John R. Prendiville: 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: WheatonWebsite: http://johnprendiville.comOffice sought: Wheaton MayorAge: 48Family: Married, four children, ranging in age from 18 to 10Occupation: Managing Director and Managing Counsel The Bank of New York Mellon CorporationEducation: University of Notre DameEastern Illinois University, B.A., EnglishDePaul University College of Law, J.D.Civic involvement: Wheaton City Councilman, At-Large, Elected 2007Wheaton Park District -- coach for 60 teams over 15 yearsDowntown Wheaton Association -- Board MemberHubble Steering CommitteeWheaton Grand Theater CommitteeElected offices held: City Council, Wheaton, 2007 - presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Leadership. I decided to run for Mayor due to the need for strong leadership during difficult times. A leader takes a position and sets a course. Others may then react to it. While I like Mike Gresk as a person, he takes the position that he ""leads by consensus."" I believe that waiting for a majority to form and then joining it does not constitute leadership. The City Council must examine issues using reason rather than political calculation, and the City needs a leader to advocate a course of action. I am interested in government, not politics, and will be a Mayor who is willing to take a position notwithstanding the political consequences. My goal is to do what is best for Wheaton, not what will help me win the next election.Key Issue 2 The development of the Hubble Middle School site is extremely important to Wheaton, as it will make a long-lasting statement about the identity of our City and will have a great impact on our ability to remain an attractive destination for young families.Taking into account many factors, I believe the highest and best use for this property is as a Park District facility, retaining the existing gyms (which are excellent facilities getting tremendous use) and perhaps constructing an indoor pool for public and high school use. I would add a a substantial sculpture at the corner of Naperville and Roosevelt, which strikes me as part of a much more welcoming gateway to Wheaton than a parking lot in front of a few retail outletsI don#146;t believe that a commercial or residential development is appropriate for many reasons, including: (i) current low market value; (ii) demolition costs of $4 million or more; (iii) the property is already owned by the taxpayers; (iv) no commercial development is likely to occur for the foreseeable future; (v) $300,000 annual cost to District 200 to maintain it; (vi) no development will have a material impact on City finances; and (vii) minimal impact on Wheaton real estate taxes. While the property appears to have little or no monetary value to District 200, it has tremendous value to our community.Key Issue 3 Structural budget concerns. While we have done a very good job maintaining a balanced budget by cutting expenses over the past two years --downsizing City staff, cutting our capital improvement budget drastically, and cutting funding to various programs -- the structural problems we face have not disappeared. By structural, I refer to the ever increasing gap between the costs of providing the current level of City services and the revenue streams we depend upon to fund these costs. The nation's economy has changed from one where the sale of goods makes up the majority to one where the sale of services represents a much larger share -- in addition, many internet sales escape taxation. Therefore, sales tax revenue (historically one of the cornerstones of municipal finance) has not increased in proportion to the overall economy. The City must continue to address these issues in a responsible manner.Questions Answers Should the city take an active role in the restoration of the Wheaton Grand Theater? Please explain why or why not.Yes. I believe that a functioning theater would be a major factor in sustaining and improving our downtown, bringing visitors to Wheaton who would not otherwise come, filling our restaurants throughout the week and creating marketing opportunities for our retail businesses. Property values would rise and the area would become more attractive to investors. For these reasons, as well as those below, I continue to work to bring in a developer to renovate the theater.We know that the people who live within fifteen miles of the theater spent approximately $3 billion on entertainment in 2008. We should capture more of this entertainment spending here in Wheaton rather than sending our dollars elsewhere. While increased spending would have a minor impact on the City#146;s revenues, it would have a major economic impact on the business and property owners who have invested in Wheaton.Financial assistance by the City will be required to get the theater back in business as either a live theater or a movie theater. Whether this be accomplished through an allocation of TIF moneys or otherwise, I believe that an intelligent investment by the City would be a positive step towards the further vitalization of our downtown.Should the city restore annual funding Wheaton's Center for History? Please explain why or why not.Yes. The Center for History has worked to record and preserve the history of the City of Wheaton for many years and, until recently, was funded in part by the City. During the last year such funding was provided it amounted to $225,000. This was cut to zero in a close vote following much debate.Wheaton possesses a rich history; one which is well-documented due to the efforts of the Center for History. The Center presents educational programs for thousands of area students which promote awareness of Wheaton history and appreciation for its heritage, provides research assistance and material for many residents (and non-residents) and maintains the City#146;s archives, among other things. I will continue to work to restore some level of funding to the Center for History, though not at the previous level.How would you like to see the former Hubble Middle School property in downtown Wheaton redeveloped?Please see above.How should the city deal with issues related to flooding?Historically, Wheaton has done a good job with its infrastructure, but we are now faced with some serious issues. Basement and street flooding are regular occurrences in certain areas -- my home has been flooded as well. The City has been working to identify problems with the system, but this is no consolation to those who have sewage enter their homes.The City has made annual expenditures on sewer repair, replacement and re-lining, and the current smoke testing program. The City has a responsibility to ensure that the system works reliably for all residents. We have added a stormwater engineer to our workforce notwithstanding the reductions we have made to our overall staff during the past two years #8211; we take this problem very seriously.However, we must do more, and do it more quickly. Of course, this work is expensive. We would need to raise rates over a period of time to raise the funds to finance further and faster improvements, but I think that this would be a wise investment -- it is much less expensive and easier for a homeowner to pay a small monthly charge to finance system improvements than to pay to replace water-damaged furniture and appliances and the costs of disinfecting a basement.There are some situations, such as the flooding on Hale Street and at Park and Main Street, where the most cost-effective long term course of action is the purchase of flood-prone properties and conversion to open space / stormwater detention.What effort should the city make to encourage the sale and redevelopment of the former Jewel site in downtown Wheaton?The City has worked diligently to encourage Jewel to lower the asking price for the property and to market it to potential buyers. However, developers cannot get financial backing to develop infill commercial properties due to the current economic conditions. Commercial properties throughout the western suburbs are struggling, with many falling into default. Given that this property is privately owned by grocery store, it is unlikely that it will be sold to a competitor. We must continue to actively search for a commercial user for the property, touting the advantage of the new parking garage across the street and the residential development taking place in the immediate vicinity.