David Kaptain: 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: ElginWebsite: http://kaptainformayor.comOffice sought: Elgin MayorAge: 63Family: My wife Sandy and I have been married for 31 years. No children.Occupation: Retired chemist for the Fox River Water Reclamation DistrictEducation: Bachelor of Science in biology/chemistry Bradley University 1970Civic involvement: Executive Director of the Elgin Community Network, board member Eagle Heights Residents Association, chairman of the advisory council Neighborhood Housing Services of The Fox Valley, member Board of Directors of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago,25 year member of the Elgin Moose LodgeElected offices held: Elgin City Council (2005-present)Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Elgin's government needs to improve by becoming more transparent, by treating all residents fairly, by communicating better with citizens, and by being more fiscally responsible.Key Issue 2 Elgin needs to change its focus from bringing new, higher income residents to the city to helping and providing services for those that already live here. Elgin's neighborhoods are more at risk today than they were 10 years ago. We have over 1100 homes in the hands of banks or up for auction and probably an equal number in some stage of foreclosure. There is a cascade of foreclosures and decreased home values in our established neighborhoods. We need to make better use of the local tools available to provide some assistance to our established neighborhoods and their residents.Key Issue 3 The world is changing, Elgin is changing and local government must change. Elgin needs to rebalance its revenue streams, look more to the community for assistance from resident involvement and volunteers. Local government should return to the core function of providing basic services to our residents.Questions Answers What prompted you to run for this office? What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have had a number of people ask me to run for mayor who have been dissatisfied for a variety of reasons. Residents feel that the current mayor is not adequately responding to their concerns and has become out of touch. I feel that there are issues facing Elgin's neighborhoods and not for profits that are reaching a critical stage. I have been a ""neighborhood guy"" for over 20 years and an active member of the not for profit community for the last 10 years. I spend many hours each year talking to and working side by side with residents and volunteer groups to improve Elgin's neighborhoods. My reputation for caring about all of Elgin's residents, my willingness to listen to and respond to citizens concerns and my experience in working with neighborhoods and not for profits makes me the best candidate to lead Elgin for the next four years.How will you deal with declining revenue, particularly in the riverboat fund?Elgin's mixture of revenues has been out of balance for the past 4-5 years. The dramatic increase in property tax revenues caused by escalating home prices resulted in that portion becoming over 40% of our total revenue. Elgin spent what it took in. We are now paying the price for the bursting real estate bubble and seeing those property tax revenues drop along with sales and income taxes. We must face the fact that our revenue from the riverboat is shrinking to the point that it is about 1/2 of what it was 6 years ago. The riverboat funds have been used for special projects that in non-riverboat communities would come from the general fund, such as, street resurfacing. The riverboat funds set aside for special projects should be reviewed and prioritized. The next mayor and council members must determine essential projects and services and make reductions where necessary. The reductions could be only temporary until the economy recovers sufficiently to reinstate them or permanent to reflect the changes facing local government. I will make better use of funds that we receive from the county, state and federal governments. The next mayor must work with the council and staff to further diversify the revenues streams of the city to prevent situations similar to the recent property tax inbalance.How well has the city addressed the issue of illegal immigration? Has it done what's appropriate or is there more to do? Please offer specifics.The City of Elgin has used e-verify to screen employees, identified illegals booked at the city jail, and required our subcontractors to allow random audits. The involvement of the EPD with Immigration and Customs Enforcement will reduce the number of illegals involved in gangs in the Elgin area.There is more we could do. Specifically:1)Require any business that receives taxpayer funding for job incentives to screen their employees and provide proof of documentation. Subcontractors should provide proof at the time they start work on a job in the city that their employees are documented. 2) We need to be more open with the data we collect. I do not believe any of the arrest information collected over the past two years was released to the public unless I asked for it. We should routinely provide that information.3) The audit system used for subcontractors needs to be improved. They need to be more frequent, more random and more thorough. Trust but verify.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to? Does the city need to reprioritize the funds it puts toward municipal projects? Non-profits?I believe some significant benefits could be realized by realigning funds that we currently receive. We should make better use of funds that come from sources outside of our traditional budget revenues. I propose that TIF funds could be used to help realign spending on some of our grant programs. Riverboat funds currently spent within the TIF districts could be shifted to areas outside the TIF. I will work closely with not for profits to search for projects that could make better use of over $400,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I believe we should direct some TIF funds to provide grants and low interest loans to improve residential and small business properties within all the TIF districts. The funds would be used to provide small exterior repairs, energy upgrades (insulation, new windows, HVAC etc). I would use the similar program currently in place for the City of Chicago as a guide. Grant and riverboat funds currently used in the TIF district for these types of programs could be used in areas outside of the TIF districts.