Jon Bisesi: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Jon Bisesi

City: Rolling Meadows

Office sought: Alderman Ward 5

Age (on Election Day): 55

Family: Wife-Donna, Sons-Joseph and Dominick

Occupation: Supply Chain and Inventory Management.

Education: BS in Business Administration - Management from Roosevelt University

Civic involvement:: Chairman of Planning and Zoning Commission 2017 to present. Member of Planning Commission since being appointed in 2003. Former President of the Rolling Meadows Jaycees, Former Region and District Director for the North Region of the Illinois Jaycees. Member of the Jaycee International Senate. Chairman of several 4th of July Parades including the 50th anniversary. Volunteer for Clearbrook center, Special Olympics, Cystic Fibrosis, Relay For Life, and JDRF fundraising events. January 15, 2001 declared Jon Bisesi Day in Rolling Meadows based on the community service I had done.

Previous elected offices held: No elected offices

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Issue questions

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

I believe there are well-intentioned Alderman on the council that are not hearing the members of the community. I also believe the council is getting too political. There is arguing and inflated egos and not enough listening and compromise. Some Alderman seem to be entrenched they don't appear to be listening to each other or the residents. I believe we need fresh voices and perspectives on the council in order to resolve these issues. Alderman also need to do a better job of communicating the facts that support their positions regarding their vote, even if they stated them in a prior meeting. This issue is affecting the way the city is perceived by business and the residents of this city.

The new firehouses are a big issue. I fear there will be more significant cost overruns in this project if something is not done to get better oversight and accountability concerning this project and its contractors. In order to achieve this goal, there needs to be an independent project manager with experience in municipal construction projects. The fire chief should not be pulling double duty by running the department and managing this project at the same time.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I am a person with extreme integrity and a love for this city. I have been a resident and volunteer within this city for 28 years, including 20 in the 5th Ward. I am not a political person. I am running for office to give the residents of the 5th Ward representation that will solicit community feedback prior to voting for things that will significantly impact their way of living and/or pocketbook. Whether I agree with that feedback or not, I believe my vote should reflect the views of the majority of residents in the 5th Ward.

As for experience, I have been the Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission since 2017 and a member of the Planning Commission for 14 years prior to that. As a Jaycee I worked with various departments in the city in order to coordinate events such as several of the 4th of July parades. This has given me the opportunity to learn about the structure and processes used in this city. I believe the combination of my experience, education, and heart have prepared me to be a solid advocate for the residents in the 5th Ward and the city of Rolling Meadows.

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

I am a consensus builder. In both my volunteer work and business, I have had to build consensus in order to achieve success. This is done though listening, good discussion, and feedback. I believe an alderman should listen to all sides of an issue prior to making a decision. They should solicit feedback from the residents on issues that affect their constituent's pocketbook. Many residents are on fixed incomes or very tight budgets. Their opinions must be asked for. I believe this produces the best results for our community when it comes time to take action on an issue.

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?

There is good and bad with the current budget. I believe the plan to resolve the pension issues is a good start. We need to stay the course while continuing to find additional ways to address the root causes of this very complex issue. Another issue regarding the budget is the road fund. We need to continue to make sure it is adequately funded and never repeat the pattern of underfunding that caused our roads to deteriorate so badly. Outside of the road fund I believe there may expenditures elsewhere in the budget that may not be needed. This money can be used to restore some of the services we had in the past such as the chipper week.

I moved to Rolling Meadows because of the lower cost of living and small-town feel. Over the last 20 years I have seen our community slowly change. In that time fees and taxes have been raised to the point they exceed or match those of surrounding communities. At the same time, many of the unique services that make Rolling Meadows different have disappeared. I don't want Rolling Meadows to become just another suburb.

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

I would suggest that Alderman conduct town hall meetings at regular intervals in order to share the facts surrounding an issue and have a constructive conversation with the residents of their wards. Too often the only information the residents get to form opinions comes from the incomplete or inaccurate assumptions of fact they see on the internet. I believe these meetings could be one tool to help resolve some of the mistrust in local government I see building in our community. Another suggestion is that we put together a volunteer committee of residents, councilmen, and staff to brainstorm and implement additional ways to improve and/or enhance communication with the residents.