Judith Brodhead: 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: NapervilleWebsite: brodheadfornapervilleOffice sought: Naperville City Council Age: 63Family: Husband - Gary Smith (retired) - married 43 years Adult children, Matthew, Sarah, and Garrett SmithOccupation: Associate Professor of English, Coordinator of Cultural EventsEducation: B.A., Douglass College of Rutgers University M.A., Rutgers UniversityCivic involvement: Prior to election in 2009, I was a homeowners' association president (late 80s and 1990), appointed to the Transportation Advisory Board (1990-1991), the Plan Commission (1991-2002, chair 1997-2002), the Zoning Board of Appeals (2002-2006, chair 2004-2006), and was president of the Naperville League of Women Voters (2004-2006)Elected offices held: Councilwoman, City of Naperville (since 2009)Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I've been preparing for this job since the early 1990s. I don't think there is anyone with more experience on volunteer boards and commissions running right now, with 16 years in total of service to the community before I was elected. Many of those years on the Plan Commission saw incredible growth as our population quickly increased from 85,000 to what is now about 145,000: week after week, we saw proposals for huge tracts of houses as well as businesses. I learned quickly that commercial and retail growth has to balance that residential growth, or property taxes will skyrocket. I also learned how to deal with many stakeholders, including residents, business owners, and professional planners and staff. I've worked cooperatively and productively with my fellow council members for the past six years, and have an excellent relationship with the staff. At this time I'm a member of the Naperville Development Partnership, the Riverwalk Commission, the Downtown Advisory Council, the DuPage Mayors and Managers Legislative Committee, the NCTV-17 Board, and the Community Alliance for Prevention. The reputation of the city as a safe, desirable place to live and work has only increased, and the policies we adopt as a city council help maintain that reputation and reality.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.I was elected to the City Council during the recession, and we still managed to keep property taxes fairly level, even when our EAV dropped. We reduced our workforce more than 10% and cut back on some programs. The sales tax is set by the county and state, and we do not have an added home rule sales tax (we get one percent of the total sales tax). Yes, I do think both are at the correct level. We have been able to service our debt and maintain our very desirable AAA/Aaa bond ratings. Naperville residents get a lot of bang for the buck when it comes to their municipal property taxes, including garbage and recycling (with small added fees), police and fire protection, a beautifully maintained downtown, and well-maintained roads and other infrastructure. The municipal portion of the property tax bill is between 11 and 13% of the total, depending on the county and school district you live in, something many might be surprised to learn.Early projections for the fiscal year 2016 budget showed a $12 million deficit. What can the city do to avoid future budget deficits? Where can the city save money or make cuts?The city council has directed the city manager to find as much saving as possible to reduce the budget gap, which all departments are working on. I'm confident as the budget workshops continue that we'll see that shrink significantly and of course we'll balance the budget. Right now the workforce is down 15% from what it was in the early 2000s. We may find that there are some projects that we have to undertake in stages or to push out for a few years. Over the coming years, we will have to operate in "maintenance" mode, since we are almost at buildout. For many years the speed and volume of growth pumped up the city's revenue, but those days are almost over. We are still an extremely successful city: other than the city of Chicago, no other city in Illinois produces as much sales revenue than Naperville. For instance, after Chicago, we are number one in home improvement store sales, in grocery sales, and in automobile and gasoline sales. That is phenomenal, since we are now fifth in population. Our sales tax income - even without a home rule sales tax - outstrips our real estate (property) tax income.What additional regulations, if any, should the city council impose on bars and liquor license holders to help keep the downtown night life safe? What do you think of the restrictions recently created, such as relating to late-night entry, shot sales, beer sizes, drink specials and security training?At this time, I don't think we need to add additional regulations on alcohol sales. Some of the restrictions we added (controls on shot sales, additional security training) came straight from the Guide to Safe Celebrating, which is a publication produced by the Naperville Development Partnership and informed by the Restaurant Association, the police department, and various stakeholders. As a member of the NDP board, I am fully supportive of those guidelines. Establishments that were following those guidelines had no problems, and turning those suggestions into ordinances has worked well. The last-minute barhopping, which resulted in too many people consuming too many shots or large beers, has been halted by restricting new patrons from entering during the last hour. That was a suggestion directly from a restaurant owner who had seen it work in other cities. The restaurants also use an app to inform one another of troublesome or inebriated patrons if they leave an establishment. The council has made it clear that if problems start again or get worse when the weather warms up, we could cause them to close earlier. We also don't want to impose burdens on restaurant and bar owners by requiring expensive security systems or exorbitant late-night permit fees. We will continue to keep metrics on how the new rules are working. There is nothing more important than maintaining the safety of our city, and we want everyone to feel comfortable walking around the city day and night.What should the city council's role be in bringing businesses to town? Should businesses be allowed to bring in proposals under code names, such as "Project Panda"? What do you think of the decision to approve the SKF development at Warrenville and Freedom roads before informing the public of what the development would be?If a project were proposed that required a financial contribution from the city in the form of incentives, for instance, of course that would be the case. But what the council voted on in the case of "Project Panda" were purely zoning changes and minor variances, including annexing 3 acres of unincorporated land into the city. Our understanding is that SKF's potential acquisition of the property meant that employees might be relocated, for instance, who had not yet been told. I believe that the state issued a press release including SKF's name about 10 days before the city council voted on the zoning changes. The zoning guides the property development, no matter what the use. It is a perfectly acceptable land use, and would not even have required our approval if they didn't need those small changes.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?In addition to maintaining our high level of services while keeping taxes at a reasonable level and upholding our AAA/Aaa bond ratings, we need to preserve our status as one of the safest communities in America, support initiatives that bring jobs and economic development to town, and carefully plan the future of the downtown and other sectors of the city.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I'm impressed by all the women who are taking on political roles that were once not possible for them.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To be tolerant, open-minded, and well-read.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have spent more time traveling the world in my 20s and 30s, even with three children in tow!What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Not surprisingly, my favorite subject has always been English. I am fortunate than I can teach for a living, including composition, literature, and film.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Get the education you need to support yourself and any children you choose to have!