Michael L Curtin: 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: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Elgin City CouncilAge: 28Family: Married, one childOccupation: NoneEducation: Associates of Arts, Elgin Community College, 2002Bachelor of Science, St. Cloud State University, 2004ABT Masters of Ecology and Natural Resources, St. Cloud State University, 2006Civic involvement: South West Area Neighbors, Vice PresidentElgin Community NetworkElected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Neighborhood Stability: building communities around education, safety, and shopping. De-centralizing neighborhood solutions and offering a more customized approach toward neighborhood improvement.Key Issue 2 Research oversight: the city is increasingly hiring firms to conduct research on city initiatives. There is currently no oversight to make sure this research is conducted properly.Key Issue 3 Sustainability: most new college graduates are required to take at least one course involving environmental issues. The effort that Elgin puts toward sustainability will improve the environment and may help to attract these college graduates.Questions Answers What prompted you to run for this office? What makes you the best candidate for the job?I am running to help make Elgin a better place to live. I believe that the best candidates are going to be those candidates that contribute a new skill or expertise to the council as whole. I am the only candidate with a background in science and research. By electing me, Elgin will get a councilman that will place higher standards on studies and research conducted for the city. This will in turn result in a more equitable distribution of city services.How will you deal with declining revenue, particularly in the riverboat fund?The city is going to have to choose its investments wisely. The city may be able to offer more cost-effective programs and services if volunteers and non-profits are used more frequently. A perfect example of this is the Neighborworks program. The city may consider purchasing service agreements with neighborhood organizations. Doing so would formalize a relationship between city government and the organization. This could be a great way to distribute small residential grants and to organize a volunteer workforce for small projects.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.I am not well informed in regards to immigration law so it is difficult to assess the city's attempts to reduce illegal immigration. As I have come to understand the issue, federal law prohibits many attempts to directly deal with the issue. So the city must regulate covarying factors associated with illegal immigration (e.g. overcrowding). Additional options may still be available. By working more directly with neighborhood groups, the city may be able to identify a number of new ways to address the problems of associated with illegal immigration by creating neighborhood specific ordinances or parking patterns designed to reduce overcrowding.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?Yes, the city needs to reprioritize municipal projects. In the recent past the city has over funded the Parks and Rec Department. Given some of the projects listed in the new Parks and Rec Masterplan, this is a trend that is likely to continue for the next decade. The city needs to look more closely at the factors directly associated with quality of life issues. I believe that we would benefit more by increasing funds toward rebuilding our core housing stock and providing our neighborhoods with better lighting. Determining appropriate levels of Non-profit funding is difficult. I would need to hear more view points and obtain more data before developing an opinion on the matter.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?I would like to see the city consider reinstating the Vehicle Sticker tax. Elgin has a high number of uninsured drivers. This has resulted in higher car insurance rates for many Elgin residents. If the city could require proof of insurance for the vehicle sticker we could decrease the number of uninsured drivers and put more pressure on overcrowding. Overall this may not increase costs to Elgin residents if insurance rates were to decrease and if residents were given one or two free stickers per household.