James Gebis: 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: BloomingdaleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Bloomingdale Village Board (4-year Terms)Age: 63Family: Married, 3 adult childrenOccupation: Mechanical Engineer Retired CTA Consultant TransportationEducation: University of Illinois, Bachelor Degree in Mechanical EngineeringCivic involvement: DuPage Mayors and Managers Transportation Policy Committee Member of St Isidore Catholic Church American Public Transportation Association Served on Bloomingdale Plan CommissionElected offices held: Bloomingdale Trustee, 1989- presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Continue to keep Bloomingdale a great place to live, with an excellent quality of life for all its residents. This includes protecting property values, addressing residents? concerns on local problems, and maintaining the character of our community, such as the streetscape, open space, and quality development. This defines Bloomingdale and makes it a great community where people want to live and businesses to locate.Key Issue 2 Keep taxes low and provide needed services, through fiscal management and working with the business community. I will continue to support abating property taxes, which results in savings to the average property owner of about $250 annually. I support the business community and will strive to bring in new retailers. This provides sales taxes that are a major source of Village revenue. Bloomingdale has one of the lowest real estate taxes in the area, and I would not support any additional taxes that affect our community, such as vehicle stickers, or a utility tax on gas and electric.Key Issue 3 A Village Board that focuses on results for the community and believes in strong intergovernmental cooperation. Having a Mayor and Trustees that will continue to work together as we have demonstrated is important. I believe in keeping and expanding successful working relationships with other local governments park district, library, fire department, schools, etc. We will continue working with other Municipalities and Governmental bodies to reduce costs and increase efficiency, making the best use of limited tax dollarsQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?My dedication, experience, and a proven track record for over 35 years, with 24 years on the Board. My focus has always been on planning, starting as a volunteer on the Plan Commission. As a Village Board member, I have paid attention to Village growth and development, fiscal matters, and environmental concerns. I have shown the ability to look for innovative and better ways to provide services to the community in changing economic conditions and other challenges. My engineering background brings a unique perspective to the Board. Having worked outside the Village, both in the private and public sectors, brings different experience and perspective to the Board. I am active in the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, and the Transportation Policy Committee. I worked on the Northern DuPage Recreational Path Committee in Bloomingdale. I am an active member of the American Public Transportation Association.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.Bloomingdale has kept all taxes low for the services provided because we have closely watched our budget. Bloomingdale's sales taxes are comparable to or lower than many towns in the area. We do not need to generate more sales tax to increase revenue that would over-tax businesses. Unlike some other villages, we do not have an additional sales tax at restaurants. The Village's portion of the property tax bill is low. Bloomingdale has no utility tax on gas or electric, and no vehicle sticker tax. I will continue programs that support the Village's large commercial base, even sharing a portion of the sales tax, to encourage development and to draw quality retailers to our community.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.Most people feel very safe in Bloomingdale. In January, I attended a meeting of the Neighborhood Watch program, which has been helpful in keeping our community safe. Some concerns voiced included the blocking of sidewalks, and improperly parked automobiles, which restrict visibility. I support the programs the Police have in place for our community, senior citizens, and our children. We have the Police focus on protection and safety, not on revenue generation, as some other towns do. Bloomingdale has no red light cameras, for example. Bloomingdale participates in the DuPage Task Drug Force to prevent drug use, and related crimes. We have put more police on the street to patrol the community.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?In the past, we have put some projects on hold due to budget restrictions, such as development of the Indian Lakes Open Space that the Village purchased, and the improvements in the Old Town Area. Now, we are starting to move forward with the improvements in the Indian Lakes area and with projects to address neighborhood street flooding in heavy rains. This plan may have to be spread out over several years. We have had a program to repair tree damage caused by the Emerald Ash Borer beetle. However, due to last year's drought, the Village will be increasing this year's budget for tree replacement, to maintain the streetscape and character of Bloomingdale. We have already replaced hundreds of trees.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?Increasing intergovernmental working relationships and pooling of resources and expertise. Some of the areas where we can increase cooperation with other neighboring and local governments are police and public works, and county organizations. Joint purchasing and contracting are specific areas where there can be more intergovernmental collaboration. Future growth will put a strain on the transportation network, and we need to work together to prepare for this growth. The inaction by the State of Illinois and the trickledown effect on local government will require communities to work together. The State debt and pension mess affects all local municipalities. This State inaction has had a negative effect on the economy, discouraging local business and job growth. We see the businesses hurt by the poor economy in the State. The impact to the local government is substantial. Having a low debt is important, considering this issue.