Carol Rauschenberger: Candidate profile
Bio
Name: Carol Rauschenberger
City: Elgin
Office sought: Mayor for the City of Elgin
Age: 66
Family: Husband Reid and three children - daughters Zoe and Bopha, and son Sam
Occupation: Occupational Therapist for the U-46 school district, Adjunct Professor at McHenry County College
Education: BS from the University of Illinois in Occupational Therapy, MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management, Thunderbird Campus
Civic involvement: Elgin Leadership Academy Graduate, Founder of the U-46 STEM Expo., Ex-board member of the Shared Harvest Food Cooperative, community volunteer
Previous elected offices held: Elgin City Council (current), Elgin Township Trustee, and Village Trustee in Chelsea, Michigan
Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Elgin City Council, currently serving my second term from 2017-2019, originally elected in 2012
Website: www.carolforelgin.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarolForElginMayor/
Issue questions
What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?
Elgin, like other municipalities in Illinois, is facing the reality of steadily losing both population and businesses in addition to handling the state mandate to fund pensions to 90 percent by 2030. El-gin's pension obligations have increased by 44 percent since the recession, and thus constrained our current and future ability to address unmet community needs (for example, our homeless population) and to improve Elgin's competitive position in the economic marketplace. The pension obligation has also impacted our bond rating, which makes borrowing for the city more expensive. I intend to work closely with our state legislators to promote a number of state-level solutions that could give some relief to communities, and intend to pursue projects and policies that promote population and small business growth in Elgin.
What makes you the best candidate for the job?
Though I was raised in Elgin and remained tethered to my family here, I have lived and worked in a variety of places including Europe, Asia, New York City, and small-town Michigan. I have an MBA in international business, and have worked in sales and marketing for both large corporations and startup companies. I am a working mother, and my three children attended local public schools here in the U-46 school district, where I currently work as an occupational therapist. Additionally, since moving back to Elgin over a decade ago to be near my mother and raise my family, I have been an active member of the community at all levels - from volunteering at local events to being elected to my second term on the Elgin City Council. I believe my education, work history, and life experiences provide me with a wider perspective on how to move Elgin forward in the next decade.
Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing actions and decisions with your village board or city council.
I am a collaborator, and I believe in sharing insights and ideas to build consensus around shared values and a vision. I appreciate innovation and finding different ways of looking at a problem to find creative solutions. I lead by example, being part of the process while mobilizing the community toward a common goal. I believe I am a good communicator, and will look for ways to improve communication not only with staff and the city council, but also with the public. I have also been an advocate for having more informal "off-site" council meetings to discuss policy ideas and plans. I have been very active in my community and have often had successful collaboration with citizens on an informal basis.
How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services people want?
Elgin's budget is in good shape as far as committing to a good level and quality of services while not raising property taxes, as proposed for the next few years. The city's staff works very hard to look for and remedy inefficiencies within all departments, and uses technological solutions when possible to save resources.
What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
"Successful places are intentional" as quoted by Mike Cornett, four-term mayor of Oklahoma City. Elgin needs a bolder vision, and a plan to leverage its unique assets to attract businesses and residents alike. Part of this vision is to create an "urban advantage" in our downtown that attracts people from all walks of life - millennials looking to start their careers, couples looking to start their families, and retirees looking for a city that offers an engaging quality of life. Elgin is already blessed with natural and urban amenities, and the city should leverage its easy connection to Chicago. With a plan to actively recruit targeted development in our downtown, promote housing density, and support unique small businesses, Elgin's core will cultivate creativity and innovation and provide a center of civic life.