Mayoral candidates talk Elgin's future

The spotlight might be on Tuesday's state and county elections, but it's safe to say the Elgin City Council contest in April 2011 is already in the picture.

Mayor Ed Schock and Councilman David Kaptain faced questions about immigration, unemployment, overcrowding, the economy and crime Tuesday at a town-hall meeting organized by the Association for Legal Americans, or AFLA.

Kaptain, who is running for mayor, and Schock agreed on many issues, but differed on their approach to developing the city and red-light cameras.

Kaptain said he believes the best way to strengthen the community is to help the poor first. “We're developing two Elgins. One that's wealthy, and one that's not so wealthy,” he said. “One way to do it is to help raise the people at the bottom.”

Schock defended how the city has grown toward the west, saying low-income housing is targeted toward those with lower incomes and newer developments provide an option to entice Elginites to move up, but stay in Elgin.

Schock, armed with a stack of statistics, also pointed to new investment in the city and noted the city's “AA+” bond rating, which allows the city to borrow money at lower interest rates.

Earlier this year, Kane County denied a city request to install red-light cameras along Randall Road. Kaptain said the city has “bigger things to worry about” than to give motorists tickets for not coming to a complete stop while turning right on a red; Schock said he believes the cameras help prevent accidents for both motorists running through reds or turning right without stopping.

Schock and Kaptain also defended steps the city has taken to combat illegal immigration. They noted the city screens all its employees and conducts random audits on businesses contracted by the city.

Schock also noted the police department's increased cooperation with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

“The city has been as aggressive as the law allows,” Schock said. “We have nothing to apologize for.”

David White, AFLA co-founder, said the town hall meeting was not meant to be a candidate forum.

But the April 2 election was in the minds of many.

“These are real issues facing Elgin,” he said. “We need a council that will vote independently and address tough issues.”

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