Elgin candidate says he'll cut 'embarrassing' spending

The jockeying for four Elgin City Council seats up for election next spring has begun.

First it was Councilman David Kaptain announcing he's running to unseat longtime Mayor Ed Schock.

Then it was the Association for Legal Americans, which is exploring whether to run a slate of candidates and will have a verdict in September.

This week, David Koldos, a 51-year-old with a background in engineering and manufacturing who owns a small product development company, declared his intention to run.

"I'm a no-nonsense kind of guy," said Koldos, who has lived in Elgin since 1983. "Don't tell me a bunch of garbage. Just tell me what the truth is and we'll deal with it. I look at things in a global environment, because that's what I had to do for 30 years as a manufacturer."

Three, 4-year council seats are up for election in the spring. The council will have at least one new face because Kaptain is running for mayor and not re-election to his current seat.

Mike Warren and John Steffen currently hold the other two seats. Steffen could not be reached for comment, but Warren will seek re-election.

"It's a little early to be talking about the election," Warren said. "(But) I am planning on running again."

Koldos said he was good friends with Mike Powers, a former council member, and Powers encouraged Koldos to run for office during a conversation before Powers' death last December.

Koldos said if he is elected he would accelerate the city's current plans to open a 3-1-1 nonemergency call center and eliminate the permit fees it charges for things like residents building a new fence.

Koldos said he would make up for the loss in revenue by being more selective in doling out incentives for manufacturers and businesses, especially if they already do business in Elgin.

He also believes customer service provided by the city needs to be more friendly, understanding and less condescending.

"The city is there to serve the people and not expect people to bow down to them," Koldos said.

He also said the city needs to cut out a lot of wasteful spending. He cited the landscaped median the city built on Wing Park Boulevard as one example of poor spending.

"It's entertaining at best and embarrassing at worst," Koldos said.