Ian Holzhauer: 2021 candidate for Naperville City Council

Challenger Ian Holzhauer, one of 11 candidates running for four 4-year terms on Naperville City Council, responds to the Daily Herald candidate questionnaire for the April 6, 2021, local elections.

In-person early voting with paper ballots is now available at the DuPage County Fairgrounds Building 5, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. In-person early voting with touch-screen voting begins March 22 at locations throughout the county. Learn more at www.dupageco.org/earlyvoting/.

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Bio

City: Naperville

Age: 38

Occupation: Attorney at Nagle, Obarski & Holzhauer P.C.

Civic involvement: Chairman of the Board of Directors, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce (2020-present; will step down if elected to City Council); Captain, United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps (2007-2014); Naperville Community Television Channel 17 Board of Directors (2018 and 2019); DuPage Children's Museum Next Generation Board (2016-2018); Naperville Jaycees (2016-present, including two years co-leading Jaycee Food at the Last Fling); Chair of the Trustees Ministry at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Naperville (2017-2018); Pro Bono Counsel and Board Member for Naperville Responds for Veterans (2016-present)

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: Our top priority should be protecting lives and human health. On just one day, Jan. 7, 2021, COVID-19 claimed over 4,000 American lives - more than were lost in the 9/11 attacks. Leadership is about giving people something to believe in that is bigger than themselves, and protecting the vulnerable is an effort bigger than any one person. Leadership also means promoting solutions based on science, even when those solutions are not popular.

I was disappointed when city council voted down a meaningful mask ordinance by a 5-4 margin. Not only could Naperville have shown that it prioritizes lives and health, but we also could have helped protect our small business community. Failure to contain community spread has led to crippling business shutdowns.

For the sake of our residents and businesses, we need a three-pronged approach: 1.) Get the pandemic under control by all means possible, including a temporary mask mandate in public spaces, 2.) Continue the relaxation of ordinances on sidewalk seating and outdoor liquor service and implement other social distancing and business-friendly practices, and 3.) Continue lobbying for county grants. COVID is the toughest challenge Naperville has faced in a generation; we must come out of it stronger.

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: Naperville continued to provide an excellent level of services in 2020 and even saved $33.8 million due to a variety of pandemic-related belt-tightening measures. City departments have effectively handled the transition to remote work. Our public safety professionals have performed wonderfully, and, as the Daily Herald recently reported, violent crime is down.

The decrease in driving due to the pandemic has eased the burden on Naperville infrastructure, making municipal and commuter parking facilities much more usable. Leaf collection went off without a hitch, and winter road clearance was effective during a tough January and February. The key to preserving our high level of services will be to make sure we do not defer too many long-term capital projects, which would crimp our budget in the future when deferred projects begin to pile up.

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: COVID-19 showed the importance of consistent messaging from leadership and access to real-time data. Serving as a board leader for a major, business-focused nonprofit during the pandemic, we fielded numerous questions from constituents.

These included: How transmissible is the virus in my workspace? What measures are scientifically proven to prevent spread? Where can we get accurate statistics about the number of sick or deceased people in our community? I believe our local government officials did the best they could with what they had and improvised some effective tracking and communications tools over the past 11 months.

I hope we never have another pandemic where we need grim communications tools like these again. But just in case we do, we should prepare online health dashboards and information portals now, so that future community leaders can quickly disseminate information without having to improvise.

Q: What cuts can local government make to reduce the burden of the pandemic on taxpayers?

A: While COVID-19 brought many challenges to our community, it also brought opportunities for cost savings. Just as companies are reducing their office footprint after realizing work-from-home opportunities, our city can save money through the use of remote work in appropriate circumstances. Additionally, Naperville can re-imagine the scope of its parking deck construction proposals. Driving habits changed during the pandemic, and city surveys show that some of the reductions in driving and parking may be permanent.

A new Fifth Avenue Station parking deck had been planned, and it may possibly be scaled back from its originally envisioned size and height. The right-sizing of this parking garage and potentially other similar parking facilities could provide significant cost savings, given construction costs of over $20,000 per space. Since the pandemic impacted all city departments, I would suggest that the city conduct an after-action report in late 2021 to see what other cost savings can be obtained.

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: After conversations with all 12 Naperville Department heads as well as the city manager and deputy city manager, I believe revitalizing Naperville's underground infrastructure should be a top long-term priority.

Our 742 miles of water mains will need to be replaced at a rate of about 7½ miles per year, and we are currently behind that rate. Additionally, cracked sewer pipes, if unrepaired, result in more rainwater leaking into the system. This causes expensive problems for our wastewater treatment facilities, which have to then unnecessarily process clean water.

My concern is that these issues could get neglected because they are not as visible as issues like road maintenance. But a failure to care for our subterranean infrastructure now will mean extra costs for our children in the future.

One infrastructure project that I would temporarily keep on the back burner is the downtown streetscape program, which council recently did delay. Through my role in business community leadership and working in a downtown business, I am well aware that downtown infrastructure upgrades are essential in the next two to five years. But they would be a death knell to downtown merchants right now, during the pandemic.

Q: Do you agree or disagree with the stance the council has taken on permitting recreational marijuana sales in the community? What would you change about that stance, if you could?

A: I agree with the city's granting of three store permits, which is consistent with and permissible under state law. Additionally, the granting of the permits reflects the will of our citizens, as expressed through a nonbinding ballot referendum set up by city council. I believe that once the referendum occurred, council members who pledged to follow the results of the referendum should have honored those results. I would not change the city's stance.

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

A: Six Neuqua Valley High School students won a design competition for an unofficial new Naperville flag back in 2016. Since that time, this beautiful flag has become an underground symbol of Naperville pride - popping up on social media, at civic events, and on clothing. Unfortunately, the municipal code currently bars the private use of the official Naperville flag, meaning residents can't fly it at their houses. Even the student-designed unofficial flag is arguably against code because it features a portion of the city seal.

I believe it is time for city council to formally authorize this unofficial flag for private residential use. Just as it would be silly for us to ban the flying of an American flag at home, I think it is a shame that our municipal code would quash a symbol of community pride and unity. Many community members, especially students like the ones who designed this flag, are proud to be from Naperville. Let's amend the municipal code to let residents show their pride by displaying a flag at home.

Reference article here: dailyherald.com/article/20161129/news/161128965/.