advertisement

Singer reflects on 20 years of Geneva City Council service

Ron Singer found himself in an unfamiliar place Wednesday morning when his wife jokingly asked him: "What are you going to go out and do today, look for a job?"

The night before, Singer lost a bid for a sixth 4-year term as Fourth Ward Alderman on the Geneva City Council to Jeanne McGowan.

Singer finished with 615 votes, but it that was 210 short of McGowan's total, according to unofficial results.

"I certainly would say it's disappointing," said Singer, a retired teacher.

Singer said he felt he was respected by his constituents and he was curious as to why people voted for McGowan, but wasn't going to push random residents for answers either.

During the past 20 years, Singer was an alderman who worked directly on or was a part of shaping some prominent public and private projects, such as the Geneva Commons shopping center on Randall Road, the commuter parking deck, redevelopment of part of Third Street, and renovated police station and east side fire station.

Singer said he tried to respond as quickly as possible to calls from constituents and his reputation would even prompt residents in other wards to call him if they needed help.

Going forward, Singer said, the city still must deal with the redevelopment of some key sites, such as the old Mill Race Inn area and former Cetron location where a developer a year ago pulled a plan to erect a five-story, 202-unit apartment building.

Singer hopes the city will work to expand its industrial and commercial tax base by working more with developers.

A new 2-cent tax on restaurant food and beverages is supposed to take effect May 1; Singer at first supported it but now wants it repealed.

"I would have rather have seen a sales tax increase by process of referendum, but I don't think that's gonna happen," he said.

The city council has regular meetings on the first and third Monday of each month, along with committee of the whole meetings on the second and fourth Mondays.

Come fall, Singer might take in a full contest on the gridiron. "I don't ever remember seeing four quarters of a "Monday Night Football" game, so I'm looking forward to that as well," he said.

Geneva City Council, school board, mayoral candidates make their cases

Newcomer McGowan knocks out Singer in Fourth Ward

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.