my ability to represent their opinions on the City Council is one main reason why I am a better candidate along with my success in representing the people of my ward when they have a concern that requires City involvement. My last eight years' experience as an alderman and my twelve previous years on the City Council have given me insight on what is important to residents and the best ways to form a consensus on the council to move items towards completion. I believe the knowledge I have gained having been a very active and involved member of the City Council also make me the best candidate. As a City Council member working with city residents and city staff, being a part of the Ad Hoc Capital Improvements Review Committee; the Rolling Meadows Economic Development Committee; the Street Light Improvement Committee; the City Signage Improvement committee; the new City Directional Signage Committee and all the other activities that I have been involved with while I have lived in Rolling Meadows, has all given me an outstanding perspective of where we have been, where we are now and most importantly "â#128;œ where we want to be. My vision for the city is to continue to provide excellent city services to all our residents, improve our 60 year old infrastructure and to fill existing vacant land parcels with new development and then focus on re-development of vacancies across the City.What is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales and property taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.In order to provide the services expected by the residents, taxes are an unwanted necessity. For the last 8 years, I have openly voiced my opposition to any property tax increase that exceeds 5%. I have opposed a natural gas tax for many years and have always compared our sales tax to those of neighboring communities in order to keep our businesses from having to sell at a competitive disadvantage to our neighbors. For the last several years, the City has effectively controlled expenses and has been able to create reserves in some of our fund balances. The City Council has also adopted fund balance policies that help guide current and future tax increases. We are in the process of creating a fund balance policy for all our funds so future tax increase will never be excessive. I have yet to speak to a resident that says any tax is "just right", but most residents understand the need, although none want to have any increase.What should be done with the long-vacant Dominick's site?First I suggested that the building be demolished. The City has learned that there are some interested parties, but that no one party would like the entire parcel so I have since suggested that the City broker a deal between the interested parties to develop the land. Because of its location, it seems to me that other than multifamily housing, a "destination" venue/business would be the best idea for retail. A destination venue is a store or activity that people choose to visit as opposed to a spur of the moment, driving by so let's stop in retail/activity. An example of a destination venue is Bass Pro Shop or an ice rink or an indoor multigenerational sports complex. Several residents stated they would like to have a restaurant located on that site and I would certainly like to see that as well. If the City owed a parcel, we could look into doing a long term restaurant land lease to help reduce operating expenses and give the restaurant owner an opportunity to successful. A successful restaurant will fill the need of the people and generate sales tax revenues for many years to come. There are many ideas, but we need to have a sustainable project that can exist for many years.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The city staff has done a good job in trimming the budget over the last eight years since I have been back in office. I believe that most; if not all of the excess waste from the previous city manager has been removed. Being in private industry for 30 years and working with budgets all year long, there are always areas in the budget that can be trimmed "â#128;œ a little more. The question then becomes, are we able to accomplish the goals set forth with the remaining funds? Cutting too much does not always contribute to the success of the City and could be detrimental and more expensive in future years. The infrastructure of the community is aging and as responsible individuals, we must look at our needs and prioritize those needs, somewhat based on the available funding. As a member of the Capital Improvements Review Committee, we have been doing just that. The city staff brings their requests/suggestions to the table and the committee reviews and makes suggestions to the City Council. The committee consists of aldermen, city staff and interested residents who are willing to volunteer to help the city move forward.Do you support the fire department's plan to replace Fire Station 15 with a new station to the south, and Fire Station 16 with a new station to the east?Our current 2 fire stations do not provide the south side of the city, specifically Ward 6, the standard accepted 6 minute response time. Station 15 is in need of significant renovations and cost estimates have been in the millions to bring the station up to current day standards. Built over 50 years ago, the station is in need of an investment of millions of dollars. Investing millions in a 50 year old structure does not seem to be a prudent expenditure of resources. Moving station 15 to the south side of the city will provide the residents and businesses of Ward 6 the same services as all the other residents and businesses in the city. I am in favor of providing all the residents and businesses of the city the lifesaving responses they are entitled to receive. The fire chief has identified to the city council, several locations that will provide all our residents this service.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Vacant homes throughout the City is an issue that I have been working on with staff. I also think that as the economy improves, we may see more teardowns and re-builds. We want to be ahead of this so we are caught playing catch up. I also want to make sure we continue to maintain and improve our streets. Public Works has found several additive/sealers that help extend the life of the roadways. I believe we need to continue to examine ways to improve the various types of infrastructure throughout the City. As the co-chair of the City's 60th Anniversary Committee, we initiated several new community events "â#128;œ like Wine Down by the Creek, the City Block Party. Many residents have indicated how much these community events play a part in building the community. I want to make sure the City continues to build upon the successes we have had to continue to make Rolling Meadows a Great Place to Call Home.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Warren BuffetWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To be Honest and truthful and listen to your parents because they really do know more than you do as a child.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would invest in Apple and Amazon instead of spending money on clothes and new carsWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math. At the office of as an Alderman, math plays a critical role in determining budgets and sometimes the success of a project.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Find a job you love to do"circ;brvbar;and be honest and truthful with yourself when you decide.