Daniel Virgil: 2025 candidate for Elmhurst City Council Ward 5

Bio

Office sought: Elmhurst City Council Ward 5

City: Elmhurst

Age: 57

Occupation: Retired senior technical project manager

Previous offices held: None

What is the most serious issue your community will face in the coming years and how should the city council respond to it?

I believe the most pressing issue is the cost of living. Elmhurst is a desirable place to be, but it’s also expensive. Taxes/fees and housing affordability have become burdensome to many residents. This is not a simple problem to solve as there are national and regional factors that are at least part of it. I will discuss further in my response to the next question.

How would you describe the state of your community's finances? What should be the top priorities for spending during the next few years? Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed?

The taxes and fees in Elmhurst are high. The city’s revenue collections have been increasing faster than inflation for decades.

In the past 30 years, the city’s tax revenues have doubled, even after taking out the impact of inflation, although the city’s population has only risen by about 10%.

I would like to see the city look for opportunities for savings and spending cuts. I have a few ideas for these.

I would also support efforts to grow the tax base to better leverage the infrastructure investments the city has already made. This would provide additional revenues to cover the city’s costs and provide savings for existing residents.

What do you see as the most important infrastructure project the community must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what project(s) can be put on the back burner?

Like a lot of residents, I was surprised when I heard that the city wanted to replace the police station. The building isn’t that old, and it looks nice.

To better understand whether a replacement was warranted I spoke with folks that worked in the building and took a tour. I have changed my mind about this. I now believe that it is needed. The current one is very cramped, inefficiently designed. It has security, structural and mechanical issues. Many of these defects actually cost the city extra money. Just putting more money into a badly designed structure seems like a waste.

I attended the finance committee meetings where they deliberated on how to pay for the new station. I think the approach they came up with is probably the best possible option. It tries to minimize the impact on property taxes by selling a city-owned property (180 W. Park) and increasing the hotel tax by 1%. However, I would also like to look at spending cuts and areas for savings to help offset the increases.

I think the train station is a project that could be shelved for now. Even though there is some grant money available, it doesn't cover all the cost. We should hold off, at least for now.

Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach an agreement and manage local government? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your city council.

City government is not a go-it-alone endeavor. An alderman trying to push for something by him/herself will not accomplish much. It takes collaboration and a coalition of other aldermen and involved members of the public to get anything significant done.

I had a long professional career where I developed skills that are applicable in city government. I worked with many different groups of stakeholders to get things done for the benefit of a client. In this case the client would be the residents of the 5th Ward specifically and the people of Elmhurst generally.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

This job requires dedication and responsiveness. In the course of the campaign so far, I have spoken to hundreds of 5th Ward residents and heard their concerns, and hopefully they have learned a bit about me too.

I believe the alderman should be a liaison with the residents, understanding their struggles and pushing for solutions, as well as keeping them informed. I’m retired so I have plenty of time to devote to this.

If you’ve been around Elmhurst for a while, you may remember my family from the hoop drama in town a few years ago. During that six-year effort to change the city’s code, I learned a lot about how the city works and what it takes to successfully make change.

Since then, I have been regularly attending city council and committee meetings to become familiar with issues and concerns of the community. While I love this city, I can say that it’s not perfect. There is still work to do. I’m not afraid to roll up my sleeves and dig into the issues to find the best solution.

What’s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?

I would like to look at eliminating the vehicle sticker program. According to the city’s own 2025 budget document, the admin cost is high to raise revenue through this program. The city’s costs include postage, materials, labor, enforcement, as well as license fees for a software application to administer it. It may make sense to just include the net revenue amount in the property tax levy since its paid for by residents anyway.

This would result in a net savings overall for most residents. It would also eliminate the annual hassle of renewing the sticker and scraping off the old one from the windshield.