Arthur Lemke: Candidate Profile

Back to St. Charles City Council Ward 2

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: Saint CharlesWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: St. Charles City Council Ward 2 Age: 69Family: Wife: JeanSon: Andrew (lives out of state)Occupation: IS (Information Science) AuditorEducation: BS - University of Illinois, Urbana, IllinoisMBA - Northern Illinois University, DeKalb,IllinoisCPA - IllinoisCISA - Certified Information Systems AuditorCIA - Certified Internal AuditorCivic involvement: Elected Alderman Ward 2 - 2013 (current)Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers Reports indicate the city's police station needs major renovations or a new facility. What should the city do with the current police station?I believe the City of St. Charles should develop a new police station. Several portions of the current police station complex are not just old, but structurally deficient. Any future use for the location of the existing police facility, will need to recognize that the city has an important well site in the approximate center of the property. Once vacated, the oldest portion of the facility may not be reusable for offices or other purposes, but in an interim period, the city may use the land for additional parking while future uses are evaluated.What are the necessary elements for a redevelopment project at the old St. Charles Mall site to receive a favorable city council vote?The former St. Charles Mall site should be redeveloped as a mixed use development with a strong retail component. The majority of the previous City Council rejected a proposal that site become the "Town Center" with a number of multi-story buildings and 650 to 800 apartments. On the other hand the original TIF for this location was initiated to allow for more retail options within the property. Currently, a Planned Unit Development (PU) may be the best option, with a residential element similar to the Ashford development immediately to the east. To be consistent with PUD concepts, a retail element on the western half of the property would most likely be similar to retail developments fronting Route 38 and Randall Road.What are your expectations for the Charlestowne Mall/The Quad during the next four years? What can the city do to help the property reach those goals?During the last four years, the City of St. Charles has developed an agreement to redevelop the mall as the Quad. That agreement improved the ability for the current owner to develop out-parcels within the site. That agreement is beginning to bear fruit with construction of new buildings for the Coopers Hawk Restaurant and Starbucks. These should be open for business in 2017. We will be open to additional out-parcels and a renewed effort to reposition the main building to include such amenities as a food court facing Main Street. The city as a whole and specifically the Economic Development Department can help the owner through support of a joint marketing effort.What is your philosophy regarding local events involving alcohol and new businesses coming to town that involve the sale of alcohol? Would you support more taverns and alcohol-related events in the downtown?Many, if not most, establishments offering fine dining rely on the sale of alcoholic beverages as a component of a successful business plan. The typical fine dining Liquor License is for a business that will focus primarily on food. It does not appear that there is a greater market for new businesses in the downtown area offering primarily alcohol. Yet it is difficult to forecast what the market will support in the future. In any case, during the last four years, the city has improved its license regulations for the sale of alcohol. These continue to be effectively enforced. Any new license requests for businesses or special events must be reviewed by the Chief of Police for discussion and approval by our Liquor Control Commission. After Commission review, all license applications are subject to review and approval by the Government Operations Committee and subsequently the full City Council. Our city staff has been effective in reviewing license proposals for local businesses or special events and subsequently enforcing compliance.The city is just now seeing some income from video gambling activity. Should video gambling remain legal in the city? If not, how would you go about removing the machines from local businesses/organizations that receive the income from the machines?The city and its businesses are seeing additional income from video gaming activity. There is a provision in the City Ordinance that video gaming can be discontinued if, for example, the state does not continue the revenue sharing arrangement. In that event, vendors of those machines have the option of moving their equipment out of St. Charles.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Historically, the basis for the St. Charles Comprehensive Plan has been to maintain a balance of uses as its population was planned to grow. This includes various types of residential, retail, and industrial uses. Maintaining that balance has been an important component in revising and implementing our comprehensive plan.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I am inspired by the current mayor Ray Rogina, who has been a leader that values the active participation of all parties in city governance.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Responsibility to others whether family, neighbors, or employers, and the satisfaction that comes from a job well done.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Cannot think of any.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Biology - That subject inspired me to major in Biology during college. That major lead to my first full time position after college.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Learn how to achieve your goals through your own skills and learn to identify those goals and objectives best accomplished as a team effort.