Tish S. Powell: 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: http://www.powellforelgin.comOffice sought: Elgin City CouncilAge: 40Family: Engaged with a 4 year old sonOccupation: HomemakerEducation: Bachelor of Arts in Government- University of Notre DameMaster of Public Administration in Urban Management- Northern Illinois UniversityCivic involvement: College Green Homeowners Association - Board President (2005-Present)City of Elgin Sustainable City Master Plan Committee- Recycling Waste Management Workgroup Chairperson(2009-Present)U-46 School District Citizens Advisory Council- Representative (2009-2010)Progressive Baptist Church - Member City of Elgin Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Committee (2010-2011)Elgin Proud Beautiful - Board Member (1999-2009)Elected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal Responsibility: The city must live within its means, establish meaningful priorities and spend our tax dollars wisely. The economy has forced families to cut back and do more with less to make ends meet in their households. Elgin is no exception. The city has taken dramatic steps over the past few years to curb spending in light of dwindling revenues and must continue its efforts in this area.Key Issue 2 Replacing our Deteriorating Infrastructure Maintaining Core Public Services (police, fire public works): These are core services that directly effect the safety and quality of life in our neighborhoods and throughout the entire community. As we prioritize services and expenditures, we must ensure that we don't eliminate staff and funding to the point that our core services infrastructure are compromised. Elginites have the right to expect that their streets and sewers will be improved according to a reasonable schedule. People should never have to wonder whether there#146;s enough funding to provide critical services such as snow removal, or the necessary police or fire personnel to ensure the safety of their families. Core services and infrastructure must always be maintained.Key Issue 3 Economic Development: The city must actively work to enhance its economic development efforts and initiatives throughout our community and not just in the downtown business district. Elginites deserve to have true shopping, dining and entertainment choices that allow our tax dollars to remain local. Furthermore, we need to secure businesses that offer residents good paying jobs, and actively seek out companies that can bring sustainable ""green"" jobs to the city and add to our tax base.Questions Answers What prompted you to run for this office? What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have a passion for public service and have been encouraged by many residents to run. I love Elgin's diversity and believe that this community has a lot to offer. As a mother, I understand the needs of working families and the importance of ensuring that the entire community is represented. I believe that my leadership skills, coupled with my educational background and sixteen years of local government management experience make me uniquely qualified for this position. Furthermore, as a woman, I feel that I would bring a new vision and fresh perspective to the city council. How will you deal with declining revenue, particularly in the riverboat fund?Past city councils have made the critical decision to not use riverboat funds to finance operating expenses. This decision was vitally significant because in spite of today#146;s difficult economic times, Elgin is in much better financial shape than many other comparable cities. Elgin still does not use riverboat funds to finance operational expenses such as police, fire or public works services. It is a good practice that I would continue. In addition to imposing spending discipline, identifying cost-savings and creating funding priorities, a key factor in managing declining revenue is identifying new sources of revenue. The city needs to attract new businesses, using appropriate incentives when necessary, that will add to our tax base and put people back to work. People who get paid more, spend more and generate natural revenue growth. We also need to ensure that our residents have the workforce skills to secure these newly created jobs. 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.The Elgin Police Department works very closely with ICE and has officers specifically assigned within the Gang Task Force and Document and Fraud Task Force Units to target and prosecute criminal activity. However, the city has no control over who ICE chooses to detain or deport. ICE will only deport sex offenders, gang members and felons. The city has also performed audits on companies they do business with to ensure that their employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S. This is a good practice and should be continued. The city has done what is appropriate in this area without itself violating the law. While I agree that the city should continue to cooperate with ICE and other agencies in their enforcement efforts, we should not be responsible for bearing the primary cost and burden of doing so. Our local police are already stretched managing local issues. We do not need them to take on the responsibility of doing the federal government#146;s job any further than they already have. The city needs to continue to put pressure on our federal lawmakers to either enforce our current laws or develop and implement a new approach to deal with illegal immigration across the U.S. Furthermore, the State also has a role to play by removing ineligible recipients from its programs. 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?I think the city needs to continue to find new and better ways of providing service to the community, including consolidation of services and better use of technology. A prime opportunity in this area would be moving towards a more centralized records management system versus the four or more that are currently being used by various city departments. This would not only save money, but would also be more efficient by eliminating duplication of effort. Residents should be asked how to better establish the spending priorities, especially within the riverboat fund. Traditionally, riverboat funding has been used for capital expenditures, special projects and financing various social service agency missions. Many of those special projects revolved around downtown improvements that gave residents in other sections of town the perception that the city didn#146;t value other areas of the city. We need to ensure that funding is fairly distributed to all areas of the city for smart development and redevelopment efforts. Like the City, local non-profit agencies have also been impacted by the financial crisis and have suffered reductions in their funding from the State and other entities. Many of our non-profits help disadvantaged people in our community. Continued support of these agencies should be reprioritized as our budget will allow.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?There is a perception that the city is ""unfriendly"" to small business and that the process to establish a new business is vague and cumbersome. Small businesses are a vital part of our community and we should do what we can to overcome these perceptions and encourage businesses to locate here. Unfortunately, very little information is currently available from the City of Elgin or the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce to perspective entrepreneurs on the requirements and resources that may be available to them. While this information will certainly vary depending on the type of business, a basic #147;Welcome Packet#148; of information should be made available to citizens looking to open a business in Elgin. This packet should include information on available grants loans, the permit process requirements, zoning, demographics and available properties (including square footage and amenities). Because some of the information is likely to change, it should be designed to be easily updated. Entrepreneurs have many options when it comes to where they choose to locate their business. This is a small and inexpensive way for us to reach out to these businesses and make them want to choose Elgin as their new home.