Robert Swanson: Candidate Profile

Back to Geneva City Council Ward 5

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: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Geneva City Council Ward 5 Age: 54Family: Married to Mary, three children raised in Geneva. Chris, 23, Amy, 21, and Jeremy, 19. All three children attended Geneva public schools.Occupation: Owner of Riverbank Laboratories, a tuning fork manufacturer.Education: B.B.A. in Accounting from Loyola University of Chicago.Civic involvement: Former President, Treasurer,and Board Member of the Geneva History Museum.Active volunteer at the Northern Illinois Food Bank.Host family for 4 foreign exchange students from Europe and South America.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers Do you support what the Downtown/Station Area Master Plan's suggests for redevelopment of several opportunity sites, including the Cetron factory site and the Mill Race Inn site, including calls for higher-density housing than currently allowed? Discuss in light of recent decisions against an apartment building at the Cetron site and townhouses/duplexes at the former Geneva Greenhouse site.The first goal of the Downtown/Station area Master Plan is to "Preserve downtown's authentic character while accommodating new infill development." The health and future viability of the Geneva downtown will be greatly enhanced by expanding the number of people who live, work, dine and shop in the area. The addition of higher density housing in the downtown is one way to assist the vitality of Geneva. We also need to keep the current facilities in the downtown that draw visitors. These facilities include City Hall, the public library and the courthouse.The democratic process that unfolded in the previous year with respect to the Cetron and Geneva Greenhouse proposals showed that the City Council would listen to the concerns of residents, and either request modifications to the proposed plans to accommodate those concerns; or deny approval. I would evaluate new proposals in the same manner in order to balance the goal of higher density housing with the potential impact on the existing residential neighborhood. My approach to these difficult decisions will be to listen to all stakeholders. My top priority will be to maintain the character of the neighborhood.Should a city employee (the administrator or her designee) negotiate city union contracts, given that they, like other employees, will receive the same benefits as union members?The city administrator (or assistant city administrator) has been negotiating the city union contracts for many years in Geneva, much like many other similarly sized suburbs in the area. The alternative would be to hire an independent party to conduct the negotiations, which would add to budgeted expenses. As the City Council ultimately approves the proposed city union contracts, I do not see a conflict of interest by having the negotiations performed by city staff. The purpose of any union contract should be to meet the objectives of both the city and the union employees.Mayoral candidate Tom Simonian has said he won't take the salary of mayor/liquor commissioner, or would donate it to charity. Is that a good idea? Why or why not?I do not see the decision to accept a salary, or to donate it to charity, as a valid campaign issue. This is a decision for each individual to make based on his or her personal circumstances.Should the city do something to increase the amount of affordable housing in Geneva, as the Chicago Metropolitan Agency on Planning study calls for? If so, what?All communities benefit from having economic diversity, and our young people just starting out, our seniors who desire to age in place, and our public servants, teachers and first responders deserve the opportunity to live in the community they contribute to.The Homes for a Changing Region report had several recommendations that Geneva should explore. These recommendations included investigating employer-assisted housing with large local employers and retrofitting older, less energy efficient housing.In addition, the report identified seniors as the population segment with the fastest growing need for additional housing in Geneva through the year 2040. In order to meet this need, I would add the possibilities of retrofitting or replacing vacant big box retail sites with senior housing as well as encouraging the development of senior housing in the East Side State Street corridor. These new ideas would address the need for additional senior housing in Geneva, expand the property tax base, and would have little or no impact on school district enrollment.What is one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The downtown of Geneva draws visitors for shopping, dining and entertainment. Geneva could enhance the downtown experience further by exploring additional parking options, establishing a visitor center with public restrooms, and encouraging more entertainment events conducted in the city. The businesses will benefit from more visitors who stay longer, and Geneva will be investing in the future, as more visitors return or even relocate to our community.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The vibrancy of the downtown business district, continued development of the East Side State Street corridor, and the redevelopment of the Mill Race Inn site are critical to the continued success of Geneva.The finances of Geneva, and the related tax burden on property owners, need to be continuously scrutinized. Sales tax revenue is variable and income tax revenue distributed by the State of Illinois is not guaranteed.I bring a wealth of financial and business experience, including auditing companies, creating annual budgets, and evaluating financial results. I will use this experience to assist Geneva in continuing to provide outstanding city services in the most efficient manner. My financial background provides the basis to develop fair solutions to budget constraints.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis. He has exhibited a concern for the poor, and he pushes for positive interactions between people of different faiths.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Work hard and don't give up.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have run for political office years ago.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Philosophy courses provided me with the desire to evaluate all perspectives of an issue before making decisions.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Work hard, and don't give up. It worked for me.