Seniors, campaign funds come up at Naperville mayor forum
The Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation squeezed 22 questions for the four candidates to be the city's next mayor into a 90-minute period Monday during a candidate forum designed to help voters choose the city's new leader.
Traffic, empty storefronts, government transparency, the city budget, puppy mills and parking were among topics addressed by mayoral candidates Doug Krause, Marty Walker, Jim Haselhorst and Steve Chirico.
Many of the questions were posed by the 100 audience members at the forum at the Naperville municipal center.
One audience question covered senior citizens and what concerns the candidates have about how the city is serving its older adult population.
Krause and Chirico, who are both city council members, talked up the early actions of a senior task force the city created last year, but focused on different elements of its approach.
Krause, a 67-year-old real estate broker, said the task force is working to organize the long list of services seniors can seek and which organization provides what type of assistance. Some senior benefits, such as a service that allows seniors to borrow medical equipment or a real estate tax deferral service, are little-known, Krause said.
"We want to find a way to centralize all the services available to seniors," Krause said.
Chirico, a 54-year-old business owner, said creation of the task force is helping ensure seniors are no longer "somewhat of an overlooked population" in the city of 145,000. He said the task force is researching five topics - housing, transportation, health, collaboration and education - to see what can be improved.
"The whole goal is that ultimately we want our seniors to be able to age in their homes and not be forced out," Chirico said. "If they choose they should be able to stay here in Naperville."
Haselhorst, a 55-year-old dental office manager with a background in the Navy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the city doesn't necessarily have to provide recreation, socialization or housing assistance services to seniors if those needs are being met by businesses in the community.
"Just because some services are provided by the private sector doesn't mean they aren't doing a good job serving our community," Haselhorst said.
Walker, a 62-year-old retired firefighter, said he hears transportation as a concern among seniors who want to stay active and involved in a city they love. Listening to seniors' needs and giving them a say in city operations would help them continue to feel valued.
"If they have issues, they need to be listened to," Walker said. "They need to be heard."
Attendees at Monday's forum also gained some insight into the campaign spending of each candidate.
On the low end, Walker said he plans to spend about $5,000, including $2,000 out of his pocket, and Haselhorst said he's self-funding his campaign and also plans to spend $5,000.
Krause's campaign fundraising falls in the middle, as he said he plans to spend $15,000 to $20,000 from fundraisers and donations from residents - but not bankers, developers or anyone with a liquor license.
On the high end, Chirico said his campaign will raise nearly $80,000 from hundreds of residents, business operators and other "stakeholders" who have donated or volunteered to help.
The candidates are facing off in the April 7 election to be the first new mayor in Naperville after George Pradel held the post for 20 years.