Anthony Schullo: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Anthony Schullo

City: Batavia

Office sought: City Councilperson, Ward 4

Age: 25

Family: Shelby (wife) and Savannah (daughter)

Occupation: Human Resources Generalist

Education: B.A. in History and Gender Studies (North Central College), M.S. in HR Management (Southern New Hampshire University)

Civic involvement: Batavia Township Precinct Committeeperson

Previous elected offices held: None

Facebook: www.facebook.com/anthonymschullo/

Issue questions

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

One issue currently in the minds of many Batavians is how to approach the development of our community. The community has varying viewpoints on the One Washington Place Redevelopment Plan. Some Batavians feel it's a step in the right direction, some think it's a burden (both financially and in terms of space). The city council should take extra steps to be as transparent as possible and seek feedback from members of our community as to what they want to see out of this development space and others around Batavia. Seeing as Batavia is already an attractive place to live and work, we need to work closely with Batavia residents to determine how we keep that "small town feel," but also find ways to maintain Batavia's prominence for generations to come.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

Voters will quickly notice I'm not your average government official. I value transparency and being accessible to voters. As a city council person, I work for Batavians. I will not be able to do my job effectively if I don't have insight from the community. In me, you get someone who is committed to objectivity, committed to the facts, committed to taking an "all-things-considered" approach, and committed to finding outside-the-box ways to make Batavia enjoyable for everyone. Most importantly, I'm an open and honest person who isn't afraid to be upfront on the issues in our community.

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'm a quiet, unassuming leader in that I'm a listener more than a talker. I value leading discussion and finding as much information as possible before making decisions that impact our community. While I am mild-mannered, many will tell you I'm a consensus-builder. As a leader, I find satisfaction in being able to find the optimal solution after hearing out ideas and concerns. As a leader, I do not tolerate close-mindedness and do not appreciate those that refuse to consider other points of view. I firmly believe that any leader, especially in government, should be ready to put themselves in other people's shoes and see the world through their eyes as a means of being a true representative of the community.

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?

Batavia's budget was recently in question with Home Rule debates over the last few years. Now that Home Rule is here to stay in Batavia, the city council has a responsibility to Batavians: to be as transparent and fiscally responsible with the city's budget. Since Batavians overwhelming voted for Home Rule and gave city council the financial flexibility that other municipalities do not have, we have a mandate to seek feedback on required and requested city services. All the while finding creative ways to support Batavia's budget for not only proper maintenance but improvement, to our community. One thing I believe is necessary are Batavia Community Work Groups. Based on the council's topics of discussion (such as budget, development, utilities, etc.) the city council should put together work groups comprised of residents who would like to share feedback and ideas directly with a city council member. These work groups would be an excellent way to truly get a pulse on what our community needs and provides them with a direct connection to their city council.

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

I value finding ways for communities to be environmentally-friendly and I believe Batavia has the potential to be a "green leader." Let us find ways to protect the environment in our development plans. For example, let's look into One Washington Place as being a structure powered (even if partially) by solar energy. This is an opportunity for us to be a leader in Kane County. Why not look into a beautiful community garden on the roof of this space, overlooking our downtown area? While these are just initial ideas, with some clear limitations, this is an example of outside-the-box ways our city council should be thinking.