Tara Burghart: Candidate Profile

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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:BioQA Bio City: GenevaWebsite: taraforgeneva.com (to be launched shortly)Office sought: Geneva City Council Ward 1 Age: 42Family: My husband, Daniel Janis, serves on the city's Strategic Plan Advisory Committee. Our daughter, Hannah, is 6 years old.Occupation: Director of Marketing and Content for a digital communications consulting firm; Owner and editor of the hyperlocal website GoWestYoungMom.comEducation: Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 1994Civic involvement: I have been a member of the University of Illinois College of Media Alumni Board for the past decade. I volunteer at Williamsburg Elementary School, including serving as the Costume Chair of the PTO Fun Fair in 2014. I have been a supporter of Pumpkins for a Cure and the Zellmer Childhood Disease Foundation since 2011. My business is a sponsor of the charity and on a volunteer basis, I handle ZCDF's social media campaigns.Elected offices held: N/AQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I don't view my candidacy as one of "Geneva is on the wrong track." Instead, I want to build on past successes and engage a new generation of citizens. I have been fortunate to call Geneva home for the past eight years. My daughter was born here. I purchased my first home here. I am looking forward to spending many more years here. I'm committed to helping ensure Geneva has a vibrant future, and I will bring a fresh perspective to the City Council. During my 14 years as a reporter and editor for The Associated Press in bureaus from New York City to Champaign, Ill., I wrote and reported on decisions of various governmental bodies. I witnessed the impact the actions of local government can have on a community. Perhaps most importantly, my career as a journalist sharpened skills that would serve me well as a member of the City Council. I've trained myself to go into issues with an open mind - ready to truly listen to both sides of a debate. I enjoy meeting new people, and I'll be eager to solicit opinions from constituents on the issues they care about. I'm also good at gathering information, and I quickly absorb new material. I'm not afraid to ask tough questions - or hunt down an answer myself. I believe in government transparency and individual participation. For these reasons, I believe I am uniquely qualified to serve Geneva's First Ward.What is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales and property taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.The largest source of general fund revenue in Geneva is from local sales taxes. Of the 7.5 percent retail sales tax collected by the state, Geneva receives 1.5 percent of the revenues. Geneva's sales tax is less than several surrounding home-rule communities, including Batavia and St. Charles. The next largest source of revenue for Geneva is property taxes, which make up 27 percent of current revenue in the general fund. However, the city's portion of a resident's total tax bill is only about 8 percent; Geneva School District 308 accounts for about 68 percent of a typical Geneva resident's tax bill. Rather than debate the rates - which are imposed by the state and other taxing bodies in most cases -- I think it is more important that the city continue its efforts to build a strong and diverse base of revenues. There are several redevelopment projects that have the potential to positively impact the taxing landscape. The Mill Race Inn, the Eastside Development Corridor and the Geneva Bottle Works site (in the First Ward) all have great potential. I'm eager to learn more about the prospects for these projects and work with developers to create a win-win situation for the city and community. Finally, anything the city can do to bring more visitors, shoppers and guests to downtown restaurants, stores and inns could lead to an increase in the tax revenue.Rate the efficiency of your town's police and fire coverage. Are the departments well prepared for the next decade? What, if anything, should be changed? Do you have specific public safety concerns?This is an area where I admittedly would need to gather additional information. One of my first priorities as alderman would be to meet with all city department heads (not just police and fire) to understand their departmental priorities and strategic goals. I believe building a working relationship with city departments will enhance my effectiveness on the City Council and foster greater transparency between city employees and elected officials. Geneva crime rates are low and continue to move in the right direction. With that said, I feel that I would need additional information to determine the readiness of the departments for the next decade, but it is a conversation I look forward to having. I am a big proponent of Geneva's police and fire departments and expect my tenure on the City Council will only enhance my perception of the departments and the exceptional men and women who serve and protect our city. That includes the police officer who drove his car around the block in order to patronize my daughter's lemonade stand a couple summers ago! Regarding public safety concerns, I would like to see continued attention and resources devoted to pedestrian safety. Geneva, like all suburbs, is certainly a "car culture." But because of the Metra station, the Fox River trails and its charming downtown, Geneva also has a healthy population of pedestrians and bicyclists. Doing our best to create a safe culture for pedestrians and bicyclists will be beneficial for a number of reasons.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The question of proper municipal expenditures can be viewed as a negotiation among the city's own priorities and strategic objectives. No one wants his or her tax dollars spent frivolously. I see the role of alderman as one in which expenditures are critically reviewed and departments challenged to find additional efficiencies and opportunities for savings. As to specific opportunities, it is difficult to say without being "in the room" for a given budget cycle. I do understand the challenges that await the new City Council in terms of pension obligations, equipment modernization and other capital improvements. Timing is always critical in prioritizing projects and I look forward to asking the tough questions of city management to understand the allocation of the city's finite resources. It would be my hope that I could assist in the important effort of budget planning and balancing objectives. I would certainly aim to be a careful steward of the city's (i.e. citizen's) assets. I have no problem pushing back on ideas that I find wasteful and conversely lifting up ideas that I think are in the best interest of the city.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?When I talk to friends who don't live in Geneva, invariably the subject of our downtown comes up: People love the shops, the restaurants, the charm, the sense of history and location on the scenic Fox River. No other city in the far western suburbs has a downtown as treasured - it attracts national attention from "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and from Chicago TV stations that come here for features on the Christmas Walk and even "Chocolate Tours." Events like Swedish Days, Festival of the Vine and the Christmas Walk do a great job of drawing residents and non-residents downtown. We just need more special events! Therefore, the city should host a series of free, Ravinia-style concerts on the lawn of the Kane County Courthouse during the warmer months. The performing acts need not be Ravinia-quality, of course; some weeks could even feature members of the Geneva High School orchestra or acoustic acts from the immediate area. Attendees would be encouraged to bring their own picnics, or to purchase food from local restaurants that would be allowed to have food carts along Third Street. Shops would be encouraged to stay open late, hopefully attracting some new customers or customers who hadn't stopped by for a while. When people visit downtown Geneva, they absolutely love it. The city needs to sponsor (or encourage) more events that prompt people to plan those trips to our beautiful downtown.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Several developments have been proposed or are already underway that will impact the "city center" of Geneva, including its business district and its historic district. These include a proposal to demolish the vacant Cetron factory and replace it with a five-story apartment building; the Park Place development of town houses near Wheeler Park and the library district acquiring the 6th Street School for a new library. Of course Geneva wants to be a suburb where developers are excited to work and propose projects. But it's also important to preserve Geneva's unique charm and history -- the reason that so many young families move to the suburb in the first place. With much of Geneva's historic district in the First Ward, these are issues that are especially important for its aldermen to understand. The balance between progress and preservation is one that continually interests me, and I'd like to add my voice to this discussion.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.At the 2013 BlogHer conference, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg spoke about "leaning in," prompting me to revisit earlier dreams of getting involved in local government.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My parents taught me to treat everyone with respect - certainly teachers and elders, but also the waitress or store clerk helping with a return.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Life is an interwoven series of decisions. I wouldn't change any of them or I would not be where I am today.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I attended a small high school, but our three English teachers were amazing and unique. They inspired me to pursue a career in writing.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Rather than advice, I demonstrate to my daughter every day the importance of kindness, hard work and being grateful for all we've been given.