Christopher Faber: 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: North AuroraWebsite: http://www.christopherfaber.comOffice sought: North Aurora Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 33Family: Married to Kari Faber. One daughter, Addison, age 5.Occupation: Insurance and Financial ServicesEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: North Aurora Village Trustee since 2009 North Aurora Plan Commission 2006-2009 Board Member - Youth Services Bureau of Illinois Valley Board Member - North Aurora River District Alliance Board Member - North Aurora Lion's ClubElected offices held: Village of North Aurora TrusteeHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Economic Development. This may sound like a broken record in North Aurora, but Economic Development is still a very important issue in our village. Our Rt. 31 corridor is one of the most visible parts of our community, and we need to continue to work to improve it. We've made some strides. Some of the businesses there have taken advantage of the TIF funds that are available for facade and parking improvements. Burying the power lines along Rt. 31 is important. That process is long and expensive, but we can get there by continuing to work together with the business owners, utility companies, and our state legislators.Key Issue 2 Job creation, bringing new businesses to North Aurora. We have some great industrial real estate available in our village. Our geographic location and I-88 access makes North Aurora an attractive location to many types of business. The effect of bringing in a major employer and creating a large number of jobs will be felt throughout the community, from housing to restaurants and retail.Key Issue 3 Taxes I'm proud of the way North Aurora has handled to economic downturn of the past several years. We have an excellent staff and we've called on them to push their capabilities to the fullest extent as we've tried to run as lean as possible to keep costs down. As economic conditions improve, we need to continue to provide residents with the core services that we are responsible for, in the most efficient way possible. As water demand increases, we're going to have to meet those needs by adding another well. We also have to continue to fund our road program to keep the village streets in good condition, and we're in the midst of an expensive battle with the Emerald Ash Borer that requires us to remove and replace trees. There are a lot of services we need to provide and they all have to compete for a limited amount of revenue. We have to be creative and sometimes we have to make some tough decisions, but we can continue to make North Aurora a great place to live and work while keeping our portion of our resident's real estate tax bill under control.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Experience. I've been involved with the Village serving three years on the Plan Commission and the past four years on the Village Board. It takes some time to learn the ropes and I've got that learning curve under my belt. My years of business experience mean that I know how to create a budget and stay within it. I think my strategic planning skills have been an asset to the Village in the time I've been involved.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.I think our current local sales tax is just right. In the time I've been on the board, we've never had a discussion about increasing sales tax, and I don't think we need to start now. I'm more concerned with filling our current available space. Bringing in more businesses will bring in more tax revenue. I think that's a better plan than trying to increase the existing retail tax.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.As far as public safety goes, the people I talk to have not voiced many concerns to me. We've had the same issues that many communities face, but we have a top notch police department that addresses public safety concerns immediately, aggressively, and diligently.In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?I'm not sure if we have much more room to trim. Our budget is lean, and we clamped down on spending pretty diligently for a few years. As things start to improve, I'd like to see us be able to put some more money into funding our road program a little more aggressively. If we can repair streets before they get too worn out rather than waiting until the need more extensive repairs, we can save tax dollars in the long run. It's always easier to push things off until later, but government can't continue to kick the can down the road. We need to tackle issues head-on and make the most responsible decisions with the revenue we have.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?That's a tough question. If I have an idea that I think will help, I bring it up and we discuss it. I'd like to see us continue to explore ways to encourage energy efficiency and reduce water consumption, both to our residents and with our staff. There are new green technologies coming out all of the time, and we need to stay on top of those to be more environmentally responsible and more fiscally responsible as well.