A. George Pradel: Candidate Profile

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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: NapervilleWebsite: http://www.PradelForMayor.comOffice sought: Naperville MayorAge: 73Family: Married to Patricia for 50 years, 3 children, George, Gary and Carol 8 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchildOccupation: Mayor of the City of NapervilleEducation: Naperville Community High SchoolPolice training certificationsCivic involvement: He assisted in founding Safety Town in Naperville, working in collaboration with the Junior Woman#146;s Club of Naperville.Mayor Pradel is Naperville Liquor Commissioner.He was United Way Campaign Co-chair, 2004-2005.He has served on the Sister Cities Commission since 1995.He is a member of the board of directors of DuPage Children#146;s Museum.He is a member of the Police and Fire Pension Boards.Mayor Pradel is a member of the board of directors of the Illinois Toll Highway Authority.He is a board member of Northeast Multi-Regional Training which plans training for police officers.He is a member of a citizens advisory board for DePaul University.Mayor Pradel is vice president of the board of directors of the Naperville Development Partnership.He was Celebration 2000 Co-chair.He was Naperville#146;s 175th Anniversary #147;Heritage-Unity-Vision#148; Co-chair, 2005-2006.He hosts #147;Breakfast with the Mayor#148; numerous times each year in which he and members of Naperville#146;s economic development groups meet with business owners to discuss their concerns, increasing business retention in the community.He is also active in the following organizations:American Cancer SocietyAmerican LegionDuPage County Marine Corps LeagueDuPage County Police AssociationExchange Club of NapervilleIllinois Police AssociationNaperville Lions ClubRotary Club of NapervilleNaperville Area Chamber of CommerceNaperville MarinesNaperville Responds (Group helped build homes in Pass Christian, Mississippi, for hurricane victims.)Naperville Responds for our Veterans (Group assists seriously injured Armed Forces veterans and helps to build specially adapted homes. www.nrfov.org) Operation Support Our TroopsPatriot TeamRibfest TeamVeterans of Foreign WarsElected offices held: Mayor - City of Naperville (1995 - present)Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The number one issue is keeping the focus on Naperville#146;s finances. We need to keep our eyes on where we spend our money. Last year we finally saw some pension reform action out of Springfield, the pensions have a big impact our city budget. Now we will need to work with our employees to find a good balance of benefits for them and for the city. This year we need to turn our attention to the proposed reforms in workers compensation. I believe we can work with the state to find more effective ways to take care of our workers and spend less money. I am proud of how City Council has handled the financial stress of the last few years. I will lead the way as we continue to be good stewards of the tax revenue that we collect, using it wisely and still providing the services that make Naperville such a great place to live and work.Key Issue 2 The second issue is promotion of economic growth. I serve as an ambassador for Naperville businesses. In my role with the Naperville Development Partnership, I help sell Naperville as a great place to locate a business. We were successful in keeping Navistar as a local employer, and we have brought several new businesses to town. I also want to continue to support the businesses that we have. Last year I participated in 39 ribbon cuttings, ushering new business ventures into our community. I have also spent many hours with local business owners listening to their concerns and working with them to make business in Naperville even stronger.Key Issue 3 The third area that I want to focus on is technology. I am very proud of our Smart Grid initiative. Smart Grid can help consumers save on monthly electric utility bills. It is a model for upgrading and automating the city#146;s electric distribution system and will result in dramatic improvements in reliability and lower operations and maintenance costs. In addition, we need to continue to utilize available grants to support other technology initiatives, like we did for the newest Fire Station and as may come along for energy efficiency like electric cars for the city fleet. I want Naperville to be on the leading edge of energy conservation and technology.Questions Answers The city has slashed dozens of jobs in the last year in an attempt to balance the budget. Do you see more of this in the future?No, the toughest cuts have been made. Naperville still faces financial challenges as we move into 2011, and City Council and City staff will continue to work together to get the most out of every dollar for our residents. We may have to do some additional cutting in personnel, but I don't see broad cuts as we had to do in response to the harsh economic conditions of the last few years.Based on your experience as council member or mayor, are there any programs that you already know you would seek to eliminate if you were to be elected mayor?I believe that City Council and staff have thoroughly reviewed our city services and made cuts where we needed to. There aren't any programs or services that I would want to eliminate. We have cut back on several services and, if necessary, we may have to review programs and services again. However, that will be a discussion with all of us working together. What are your thoughts/concerns regarding the city creating a shuttle bus service to help seniors and others commute to and from the downtown and other popular locations?If there is a way to help our seniors get around town that fits in our city budget, I would be glad to support it. I know that we have some senior ride services already available. For one, Naperville Township provides dial-a-ride transportation services for seniors at reduced prices. A couple of years ago, the Circulator Transit Study gave us a great plan for developing transit services across Naperville that would benefit all of the residents and make a big impact in congested areas of our city. Unfortunately, the funding has just not been available for taking it any further.The city recently purchased the site of the DuPage Children's Museum on the city's north side. Do you support leaving the museum in place or freeing up the potentially valuable real estate at the city's northern border for economic development?I fully support retaining the DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville. It is an asset to our community! That purchase was both a demonstration of Naperville's long-term commitment to our children and an long-term investment in valuable property which presently provides additional commuter parking.What can be learned from the furor over the city giving police officers 3 percent raises then enacting layoffs? How should the city deal with its unions? Should it agree to raises when it knows layoffs will be a result?I think what we learned is that sometimes there isn#146;t an easy answer. In that situation, due to some flaws in the interest arbitration process, it was in the City#146;s best interest to take the union#146;s 3 percent offer. If we had gone to arbitration, we may have been faced with a larger increase and worse consequences. None of us wanted to lay off employees. That was a last resort. But the budget deficit is real. Naperville can#146;t spend what it doesn#146;t have. The City deals fairly with the unions, as it does with all its employees. City Council is charged with looking at the big picture and doing what we think is best for the city, for today and for the future.