Geneva 5th Ward candidates talk tax, spending

Two local businessmen want to be Geneva's next 5th Ward alderman.

Either Robert Swanson or Douglas Warlick will replace Tom Simonian. Simonian is not seeking re-election.

Warlick says the time is right, now that his children are grown, for him to use his skills as a self-employed lawyer to help the town.

"I have a passion for Geneva. I love politics, and I know that I would be an outstanding" alderman, he said. He ran, unsuccessfully, eight years ago.

Swanson said his experience as a volunteer with the Geneva History Center and as owner of Riverbank Laboratories can help him address issues the council has faced concerning historic preservation, economic development and local taxation.

Issues and interests

• Warlick says not filling the vacancy of assistant city administrator has saved the city money. And he likes that having a consultant negotiate union contracts, instead of the assistant city administrator, means the city employee isn't "actually helping yourself" when they determine the level of benefits for employees.

Swanson pointed out that while the city may be saving money on a salary, it has paid to have someone negotiate parts of contracts.

• Warlick opposes the new places-for-eating tax, set to take effect May 1. He said it unfairly burdens restaurant owners. And he does not believe the city needs more money. "The more you give, the more they (authorities) will find ways to use it," he said. Instead, the city should look harder to save money, perhaps by sharing fire equipment with Batavia and St. Charles, or hiring part-time police officers, he said.

Swanson said it is a "reasonable compromise," because it is a pass-through tax on a discretionary item, and because the state has threatened to cut or hold the local portion of income tax the city receives. The city could use the money to speed up infrastructure maintenance and repair that was pushed off some as a result of the recession, he said.

• Swanson questions the city's use of incentives, such as sales tax rebates, to attract development. "Never once do I see an analysis of what happened in the past and a list of all agreements and their impact," he said.

Warlick said the city should not borrow money to jump-start incentives in new tax increment financing districts, such as the one in which his law office is located.