Shane Nowak: Candidate Profile

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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: elginWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Elgin City CouncilAge: 30Family: Single. Mother, father, a sister and a brother.Occupation: Insurance agent and an emergency room technician.Education: Associate of Arts from Elgin Community CollegeBachelor of Science from Northern Illinois UniversityCivic involvement: Member of the Elgin Chamber of Commerce.Elected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 If elected, the main goal I would hope to accomplish is for the city of Elgin to be known as the best place in the western suburbs to set up a business and invest in the community we have here. I would want a business to be able buy/lease land on day one and be able to set up shop the very next day. Bringing in businesses is the only way to ensure the survival of this beloved city and the prosperity of not only the community, but the very resident that comprise it. I would accomplish this by streamlining the process in which business open and operate within Elgin, in hopes of making Elgin and more business friendly city.Key Issue 2 I think the city should be a mean lean well-oiled machine. I believe in having the lowest taxes as possible for the city and still be an effective governmental body. It has been a fact for a long time that by having low taxes leads to economic growth. In these hard economic times I want to ensure that the citizens of Elgin have as much money in their pockets so that they can pay their own bills first over the city#146;s bills.Key Issue 3 I disagree with the business license fee that the city passed last year. We were one of the few cities in the area that didn#146;t have a business license fee. This is how you drive businesses and, more importantly, the jobs away from Elgin, by making more costly to do business in Elgin. I would work hard to revoke this new tax and help the struggling Elgin businesses.Questions Answers What prompted you to run for this office? What makes you the best candidate for the job?My decision to run for Elgin City Council stems from my desire to improve the quality of life for all the residents of Elgin. I have a deep love for this city and its rich history. I believe that this city is a good place to live and raise a family, but could definitely benefit from change to improve upon the current assets Elgin has going for it. Elgin does have numerous strengths and offers great potential for the future, however these strengths need to be developed and efficiently utilized to benefit the city as a whole. I think the current council members are not governing in a fashion that does that.How will you deal with declining revenue, particularly in the riverboat fund?You deal with declining revenue by bringing in more businesses to Elgin. These businesses would bring in jobs and this in turn would increase the amount of taxes that the city would receive. If you have more businesses then you would not have to rely on the revenue from the riverboat.How well has the city addressed the issue of illegal immigration? Has it done what's appropriate or is there more to do? Please offer specifics.One of the responsibilities of the United States government is to protect its citizens from external threats and by an immigrant being here illegally this means that the person was never screened by the government to make sure the person means no harm to the citizens. The second problem is assimilation. If elected as a council member, I would support any and all initiatives to better achieve the desire to become Americans, indiscernible from the next. I believe a unified language would allow us greater understanding and communication, a unified culture to better identify with and relate our life experiences, and a unified people to better live as proud Americans. The first and I think best way is to have all Elgin documents only be printed in English.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to? Does the city need to reprioritize the funds it puts toward municipal projects? Non-profits?The best thing for the city do is get back to basics. What are the core functions of any city government? Police, fire and public works. The city eliminate all programs that don't completely serve every citizen of Elgin. For, example the city has numerous programs that help fund private home projects from replacing chain link fences to repainting their homes. Municipal projects should be kept at a minimum to only those that must be done like repairing roads or updating the aging sewer system and not replacing sidewalks with bricks.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?While there may not be one new revolutionary idea that I can provide, I think the community should be focusing on the central core ideas that have been good ideas for many generations now. These core ideas are lower taxes, limited government and the free marketplace. The current council, I believe, has been ignoring these core ideas for awhile now. This is what people should be talking about, not a magical solution to instantly improving the city.