David Kaptain: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: David Kaptain

City: Elgin

Office sought: Mayor

Age: 71

Family: Married, Wife, Sandra, 39 years.

Occupation: Retired Chemist at Fox River Water Reclamation District

Education: B.S. Chemistry, Bradley University

Civic involvement: Neighborhood Assoc. president, Elgin Community Network, Planning Commission, City Council, and Mayor

Previous elected offices held: City Council and Mayor

Incumbent? yes If yes, when were you first elected? 2011

Website: www.DaveKaptainForMayor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaptainForMayor

Twitter: n/a

Issue questions

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

Two issues facing our community are the education of our young residents and the expiration of our solid waste contract. The Alignment Collaborative for Education (ACE) and the School District U46 have made great strides in creating pathways to options in education and employment. We need to continue to increase exposure to the employment options for high school students. There is a growing problem in preschool and early education. We must work with volunteers and not-for-profits to get these young people ready to enter the 4th grade. The contract with Waste Management expires at the end of 2019. The disposal of solid waste is a pass through cost from residents to Waste Management. We will get what we are willing to pay for in terms of containers, recycling hazardous materials, etc. I would like a series of public meetings to provide guidance to staff and the Council as they prepare a plan and request proposals. Public meetings will also help us educate residents on the options and proper disposal techniques. The cost of waste disposal over the length of the contract will be in the tens of millions of dollars. This is well worth the effort to do it right.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I bring 20 years experience in the government of this City, from the Planning Commission to City Council member to Mayor. The foundation for my career at this position was set in almost 20 years of neighborhood involvement as president of our neighborhood association and director and founder of Elgin Community Network.

I have a vision of Elgin becoming a sustainable city and a city of choice where people of all ethnicities can work, play and raise their families. Elgin will become a regional leader in education, health care, the arts and commerce. I still have the desire to make my vision come true. That is why I am the best candidate.

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 in leading by encouraging involvement and listening to opinions of others even though we may not agree. As a leader of the City Council it is my job to make certain all council members have the information they need to make a decision. Council members are all smart people with sometimes different agendas and political beliefs. I give them ample opportunity to express their opinions and support their positions. The role of the residents is essential in the decision-making process and I always afford them time to publicly bring their ideas to the City Council.

The City of Elgin is stronger because of the involvement of residents in the decision-making process. I believe public involvement and discourse on committees makes us better. The leadership style that I have used has worked for me in many different leadership roles for over 20 years. To me the key to leadership is to honor, involve, and, most of all, respect. the people you lead.

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?

The city of Elgin's balanced budget for the next 3 years was approved in December 2018. We anticipate no tax increases during that time period and will hope to continue reopening the AAA bond rating that we have been awarded the last 7 years. The diversification of our revenues has created a more stable budget and maintained a flat property tax level. Last year I recommended using the property tax line for public safety pensions to ensure that they are paid at the required level. The returns generated by our pension boards' investments were sufficient to allow this year's property tax contribution to be zero.

Our proactive approach in making cuts where needed and increasing efficiencies in combination with our diversification revenues have positioned the City to assure the high level of service we provide will be maintained.

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

I will be working with local not-for-profits to reduce the number of emergency call for drug, alcohol, and mental health related issues. I believe a holistic approach to dealing with root causes and targeting frequent users of emergency services will save lives and reduce costs. We all agree that we need to get these troubled residents the help they need while at the same time reducing trips to the emergency room. We have identified individuals who have used emergency services over 75 times in a single year. The cost for the city alone is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. We will not be abandoning anyone in need of these services but will work towards getting them the help they need to resolve some of their long term problems.