Chris Nelson: 2021 candidate for West Dundee village president
Bio
Village: West Dundee
Age: 49
Occupation: Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs
Employer: Comcast
Civic Involvement: Village President, 2013 - present; Illinois Municipal League, board member, 2020 - present; National League of Cities, committee member, 2017 - present; Northwest Municipal Conference, board member, 2019; Metro West Council of Governments, board member, 2013 - present; Kane-Kendall Council of Mayors, board member, 2013 - present; Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township, board of directors, 2009 - present; Grand Pointe Meadows HOA, president, 2010 - 2016, board member, 2016 - present; Northern Illinois University Political Science Department adviser, 2012 - present; Schaumburg Economic Development Advisory Council, adviser, 2013 - 2017; Elgin Area Visitor and Convention Bureau, board member, 2013 - 2018; Northern Illinois University Alumni Association, board of directors, 2010 - 2018
Q&A
Q. How do you view your role in confronting the pandemic: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents - even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state and federal authorities?
A. The primary role of our village during this pandemic has been as a fact-based resource to all members of the community and to provide feedback to the state and county officials who govern the broader pandemic response in Illinois. The village has facilitated the sharing of opportunities (in the form of programs, grant funding, and CARES-related money available through Kane County) with members of the business community. Also in this space, the village has sought to provide an evenhanded approach regarding business operations during the pandemic by keeping a continuous and open dialogue with local business owners. During the vaccine rollout, the village regularly has conveyed information to the public on resources, contact information, and websites regarding vaccination availability. As Village President, I currently represent the village and the MetroWest Council of Governments on a COVID-19 vaccine task force, established in January 2021. In February 2021, the village began campaigning for a change in state and county policy to allow for our municipality to receive a direct allotment of vaccine so that our paramedics can administer the shots to West Dundee residents.
Q. Did your town continue to adequately serve its constituents during the disruptions caused by the pandemic? If so, please cite an example of how it successfully adjusted to providing services. If not, please cite a specific example of what could have been done better.
A. Yes, the village did perform well in continuing to provide services at normal levels to the community during the COVID-19 crisis. At the outset of the pandemic, the village altered how its employees were stationed and, where possible, staggered shifts so that close-quarters contact could be reduced. At the same time, all front-line staffers were equipped with ample PPE. Where possible, policies and procedures were temporarily altered to reduce person-to person interactions that were not mission-critical. Instead of compelling the use furlough days and reducing staffing levels in the police, fire, and public works ranks, the village instead deferred some planned capital projects, allowing for the service levels to remain constant and at levels residents expect.
Q. In light of our experiences with COVID-19, what safeguards/guidelines should you put in place to address any future public health crises?
A. The village would advocate for a regional or subregional game plan for public health crises, similar in essence to what the organization does with QuadCom (the regional emergency dispatch system) or the Kane County SWAT program (a collaboration of several regional police departments, including West Dundee). The analog for collaboration is present; we simply need to apply it to the public health space. The village will also seek more localization to responses to COVID-like crises of the future. Using the COVID-19 vaccine delivery efforts as an example, the village feels that direct distribution of allotments to communities like ours would result in a higher degree of success and the direct delivery of vaccinations to residents. Shots could get into more arms more quickly if local governments were allowed to develop programs tailored to meet individual community needs.
Q. What cuts can local government make to reduce the burden of the pandemic on taxpayers?
A. The village has taken proactive measures in an effort to address the concerns of both our businesses and residents during this pandemic. A number of fees have either been reduced, deferred, waived or amortized. We will continue to offer such programs as the situation warrants. Water and sewer rates were also frozen, and disconnections for nonpayment have been deferred. Certain capital projects have been delayed to future years, reducing the overall pressures on the present general fund budget. We will continue to prioritize the financial aspects of continuing to deliver effective and quality services to the community in order to stay within our new COVID-related financial means and providing a balanced budget based on the current economic climate.
Q. What do you see as the most important infrastructure project you must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what infrastructure project can be put on the back burner?
A. Our local street and infrastructure program is our most important village capital activity. The village board believes it critical that West Dundee properly and regularly maintain the streets, sidewalks, and water/sewer improvements within our residential neighborhoods. Doing so enhances not only West Dundee property values, it also protects the health and well-being of the community's citizens and visitors. The village board has made this capital investment a priority for the last seven years by ensuring that West Dundee has a stable and recurring revenue source specifically earmarked toward this annual program. From the economic crash of 2008 until 2013, spending on roads and streets had all but ceased in West Dundee. Most recently, the Village has had a debt service obligation that has been fully repaid and those additional monies (nearly $500,000 per year) have been added to this program and earmarked for future years' streets programs. Beautification projects (such as the undergrounding of certain utilities or the refurbishment of roadway medians) would be natural candidates for capital program deferrals.
Q. Do you agree or disagree with the stance your board/council has taken on permitting recreational marijuana sales in the community? What would you change about that stance, if you could?
A. A agree with the stance - it recognizes the reality of the situation without completely relinquishing municipal input on the matter. The board arrived at the decision collaboratively after seeking input from staff and stakeholders in the community. The village has taken the approach of allowing for recreational marijuana within the B3-zoned area for a single establishment to be located in town on the Route 31 corridor. This allows the village the opportunity to review and consider the approval of a single dispensary within the corporate limits if developer interest is established.
Q. What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
A. There is currently chatter at the state and federal levels regarding infrastructure funding at levels similar to those seen after the 2008 recession. In anticipation of that, staff and I have discussed the prospect of proactively preparing engineering plans for needed community and infrastructure improvements not currently in our near-horizon capital program. Doing so recognizes that the opportunity might exist soon to secure grant funding for "shovel-ready" projects, effectively reducing West Dundee taxpayer costs over the long term. Recently, this strategy was employed effectively when the village was successful in securing $1 million in grant funding for infrastructure improvements (including the construction of a sidewalk and bikeway) on Sleepy Hollow Road.