Four vying to be Geneva's 5th Ward alderman

Four people want to take over when Geneva 5th Ward Alderman Paul DesCoteaux steps down in April.

The candidates in the April 7 election are John Trierweiler, a Columbia College student; businessman Ralph Dantino; attorney Douglas Warlick; and businessman Roger Henry.

Delve into details?

The candidates were asked in an interview with the Daily Herald whether the city council should be more of a policy-making body, or get into the details of programs and proposed spending.

Trierweiler likes the details. "It is important to be efficient, but better when you" can make small cuts to a budget, referring to recent discussion about flowers and bike benches for downtown. "Pretty soon you are up to $10,000 (in cuts). It's better than taking away a larger program."

"I do think sometimes they need to do that," agreed Dantino.

As for larger cuts, Dantino prefers to start with a wage freeze, then a hiring freeze, before laying off city workers.

Trierweiler also prefers wage and hiring freezes. "I don't agree with layoffs, even in street services," he said, because that will lead to work not getting done and resident complaints increasing. Dantino worries about the city keeping up with preventive maintenance.

"I actually support the nitty-gritty at these fiscal times. It is going to get hairy," said Roger Henry, who supports wage freezes first, then hiring freezes and furloughs.

"Absolutely I think the city council should be involved in trimming down the budget," said Warlick, who questioned the flower budget cuts at a recent meeting, saying it wasn't in keeping with the city's master plan regarding attracting businesses and shoppers to downtown.

He suggests eliminating aldermen's pay, and maybe charging employees more for health insurance, to balance the budget. "Everybody who is presently employed should say 'Thank God' everyday," Warlick said.

Leaf vacuuming

Trierweiler noted that people have come to expect a third pickup of leaves in the fall, and since that didn't happen last fall, it has led to some people burning leaves to get rid of them. Leaf pickup was originally designed to discourage people from doing that. He wants the program re-examined for efficiencies, noting that pickup Zone C, with many younger subdivisions, has more and more leaves every year.

Dantino is wary of suggestions to contract the service out, but agrees the option should at least be explored. "Once you sell off the equipment, you never get it back," he said. Then the city would "be at the mercy of what may be the only bidder."

Henry thinks the program would be more productive if it changed to one pickup in the fall and one in the spring. Leaves could be used to mulch flowers, shrubs and trees over the winter. "Also, if the weather doesn't cooperate (in the fall), you still have a chance to get rid of them," he said.

"We need to fix it. We need to make adjustments," Warlick said. "Isn't it foolish for the city to allow the leaves to get into the sewer system and whatever? How can you expect some of the elderly residents to rake and bag their leaves?"

East side attention

Has the city focused too much on the Randall Road corridor and the health of the downtown at the expense of the east side, where the 5th Ward is located?

"No, I do not think enough attention has been paid to the east side," Dantino said. "We certainly need to spruce up the east side and put some money in to it."

Trierweiler said east side businesses need remodeling, to provide visitors who enter the city from the east a better impression. He also believes getting the old sheriff's office/county jail complex on Fabyan Parkway back on to the tax rolls, as a hotel and convention center, will help Geneva by increasing jobs and spending.

"That's a difficult question, because I love all of Geneva," Henry said, including Geneva Commons on Randall Road and the sales tax it brings to the city. But he worries about the 20-plus vacant storefronts he counted downtown recently, and suggests the city consider offering incentives such as low-interest loans to entice retailers there.

Warlick said although some businesses have opened or remodeled along East State Street, there needs to be more attention paid, including redevelopment of the sheriff/jail site.

Trierweiler faces head-on the question of why a 20-year-old is running for council, and whether he is qualified. He noted that by living at home while attending college, he is saving $25,000. "I'm not a deadbeat living in my parents' basement. I still pay sales tax" and work in Geneva.

For more information about the candidates, see Election 2009 at dailyherald.com.