Pete Ladesic: 2021 candidate for Glen Ellyn Village President
In the race for Glen Ellyn Village President, former Trustee Pete Ladesic and sitting Trustee Mark Senak are vying for the village's top post in the April 6, 2021, election.
First-term incumbent Diane McGinley did not seek reelection as she was moving out of state with her family.
Senak received the endorsement of the village's Civic Betterment Party, while Ladesic is campaigning outside the party system that has produced a slate of candidates for elected office in the village since the 1930s.
The Daily Herald asked the candidates several questions about issues facing the village.
Below are Ladesic's responses.
In-person early voting with paper ballots begins Feb. 25 at DuPage County Fairgrounds Building 5, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. In-person early voting with touch-screen voting begins March 22 at locations throughout the county. Learn more at www.dupageco.org/earlyvoting/.
2 candidates running for one, 4-year seat
Bio
Town: Glen Ellyn
Age: 59
Occupation: Homebuilder property developer, Ladesic & Scott, Inc.
Civic involvement: I have been a volunteer in Glen Ellyn since my youth. Starting with the Glen Ellyn Jaycees and Chamber of Commerce, I then served as a Glen Ellyn Police Reserve for 20 years and then served our community for 12 years as a Glen Ellyn Village Trustee. My website www.glenellynpresident.com goes into further detail on my history of civil service in Glen Ellyn.
Q&A
Q: How do you view your role in confronting the pandemic: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents - even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state and federal authorities?
A: Public safety is the greatest role a government has. Leaders make decisions based on what is best for all residents, even if unpopular. While we do not have the same resources and legal authority as many state and federal agencies, we have the ability to work with them and communicate more directly with our residents to inform them of health threats, protective measures and treatments which they may not otherwise be aware of.
We have a local reverse 911 system and community E-Blast system that residents can sign up for and an electronic messaging billboard in our downtown. We have even greater resident data through our water meter billing and vehicle sticker program and, if necessary, we can use these resources to contact residents who may not receive electronic communications. I hope as a community that we have all learned how important our electronic communication systems are and encourage more residents to enroll in those programs.
Q: Did your town continue to adequately serve its constituents during the disruptions caused by the pandemic? If so, please cite an example of how it successfully adjusted to providing services. If not, please cite a specific example of what could have been done better.
A: Yes.
I had already finished my service on the village board when COVID-19 hit but from what I witnessed, as a resident, I saw very little disruption to essential services. Our police, fire and public works departments operated successfully with the additions of PPE and administrative functions continued with less in office staff and more remote work.
We offered local businesses COVID-19 grants and provided tents and other equipment to assist our restaurants in continuing their operations. We also suspended and or lessened some our licensing programs to make it easier on businesses that generate retail sales tax revenues in our community.
One area that we need to work on is making more services available online. Most village bill payments can now be made online but applying for and issuing building permits online would allow these services to be made remotely in the event that similar events happen in the future.
Q: In light of our experiences with COVID-19, what safeguards/guidelines should you put in place to address any future public health crises?
A: We have historically done a good job communicating with our residents and the communication regarding COVID-19 was no exception. The village communicated with residents through several means as mentioned above but this can always be improved on.
Being prepared and being flexible is what will get us through an event such as COVID and possibly worse events in the future. We are fortunate that we have a proficient police and fire department prepared for immediate life-threatening emergencies and a capable public works department prepared for any infrastructure emergencies.
Q: What cuts can local government make to reduce the burden of the pandemic on taxpayers?
A: Nonessential services would be the first cuts that municipalities would make and capital projects not yet started would be the likely second area for cuts. We tend to not be staff heavy in most departments but if we paired back to essential services some departments would need less staff. I would caution against stopping road projects which have already begun. We have experienced forced stoppages on in-progress road projects in the past and conditions were left unsafe by contractors causing unnecessary risks to our residents.
Q: What do you see as the most important infrastructure project you must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what infrastructure project can be put on the back burner?
A: Being founded in the late 1800s, Glen Ellyn has some very dated underground utilities that need addressed. Rebuilding the very old utility infrastructure in our Central Business District would be the most important in my opinion.
We have sewer and water utilities in our CBD that are several decades old which could pose some health risks and significant costs to our residents if they are not addressed soon. There are also some old coal bins under the curbs and sidewalks in the CBD which need addressed sooner rather than later. Funding for some of these utility upgrades has been planned for in prior long-term capital project plans. Expediting the needed repairs will take issuing bonds to pay for them over time as to not impact our residents.
We always have a full pipeline of road projects that could be extended, if necessary, being careful not to let some roads reach a critical point of more costly comprehensive rebuilding. Sewer and water projects are more critical as delaying their replacement tend to be more costly. Extending the life of many of our roads can be achieved through skip patching, crack filling and applied asphalt rejuvenators.
Q: Do you agree or disagree with the stance your board has taken on permitting recreational marijuana sales in the community? What would you change about that stance, if you could?
A: Not only is our current board split on this issue but our community is split on this issue as well. While I would support some decriminalization of marijuana offenses, I generally do not support having retail marijuana stores in our village.
The estimated net revenues of less than $200,000 per year would not offset the burdens placed on our law enforcement and local mental health professionals. Much of my stance on this matter comes from serving as a police officer in our community and understanding the negative impacts these stores would have on our residents.
Q: What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
A: Two ideas come to mind.
I would strive to preserve our volunteer fire company so that we would not have a significant financial tax burden on our residents if we had to fund a full-time fire department. Another would be continuing to work toward a vehicular underpass in our Central Business District to address the public safety and economic impact of increased rail traffic and crossing gate closures.
Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?
A: In my 32 plus years of volunteer service to this community, I have always put our residents first. I have demonstrated an unequaled commitment to our residents and have the depth of experience that no other candidate has. In my 12 years of service as a village trustee, I consistently opposed property tax increases and sought more cost effective solutions as a way to offset ever increasing expenses. As a 54-year resident of Glen Ellyn, I not only treasure the history of our community but I am passionate about ensuring its successful future.