Mary Gibson: 2025 candidate for Naperville city council

Bio

Office sought: Naperville city council

City: Naperville

Age: 39

Occupation: Former director at an data analytics firm

Previous offices held: Current president of the Naperville Park District

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

The future of our energy contract with IMEA is the biggest issue facing Naperville. The contract expires in 10 years; however, the city is considering extending the contract, which sources 80% of its supply from carbon-based fuel, through 2055. This would be irresponsible without a competitive bidding process to ensure cost efficiency, environmental impact, and reliable service levels. Council’s decisions on how we meet Naperville’s energy needs requires evidence-based analysis to ensure any commitment we make is in the best interest of current and future residents.

My background in data analytics as well as my proven experience managing the park district’s $53 million budget positions me well for this challenge.

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?

Illinois repealed its 1% grocery tax in August 2024 but allowed municipalities to implement their own tax starting in 2026. As a result, Naperville faces a $6 million annual shortfall.

Addressing this shortfall requires a balanced approach. First, we must review expenditures to reduce waste and eliminate redundancies without compromising public safety or essential services. For example, we should assess the pace of water main replacements and whether burying overhead power lines is a necessary expense at this time.

We must also analyze revenue sources to ensure fair market pricing and explore underutilized assets, though one-time sales won’t provide annual funding.

Above all, public safety must remain a top priority. I will employ my experience from Naperville’s police and fire citizen academies and as park district president to maintain high-quality services while keeping budget growth below the rate of inflation and preserving Naperville as the safest city in America.

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?

Naperville’s current infrastructure adequately supports operations and stakeholders’ needs but there is room for improvement.

The Washington Street bridge replacement is a recent example of a city infrastructure project that hurt local businesses and caused resident frustration because the project has significantly exceeded the vendor’s projected timeline. When city council receives a bid that looks too good to be true, it is council’s responsibility to reality test the vendor’s assumptions to ensure they will execute as promised.

One of Naperville’s most consequential upcoming infrastructure projects is the city’s Roads Improvement Plan, which will have a direct impact on residents and local businesses. I’m excited to dig into the data to identify the improvements that will yield the largest return for our investment and drive efficient traffic movement throughout the city to save time and money and improve safety across all of our stakeholders.

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.

Before elected office, I facilitated the Open Discussion Project at Anderson’s Bookshop for four years. The goal of the program was to encourage dialogue between people with different political viewpoints and promote civil discussions on divisive topics, something that has been missing from our public discourse over recent years.

I’ve brought that open collaborative spirit to the park district board, which has resulted in being unanimously elected as board president three times by my fellow park district commissioners.

I bring a track record of a strong work ethic, dedication, and working across the political spectrum to further Naperville’s interests. I support government transparency and accountability and will ensure residents’ voices are heard.

My experience in government, public policy and data analytics background, and proven commitment to transparency, civility, and accountability make me the best choice to bring a fresh, informed, and results-driven perspective to city council.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I am currently Naperville Park District president, where I developed and implemented a 3-year strategic plan to set the vision and guide its purpose and priorities. I managed a $53 million-plus budget and broad portfolio of assets including 138 parks. I work collaboratively with my peers to serve our community and will bring that spirit and track record of achievement to city council.

City council is nonpartisan and I believe that constituents want us to work together on local issues. I have seen what is possible when we check our ideologies at the door and focus on the people and that is what I will bring to the city council.

I’m committed to maintaining low taxes by expanding our tax base in the areas of town that need it most, pursue reasonable development and tax incentives with short payback periods, and deliver high quality reliable services to keep Naperville as the best place to live and work in the U.S.

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

The city needs follow up to ensure council directed initiatives are executed. The Naperville sustainability plan was unanimously passed by council with 70+ action items through 2035; however, the most recent update on the city website is from December 2022. Council unanimously passed a plan to incentivize affordable housing that was never implemented.

Additionally, the city implemented a new system for the public to communicate with their elected officials in March 2024 that has been the subject of many complaints which have not been resolved. As park district president, I adopted a tracking system to make sure the board decisions were implemented and nothing fell through the cracks. I would lead the charge to do the same for city council if elected.