Christopher R. “Chris” Pecak: 2021 candidate for Lisle mayor

In the April 6 consolidated election, incumbent Mayor Christopher R. “Chris” Pecak is being challenged in his bid for a second term by Lisle Village Board trustees Stephen A. Winz and Sara Sadat.

Bio

Age: Not given

Occupation: Construction project manager

Civic involvement: Lisle mayor since 2017. Board member and past chairman of the Lisle Economic Development Corporation; member of the Lisle Chamber of Commerce; organizer of holiday convoy parades during COVID; various mayoral civic duties and responsibilities; member of Knights of Columbus; supporter of Cub Scouts; and involved in various youth sports organizations

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: My number one responsibility is keeping the community safe. Safety includes health and crime prevention. Continuity of village business and services follows closely. Lisle has been the safest community throughout this pandemic, as our per capita case rate has been almost half of DuPage County and less than half of the Illinois rates. As soon as restrictions were eased, I acted quickly to issue orders for alfresco dining, worked closely with businesses and their neighbors, ensured temporary easing of zoning codes would not affect neighbors, and helped businesses open with COVID relief grants.

Lisle was one of the first communities to reopen village hall for in-person business and meetings. I believe it is the responsibility of the mayor and board of trustees to demonstrate that our community is safe and thriving.

Right now, there is a pretty vocal majority, so I believe it is important to give voice to the underrepresented or those marginalized. I believe state and federal authorities are charged with determining and disseminating accurate information, but they also fall under a system of checks and balances. No individual is an authoritarian.

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: Lisle acted quickly to not only restore services, but to increase the availability of services through remote means. We initiated online permit applications, and in some cases have scheduled virtual inspections. We quickly adjusted to Zoom meetings and upgraded our audio/visual equipment to encourage remote public participation.

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: Disaster preparedness is always vital. Whether a flood, tornado, health crisis, insurrection, or civil unrest, we should always be prepared. Community involvement, volunteerism, and looking out for your neighbor are vital characteristics of a well prepared community. We are a government of the people, by the people, and only when we are involved to we have the power to persevere through any adversity.

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

A: I don't look at finance as “cuts,” but rather adjustments. At the beginning of the pandemic, we quickly revised our revenue expectations very conservatively, and adjusted our spending accordingly. We were pleasantly surprised when sales tax revenues exceeded our revised expectations.

We also adjusted our capital spending, for instance, with reduced travel during the pandemic, our road maintenance program is now being adjusted to study actual wear on roads rather than a calendar based resurfacing program. We have taken an opportunity to study our water system, our stormwater system, and others to find where we can get the most life out of our infrastructure. In the end, these adjustments have allowed us to freeze our property tax levy to benefit all taxpayers, and have even resulted in a surplus this past fiscal year, despite the impact of COVID.

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: Stormwater management is the most important project in the village of Lisle. Right now, we have the Army Corps Levee Project under consideration, as well as the St. Joseph's Creek Watershed study being performed by DuPage County.

Lisle accepts a considerable amount of stormwater from outside our community, and so this must be financed from a regional perspective. During these uncertain economic times, it would likely be prudent to reassess the need for our fuel island project and see if we could get a few more years out of the current infrastructure.

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

A: We have prepared ourselves for both the public conversation regarding cannabis, as well as the practical considerations for cannabis sales. We have already passed a 3% sales tax in case sales ever begin. This should allow us to collect sales tax if home delivery ever becomes a possibility.

The community has spoken in favor of opting out, but I think a referendum is the only way to gauge true community sentiment. Additionally, the community must understand where a cannabis dispensary could possibly appear. Our industrial parks are situated near schools and residences, so setbacks are a large determinant factor. Persons supportive of a dispensary in general may find themselves against when they realize the only qualifying location may be detrimental to them personally. Right now, any interested dispensary can identify a location of interest, and pitch their idea to development staff for consideration of entitlement.

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

A: Improvements to Ogden Avenue at the Route 53 interchange. There is a lot of potential for improvement. All local bridges over the DuPage River have been elevated out of the floodway. The last remaining bridge is Ogden Avenue (U.S. 34, Walter Payton Memorial Highway), where the bridge will require elevation. In addition, the cloverleaf interchange has become functionally obsolete and dangerous. The cloverleafs were designed when U.S. 34 and Route 53 were the only highways in the area. Route 53 is 35 mph, and Ogden Avenue is 40 mph. (Should be 35 mph consistent with all other areas of U.S. 34 through the suburbs.) The cloverleafs were designed as full speed merges, then became yields, and now have stop signs. The current angle of approach is dangerous for a stopped vehicle as drivers have to look 120 degrees over their shoulder to await a traffic opening. The stop signs are often missed as drivers expect to merge, and this interchange is not pedestrian friendly.

A long-term plan to elevate the DuPage River bridge, as well as redesign the cloverleaf interchange would dramatically improve the character of the corridor, and significantly improve public safety, and lead to greater future development.

Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?

A: Experience, determination, perseverance and results. First, I bring a unique real world experience of profit/loss responsibility to the financial perspective of village operations. My current experience as mayor further sets me apart. The experience of leading our community though this pandemic is incomparable to any leadership experience even seasoned mayors have encountered. My determination to achieve and perseverance at reaching goals has shown in our results. My administration has given back to the taxpayer in times of most need. We have frozen the property tax levy for four years, have encouraged other taxing bodies to do the same, as well as rebate surplus TIF funds. I urged School District 203 to rebate the excess Navistar TIF funds ($550,000) back to the taxpayer, resulting in a $10 million rebate from the school district. My administration paid off a $6 million loan, elevated service delivery, and still had a surplus.

The EAV (equalized assessed value) of the community has grown by 16% since I took office, showing development is real, and prior to the pandemic, sales tax revenues reached their highest level in a decade. Incidentally, July '20 sales tax revenue exceeded July '19 sales tax revenue, indicating health in our economy despite the pandemic. I am the only one qualified and determined to lead our hotels back to health, and our Corporate Corridor back to safely working in person, so we can once again increase our daytime population and further support our small businesses.