New jobs a priority for Naperville candidates

Jobs, whether they be the green/environmentally friendly kind or the red brick and mortar type, are vital to Naperville’s success, according to 10 of the candidates vying for the four open seats on Naperville’s city council.

All but one of the 11 candidates fielded questions from residents during a Wednesday night forum hosted by the Naperville Area Homeowner’s Confederation. Ben Gross was not in attendance.

The candidates answered questions about the budget, union negotiations and staff morale, but all had plans for the city’s economic vitality.

Incumbents Grant Wehrli and Bob Fieseler and challenger John Krummen say the city can continue to benefit from the high technology corridor’s attempts to go green.

“In all honesty right now the biggest challenge we have in attracting businesses and jobs to Naperville is the state of Illinois. We need reform at the state level,” Wehrli said. “On the local level we are working collaboratively trying to attract green jobs here. It is the future of the economy.”

Fieseler went so far as to call it a revolution.

“The clean energy is the job creation engine for this area. We have such a critical mass of jobs already being performed in that area and we’re leveraging on that,” he said. “We are ready for the next stage of the clean energy revolution and it’s going to happen here in Naperville where your kids and my grand kids are going to be working.”

Krummen agreed.

“Technology is where the growth is. It is what Naperville’s imperative advantage is,” he said. ”We’ve got the businesses that are high-tech. We’re ready to do this.”

Incumbent Dick Furstenau and challengers Steve Chirico, Wayne Floegel and Patty Gustin said the city should be exploring incentives to lure companies while keeping pressure on the federal government to continue funding the green technologies.

“The federal government is plowing billions of dollars into this industry and they’re going to continue doing it until we get it right,” Chirico said. “And in the Midwest we need to take advantage of that and seek out these companies.”

Possibly a difficult task, according to Furstenau.

“Look. This is not an easy question to answer and there are really no good answers at this point in time with the country economy being what it is,” Furstenau said. “We’re not going to open the Ford Motor Company assembly plant in south Naperville next week. One of the things we need to do is make sure the Lucents and BPs of the world keep those people here by making sure their taxes are low.”

Patty Gustin said she’s already been talking to companies about relocating and said it may not be easy.

“It can be done but we may have to talk about incentives,” she said.

Charlie Schneider agreed, saying tax incentives are just one step the city needs to consider.

“The city must extend new business tax incentives, they must reduce startup costs and the time it takes to open a new business,” he said.

Wayne Floegel says the city should be working with local companies of all sizes and get them to act as advocates to “sell the city.”

Tiffany Stephens vowed to work with small businesses “to provide the resources they need to grow and prosper.”

Joe McElroy said he would focus on filling the empty storefronts on the city’s main roads, including Ogden Avenue.

The confederation will host the city’s three mayoral candidates at 7:30 p.m. at Naperville city hall.