Charlie Melidosian: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Charlie Melidosian

City: Park Ridge

Office sought: Alderman - Fifth Ward, City of Park Ridge

Age (on Election Day): 52

Family: Married for 24 years to a wonderful wife, Susan, with three children ages 22, 21 and 18 (Lauren, Claire and Charlie)

Occupation: Information Security Manager in the Financial Services Industry

Education: Bachelor of Science, University of Wisconsin 1989

Civic involvement: Roosevelt PTO, Park Ridge Community Women, Kalo Foundation, St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Park Ridge Historical Society, Solid Rock Carpenters, Habitat for Humanity, Homes for Hope, Youth With a Mission, Casas Por Christo, WINGS, Lydia Home

Previous elected offices held: Fair Housing Commissioner - City of Park Ridge, Alderman - City of Park Ridge

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? March 2017

Endorsements: Park Ridge City Council Alderman

Website: www.ParkRidgeCharlie.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AldermanMelidosian/

Twitter:

Issue Questions

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

1) Maintaining Fiscal Discipline - Through sound financial management, we've been able to reduce the city's portion of your tax bill for the past three consecutive years (8.1 percent in 2016, 9.0 percent in 2017, and 10.1 percent in 2018) while still setting aside responsible reserve funds.

2) Promoting Business Development - By making business-friendly ordinance changes, we've helped the Uptown area develop into a more vibrant business district with great restaurants.

3) Reducing the Impact of Flooding - Using professional engineering expertise and technical modeling, we've created a citywide Stormwater Master Plan with a pipeline of major long-term flood reduction projects identified and in process.

4) Investing in Better Infrastructure - Supporting our overall strategic plan, we've helped the Library Board fund much-needed renovations to meet the need of our residents and patrons. Our police station and City Hall facility are is also starting major renovations.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I have lived in the Fifth Ward for over 20 years - my opponent has lived here only a few years

I am a lifelong resident of Park Ridge - longer than my opponent

I put in the needed time to serve - my opponent served previously as an Alderman in a different part of town. He unfortunately missed over a dozen meetings during his short two-year term as an Alderman and then decided not to run for re-election.

I am the current Alderman, work very well with the current City Council and have a proven track record for getting the job done. The city is in great economic shape and being run very well. I believe the current team, myself included, should be re-elected to keep this forward momentum for Park Ridge going.

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

I have a servant leadership style with my constituents. I am here to serve them, advocate for them and responsibly direct city resources as they direct. This is a diverse ward that has multifamily, single family, assisted living residences and a thriving business district. I listen to what the needs are of my local community and then work collaboratively with my fellow Alderman to make decisions that align with our residents' priorities.

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?

We are financially strong with adequate reserve funds that align with city policy. We have taken extra conservative steps to further protect our town should the State of Illinois neglect to provide us applicable taxes they collect on our behalf. We have refinanced our TIF district areas so they have less of a burden on our taxpayers. We have adjusted employee compensation plans to remain competitive with surrounding communities and avoid costly turn over. City staff are held accountable with quantitative metrics to demonstrate year-over-year service level improvements.

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

The intersection of solving our issues with flooding and being an environmentally green community. Permeable pavement and open space initiatives led by the City of Park Ridge demonstrate leadership and role model behaviors for home owners and businesses. Replacing compacted gravel alleys with permeable green alleys can solve many overland flooding situations and beautify unsightly paths through our neighborhoods. Protecting our current forestry and encouraging responsible planting of new trees by our city and residents also aid in collecting and absorbing rainwater. I look forward to our recently formed Sustainability Task Force looking at programs like Complete Streets to ensure we are inclusive of all modes of transportation, such as increased biking. These green-oriented projects are also opportunities to rework the topography to reduce flooding and increase safety.