Matthew Bogusz: Candidate Profile

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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:BioQA Bio City: Des PlainesWebsite: www.mattbogusz.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattBogusz/Office sought: Des Plaines Mayor Age: 30Family: Matt Bogusz and Kaitlyn Pascale met as students at Northwestern University and have been married for four years. They live in The Villas neighborhood of Des Plaines where they're raising a two month old baby girl, Jacqueline. They're lucky to have the support of family, with Matt's parents a few blocks away in his childhood home and Kates parents who recently moved to Des Plaines, and live just around the corner.Occupation: Senior Vice President at Zenith MediaEducation: Northwestern University - BA, Political Science, International Studies, with a minor in Transportation LogisticsCivic involvement: President, Northwest Municipal Conference '16-17Vice President, Northwest Municipal Conference '15-16Legislative Committee Chairman, Northwest Municipal Conference '13-'15Legislative Committee Member, Northwest Municipal Conference '09-'13Elected offices held: Mayor, Des Plaines '13-'17Alderman, DP 3rd Ward '09-'13Trustee, DP Public Library '07-'09Commissioner, DP Special Events '06-'07Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?It's easy for politicians to make promises. As your Mayor, I've made plans to fix our broken budget, invest in infrastructure, and change our business climate. I'm proud to report that our progress is dramatic. We cut debt in half, quadrupled our infrastructure investment and have fundamentally changed the way the business community looks at Des Plaines. This plan has filled 3.2 million square feet of vacant space, attracted $419 million in private development in Des Plaines businesses, and created 3,280 new jobs. It has led to new projects ranging from our new Mariano's grocery story to Vetter, a pharmaceutical company who will single handedly bring over 500 new high paying jobs to Des Plaines. Just like four years ago in Des Plianes, voters have a clear choice. I'm the best candidate for the job because I make plans, not promises. I've demonstrated that it's possible for Des Plaines to move forward, and further away from the politics of the past.What is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales and property taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.While we are always focused on gaining new efficiency, Des Plaines is the best value in the Northwest Suburbs. We have planned to hold the line on property taxes. So, the 14% of a homeowner's property tax bill which goes to the City of Des Plaines has seen 0% in increases for six years running. But technically, due to Cook County's method of calculation, the Des Plaines portion of the property tax has gone down 0.07% over the last six years. An analysis done by our finance department shows that, in that same time period, our neighbors in other cities and villages have raised their property taxes by 20%! So, I'm often a broken record telling prospective homeowners and business owners that Des Plaines is an amazing value but we have the track record to back it up.Should city elected officials receive city-funded health insurance benefits? Do you receive the benefits now? Would you accept them if elected?Absolutely not. I've been elected to public office in Des Plaines for eight years, first as Alderman and now as Mayor. I never have and never will accept this +$30,000 per year personal perk for one simple reason: we are part time elected officials. To accept this benefit when I don't offer it to the part time city employees on our payroll would be hypocritical. As Mayor I ordered that this perk would end, a decision which was overturned by some on our City Council. Additionally, Illinois is infamous for their government antics and this is no exception. The Cadillac Plan healthcare benefits the current city council voted to give themselves will attract the wrong kind of people to public office. Running for elected office should be about public service. It shouldn't be about lining your personal pockets.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Eliminating perks like free health insurance for elected officials would allow us to invest back into Des Plaines. When I joined the City Council in 2009 Des Plaines was nearing financial ruin. We spent only $4 million a year on infrastructure and needed to borrow every dollar to get it done. In 2017, we are planning on spending $19.2 million on infrastructure investments in local streets, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, sewers, and flood control with absolutely no debt. This 4-5x increase in investment is significant and should continue because our residents deserve it. We need to catch up on ageing infrastructure which was sorely neglected for decades and create new jobs for families in the process.Do you support a plan to commit city dollars, along with Rivers Casino, to acquire and renovate the shuttered Des Plaines Theatre, then hire an event planner to book concerts and shows?I better support the plan, I made it! I am proud to report that I've worked with our partners at Rivers Casino to create a first of it's kind public/private partnership to revitalize our downtown. Rivers has committed $2.25 million towards the purchase, renovation, and professional administration of the Des Plaines Theater. Our goal is to feature a combination of movies and live shows intended to pack the place and drive business to downtown merchants. In addition to this plan, I've worked with my council to create an incentive program intended to attract and retain restaurants. Our first success story is the Tap House Grill located in metro square. With this incentive program and a revitalized theater, I'm certain the future of our downtown is bright.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Municipal debt is a statewide crisis. In Des Plaines, I'm proud to have driven down our debt from $76 million to $28 million. Doing so has allowed us to get creative, regain our AA2 credit rating, and invest back in the community. In the case of our capital plan, paying off this debt has meant that we can spend cash on projects instead of acquiring more debt. This has saved $20 million on interest since I've taken office and meant that projects which might have taken over 13 years to complete were done in 5. This issue is important because it took eight years to fix this problem but it could be broken again in an instant. Going backwards on this important topic of municipal debt control would mean more profit for the bankers, fewer projects for residents, and higher property taxes for everyone. So, it may not be the most exciting issue but it is close to, if not the most important one for your Mayor.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I recently read Malala Yousafzai's memoir and was inspired by her courage in her fight for an education and speaking out against her enemies.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My Nana is still teaching her great granddaughter that perfect is boring, so be yourself and embrace what makes us different.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?If I could do it again I'd study engineering at Northwestern. I love to build things!What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?American History. We have a rich past and we should use it to inform our future.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Try everything. You'll never know what you'll love until you give it a whirl.