Leah Goodman, Ward 4 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: WarrenvilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Warrenville Alderman, Ward 4Age: 30Family: SingleOccupation: AttorneyEducation: Wheaton Warrenville South High School, 1998, valedictorianBachelor of Science in Physics, Stanford University, 2002Bachelor of Arts in English, Stanford University, 2002J.D., University of Michigan Law School, 2005Civic involvement: Member of the Warrenville Plan Commission and Zoning Boardof Appeals, 2005 to presentElected 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 My first priority as an Alderman will be thinking in the long-term best interests of Warrenville when it comes to making planning and budget decisions for the city. Not only must the Council understand the goals and interests of Warrenville residents and businesses when making decisions to keep Warrenville on track for an economic recovery, but we also have to consider the consequences of those decisions down the road. We must always bear in mind the way we want Warrenville to look in the future. I love my community, and I want my family, friends and neighbors to be happy staying here in the years to come. To me, this means making responsible budget decisions, without shirking necessary investments in the future, even in difficult economic times. We have to make sure that we have world class technology, infrastructure, and education, as well as open space and sustainable, green initiatives, to keep Warrenville's people working and playing here. If we make our city attractive to new businesses and residents, and serve our current neighbors as best we can, our citizens will prosper.Key Issue 2 One of the biggest issues that currently faces Warrenville is the planned Route 56 widening, which will put a major, four-lane highway right across the length of our city. Finding the advantages in that change, and mitigating the disadvantages, is going to be an ongoing challenge for the Council. Having such a massive road cutting our city practically in half will create safety issues for pedestrians and bicyclists going from one side of town to another, traffic concerns for our motorists, and new issues for our police department. The aesthetic and noise concerns cannot be ignored. At the same time, if the project is done right, additional traffic through Warrenville may end up being a boon to local businesses and public events, and possibly even raise our city profile in the area. As a Plan Commission representative, I worked with city staff and other local leaders to help shape the Route 56 expansion to best effect. Although IDOT runs the project and the City of Warrenville had limited authority, we were able to negotiate changes. Those changes included features to make the landscaping more sustainable, to make intersections safer, and to make the plan more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly. In the end, my group put together plans that won a state grant of nearly $1 million dollars, to help Warrenville make the greener, safer, features a reality.Key Issue 3 Maintaining public trust will be one of my most steadfastgoals. Though usually rare, when a public official lets down the people he or she represents, lasting damage is done to the perception of that public office, and to the system that it represents. As Alderman, I would strive to live up to the highest standards of public service and ethics, and I would encourage those high standards to be reflected in everything the city does.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Election to the City Council would be an honor and a privilege. I have the experience to do the job right, a lifelong love of Warrenville to motivate me, and the energy and enthusiasm to work as hard as it takes. After nearly six years representing Ward 4 on the Warrenville Plan Commission, I have seen firsthand how our city government works. I am familiar with the people and the process, and I know what it takes to get things done. In the past six years, I have been able to help oversee many changes that have happened in Warrenville, and I am proud of the direction my community is taking.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Because of the end of a major TIF district here in Warrenville, projected revenues from property and sales taxes for the coming fiscal year are going to be much higher than in the past. Warrenville's share of sales tax revenue from the numerous new businesses in Cantera should provide a substantial boost to the City's bottom line, and so contemplating any new changes to local sales tax rates seems very unlikely to me. Since the new revenues have been anticipated and planned for, Warrenville is in a better fiscal position than many of its neighbors in the short term. Future changes to the sales tax would have to take into account the long-term needs of the community, and what the adverse impacts on local businesses would be.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.In Warrenville, for quite a long time, our biggest public safety concern has been the West Branch of the DuPage River, which cuts through town. Two separate public safety concerns involve the river; first, the Superfund site cleanup, and second, an increase in the amount of flooding in the past few years. The ongoing cleanup of thorium contamination by Tronox, formerly Kerr-McGee, has been stalled because of Tronox's Chapter 11 filing in 2009. Starting in 2005, site cleanup had been taking place pursuant to a negotiated agreement, but since the bankruptcy filing, funding for that cleanup has been an issue. Working with local political leaders, Warrenville was able to get the work restarted, and now, with EPA involvement, it seems cleanup will continue. However, it is critical that the job be finished properly, and continuing local oversight will be key to that. As for the flooding, the City is working with experts to analyze data about the possible impact the Fawell Dam may have on stormwater in Warrenville, and without support by DuPage County, has had to shoulder the financial burden for such analysis on its own. Regardless of the outcome of the analysis, the City must work with DuPage County on its long-term stormwater management plans to help mitigate future flooding, and to work with local property owners to oversee affected properties.In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The largest items in the Warrenville budget are police officer salaries and road repair and maintenance. There are no easy cuts there. I feel that the best way to keep a tight rein on the budget is careful annual scrutiny to ensure that money goes to those things that work, and that are done efficiently. Having a top-notch police department will continue to be a major priority for the citizens of Warrenville, as will keeping our roads safe and well-maintained.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?More credit and attention should be given to our local volunteers and the people who do their part every day to see to the needs of friends and neighbors. As public officials, it is our honor to thank and encourage those who carry so much of the weight, on a day-to-day basis, doing the work that makes Warrenville special and sets us apart. In so many ways, Warrenville residents are there to support one another, from our churches and charities, to our community festival organizers. When someone takes a meal to a sick friend, when a neighbor shovels the snow from your walk, or when pots of flowers appear on poles and bridges, in so many small ways, we make each others' lives richer. I have been lucky enough to witness many such instances of support, and that public spiritedness and unselfish giving is something that the Warrenville City Council should never forget to respect and applaud.