F. John Steffen: Candidate profile
Bio
Name: F. John Steffen
City: Elgin
Office sought: City Council member
Age: 55
Family: Wife Kerry, 4 kids Joan, Chloe, Abby, Liam
Occupation: attorney
Education: Illinois Park School, Kimball Junior High, Larkin High ('82), B. A., University of Illinois ('86), J. D., John Marshall Law School ('89)
Civic involvement: United Way Reading Buddies volunteer, Food for Greater Elgin volunteer, assistant coach ELGIN River Rats high school rugby club, board member, Housing Authority of Elgin, 1998 graduate of Elgin Leadership Academy, 2000 downtown master plan committee member, 2003 Elgin Image Award winner, 1998 Co-founder of Downtown Neighborhood Association, formation committee for ELGIN Community Network and Elgin Sustainability Commission, incoming president Kiwanis Club of Elgin, former member of Hemmens Advisory Committee, National Street TOD committee, and EDG Workforce Development Committee, presenter/performer Gail Borden Library and EAHS cemetery walk
Previous elected offices held: none except this one
Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? 2007
Issue questions
What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?
Maintaining the expected high level of basic city services while also keeping taxes and fees as low as possible and engaging in projects and programs that innovate and move our community forward.
What makes you the best candidate for the job?
I have experienced living in all 3 areas of town having grown up in Eagle Heights (63-80), the Far West planning area (80-86) and the east side (92-present). I have the learned much about the city's budget and activities while on city council and bring a desire to listen and learn to my city work.
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 seek as much information and viewpoints as possible before acting.
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?
Our budget is lean but sustainable for the next couple of years knowing its faces threats from the federal and especially the state governments as they continue to set their finances in order. I will continue to: seek out and support public-private partnerships like we have with the Friends of Lords Park and the Kimball Street Cobblestone project; find ways to keep our staffing expenses 6 percent below what they were 10 years ago despite an increase in population, boundaries and operations; promote the search for and use of grants to cover expenses where possible; maintain reserves and trim costs so that we maintain our AAA bond rating that saves us thousands of dollars in interest costs on our borrowing; work to increase our tax base, particularly with infill projects like the single houses going in vacant lots, gas stations being refurbished and reopened and downtown upper-floor residences.
What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
The addition of younger (high schoolers or local college students) to 4 of our boards and commissions with the longer term goal of expanding the use of these younger members on more committees and eventually starting a Youth Commission for this demographic with the hope that we can increase their participation in government and their voting rate.