Abby Beck: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Abby Beck

City: Batavia

Office sought: Alderman, 5th Ward

Age: 35

Family: Husband Jeff, Sons Logan, Elliott and Theodore, Dogs Ninja and Oshie

Occupation: Business Manager for Limestone Production Group

Education: Bachelors in Business Administration from University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana; Master's in Environmental Science from University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Civic involvement: Batavia Environmental Commission; Green Fair on the Fox Planning Chair (1 year) Committee (1 year); Batavia Farmers' Market Manager; WellBatavia Festival Committee; WellBatavia Initiative Co-Founder (which includes Walk Batavia projects); H.C. Storm Green Team Volunteer; Water Street Studios Advisory Council; Fox Valley Sustainability Network Core Team; Spiritual Green Connection Volunteer.

Previous elected offices held: None

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbbyBeck5thWard/

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?

Taxes, funding infrastructure and downtown development - but luckily, I believe one will help solve the others. Our downtown core is the most productive land per square foot in terms of property tax revenue (and though the data isn't public, I'll bet the same is true for sales tax), but we're not making the most productive use of it. I will push for zoning and policy that promotes efficient and productive development that expands our tax base without increasing our stock of infrastructure. Infrastructure maintenance is a big line item in the city's budget, and it seems silly to add more if we can't fund what we have. Downtown development makes better use of what we have, adding revenue without burden, taking pressure off our property taxes.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I am a fifth generation Batavian now raising kids in my old neighborhood. My parents and grandparents raised me to understand community service as the norm. In grad school, I studied urban sustainability and how a city becomes economically, socially and environmentally strong. I have used this knowledge and my position on the Batavia Environmental Commission and WellBatavia Initiative to meet with different communities, learn how to make their lives better, and then put action behind their ideas. For example, we created a mini-documentary in 2017 called Walk Batavia / Bike Batavia and have hosted screenings and discussions with Riverain, the Holmstad, the Historical Society, business leaders, service clubs, County groups, and others. From these discussions have come ideas for improving walking infrastructure and accessibility for all mobility levels, connecting isolated communities, downtown place-making and more. I believe this makes me a strong candidate - I'm actively seeking out residents to understand how to improve quality of life for all residents, and believe I will be effective at pushing for those improvements from a seat the Council table.

Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing actions and decisions with your village board or city council.

I believe "right action follows the right perspective" (Ryan Holiday) and thus leadership should follow outreach, inclusion and a lot of listening. I recently took the Gallup StrengthFinders test, which highlights a person's greatest assets. My top five include Learner, Input, and Includer. My leadership mindset is sitting down over a cup of coffee and working through issues, questions and ideas with my neighbors. I am curious, open and constantly trying to understand complex systems better, collecting relevant research, case studies to accompany on the ground experiences. When confronted with a tough decision on Council, I will ask my colleagues, "are the right people in the room?" And while I would encourage everyone to get to know their elected officials and attend City Council / COW meetings, if the right people are not present for decisions, I will go to them. I will be approachable, and I want council to be accessible to all Batavians. City Council is a group of community leaders, yes, but success depends on how well they can observe and absorb the needs of the community and craft policy to effectively address those needs.

How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services people want?

Like many cities across the country, we've built more infrastructure than the tax base can support. I look at line items like our sidewalk maintenance, knowing it only covers a fraction of what our city needs for people to move safely on foot. There hasn't been budget for new sidewalks since the recession leaving many people disconnected from the amenities they require (food, school, jobs, etc.) After listening to budget discussions, it's clear that we are slowly and incrementally adding back staff and resources lost during the downturn, which I believe is a smart and responsible way to proceed. I would like to see more strategic saving take place. There is a lot of talk about future projects - the dam, streetscapes, bike paths, bridges, and more - but no actionable financial plan to reach those goals. I believe we need to set a course and realistic timelines for big projects and work toward achieving community goals.

What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?

Plenty of residents talk about our electricity situation, but City Council often goes quiet on the subject. For good reason - people petitioned, options were discussed, lawyers were hired and so far we are still stuck with ownership of a coal plant. We aren't left with much hope, but I don't believe we should sit idly by until the bond or contract expires. Due to my involvement with the Environmental Commission, I am connected with experts from around the state that have worked with communities in similar situations and discussing with them what has been tried, what has been successful and what risks come with certain actions. There is no quick fix, but exit strategies need to be discussed now. I'd love to see us transition to clean energy like many other cities are doing. Those conversations need to happen now to ensure when the time comes we're ready to make the switch.