Prospect Heights mayoral candidates weigh in on city finances

No matter who's at the helm, the main task ahead for the next Prospect Heights mayor will be correcting the city's finances, say the two candidates vying for the top post.

Political newcomer Nick Helmer faces 3rd Ward Alderman Dolly Vole on April 7 for the two-year unexpired term of Mayor Rodney Pace, who resigned for health reasons in September 2007, shortly after being re-elected.

Pace's replacement, acting Mayor Pat Ludvigsen, chose not to run and instead is supporting Helmer in his bid.

Voters may have a tough time differentiating between Helmer and Vole. Both candidates agree the city should be cutting expenses to plug the nearly $500,000 deficit, raising new revenues, building consensus among council members and promoting more open government.

"The biggest problem with Prospect Heights is not only is the city council not drawn together, they have not been able to bring their citizens together," Helmer said.

Helmer said Prospect Heights' relationship with its neighbors also has been strained over the years, which he said he would help improve if elected.

Vole said the current administration has failed to inform residents about the city's financial situation.

"We need to have more openness, more trust, more transparency," she said. "I think that we need to have a plan and the city right now doesn't have one. If we had a five-year plan, maybe a lot of this could have been viewed in a bigger picture."

Helmer, 66, a business owner and real estate developer, served from 1988 to 2000 on the Chicago Executive Airport Commission, formerly the Palwaukee Municipal Airport Commission.

Vole, 41, was elected to represent the city's 1st Ward in 1993, where she served until December 1996. She stepped down after moving out of the ward. She was elected 3rd Ward Alderman in 2007.

Vole said if elected, she would make sure city revenues are spent wisely - particularly the $1.25 million in additional revenue the city hopes to gain through a new police protection tax.

Both candidates support a yes vote in the April 7 referendum to raise property taxes to fund the city's police department. Past proposals to enable the city to raise taxes have been voted down, most recently in November.

"If it passes, we have a commitment to transparency and to provide those services to residents," Vole said. "I think it's very important to provide and stay within that commitment of a minimum level of service."

Helmer said what the city has already done through an ordinance establishing a food and beverage tax is a step in the right direction. But, he added, the city needs to get residents to share more of the burden through property taxes.

"If you look at the slippery slope that Prospect Heights is on, there is no bottom," he said. "If we do not raise revenue in this manner, or some other manner that someone hasn't thought of yet, then this city is doomed to failure."