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Name: Siobhan Elias
Age: 58
Years of residency in city: 37
Occupation: Employment Services for the Dept. of Employment Security
Previously elected positions: City Councilwoman
Contact information for voters: 815-672-3678
Why have you decided to run for mayor and what goals do you plan to work toward
A. I've had some concerns with some of the challenges facing the city and I think I can bring a new perspective, and I believe some good ideas to work toward addressing those challenges. I know my previous experience on the council will make for a smooth transition. My goals are to work with the council to improve the economy, help to create jobs, and continue to support the volunteers and events, which highlight all the good things Streator has to offer.
What sets you apart from your opponents?
A. My ability to research and pay close attention to detail sets me apart. My record shows that I'm not afraid to make tough decisions, and I seek answers to problems by looking outside the box.
What role do you believe the mayor plays that is different from a councilman/councilwoman?
A. Due to our city manager form of government, the mayor and council share the same authority with regard to being part of a city administration. But the mayor is seen as the figure head for the city, and represents us to outside communities, and in that capacity, takes a lead role.
The city of Streator has the highest property tax rate in La Salle County, is there any reason you would vote to increase property taxes? Do you believe the city can increase property taxes and remain competitive with other surrounding communities?
A. I am not in favor of raising property taxes and would do whatever I can to work with the council and city manager to find ways to keep our taxes at a reasonable rate. I do not think raising the taxes will keep us competitive. Doing so will steer possible businesses and potential residents from coming to our community.
Map how the city of Streator should pay for its unfunded pension obligation. Are cuts to public safety staff necessary? Why or why not?
A. I am not in favor of making cuts to the staff. That move would only reduce services to this community. The issue of funding the pensions affects the entire state. This is not simply a "Streator" problem. The public servants who have paid into the pension system are not the problem. Rather than look at the mistakes of the past and kick the can further down the road, we should focus our attention on finding ways to develop new revenue streams to address the pension shortfalls without affecting public safety and city services. And more importantly, the pensions are protected by the Illinois Constitution.
Should the city of Streator consider a referendum to increase sales tax? Why or why not?
A. I think it is premature to consider a referendum at this time. I would be working with the city manager and city council to find ways to meet the needs of our budget without putting a greater strain on the consumer.
The city faces a structural deficit of $500,000 by 2020, what alternative forms of revenue should be explored?
A. When I was first elected to the City Council, the deficit was expected to rise to nearly $1 million dollars. The council worked closely and diligently with the city manager and we not only reduced the deficit, but we were able to create a reserve of funds.
Knowing we have previously battled a considerable deficit shows it is not impossible to reverse. But we would need to take a hard look to find the cause of the deficit. Once determined, we need find ways to eliminate that deficit based on our needs and wants without cutting our staff or affecting our services.
I’d like to see more amenities in the city to draw people here, and to add revenue to help reduce the deficit. I have some ideas which are extensive in their planning and involve the city of Streator, the local high schools and potential other partnerships. I hope this idea would add property taxes on the roll in an effort to eliminate raising property taxes. This plan would also set Streator apart from any community in La Salle County. I am convinced that we can lead by example.
What do you want the image of Streator to be?
A. Streator has such a rich history, which I don't believe we utilize nearly enough. So many of our own citizens are unaware of our history. Visitors to our community come here, visit, and leave without learning about it. I'd like to promote Streator as being "proud of our past and hopeful for our future!" I believe we should work with SHS to borrow some of the historic items they once displayed in their library, and put them in our lobby windows in City Hall And lastly, I'd like Streator to have a city flag which represents our history.
What’s your vision for Streator’s downtown?
A. I, like most community members, am really pleased with the building owners who have invested in their properties and this community. The murals are a wonderful addition not only to our downtown, but also to this community as a whole. I'd like to see a continuation of the facade program, as well as the low-interest loans for businesses so they have the capital necessary for start-up or improvements.
I also have an idea to create a more appealing Main Street by using vacant storefront windows to promote local artists. With cooperation of those building owners and artists, we can clean up the storefront windows, and display various pieces of artwork with the name and contact for each artist, and the cost for purchasing the art piece(s). Not only would this improve the look of our downtown vacant buildings, but I think this would draw people to our downtown for a stroll, and more importantly, promote our local artists and give them a venue to display their work.
Do you believe TIF districts are the best tool for economic development? Why or why not? If not, what alternative would you propose?
A. I think that our community needs to have a combination of things for economic development. TIF districts alone are not the answer. While TIFs may help with blighted areas, there are problems with TIFs as well. They may put a strain on budgets for the school systems which can cause schools to raise their portion of our tax bill to cover the shortfall due to TIFs. But to entice businesses to settle in Streator we need to be competitive with other communities who do offer TIFs. There is no simple solution. The city administration, SACCI, and the school administrations, should work together to find ways to best create an economic development program which benefits the entire community.
What can the city do to attract the millions of visitors who come within a 30-mile radius either to Starved Rock State Park or along Route 66?
A. We should definitely be enticing tourists, and those who live in the Illinois Valley, to coming to Streator. One way to do that would be to plan local events around events in other communities. Perhaps we could advertise on billboards located in strategic areas, so the tourists can consider coming to our events as well.
We should also be promoting our community events on the www.historic66.com website. We have so many wonderful events in our community which could draw countless people from this Historic Route 66 site alone. I have seen events listed from Illinois to California, including Pontiac, Litchfield, and Joliet.
What’s the future for Anderson Fields Municipal Golf Course? Should the city continue to operate a golf course there?
A. During my prior service as a council member, our golf course needed to be subsidized by the city. I believe it still does. Is that enough cause to close it? I can't blindly make that decision on my own, and the council can't without knowing all the facts. But I believe we can utilize that property in a positive way, and one that would help bring in additional revenue. Having amenities makes our community more attractive to people who are looking at our town as a place to move. And amenities make the quality of life better for those already living here.
How would you grade the public services the city provides? What does the city do well, how can it improve?
A. I personally have no issues with the current level of basic services the city provides. But I think the city needs to improve its relationship with its citizens. To elaborate, we need guidelines spelled out for citizens who come to the city for various permits.
During my prior service, a citizen contact me to express his frustration when building a garage. He stated he received the permit for the garage, but during that project when the work was nearly complete, he was told he needed separate permit for his driveway. He was forced to deconstruct the driveway which just had gravel added. He then had to go to the city to get the permit for the driveway, and then add the gravel back to the forms. Needless to say, this was a costly, timely, and unnecessary requirement for the homeowner. It is the city's job to make sure the citizens get the appropriate permits before they start their projects.
I believe our police department and fire department are a great asset to our citizens. Fortunately, I’ve never had to use the services the fire department offers, but I know the firefighters are dedicated to their profession and this community. My most recent brush with the police department was due to my car being stolen. After notifying the police they located my car within 45 minutes. Subsequently, after a brief investigation, they found the young man who stole my car. Needless to say, I am very thankful and appreciative of their quick response, recovery, and ensuing conviction.
Streator had the highest rate of opioid overdoses in La Salle County in 2017, what can the mayor and council do to improve this number?
A. I think we need to not only reduce the number of overdoses, but also the number of users. There have been great strides in education, awareness, and intervention in an effort to reduce use and overdoses, both locally and nationally. We need to see what has worked in other communities who have had drops in their numbers. In the end, we need to evaluate what we have tried and continue with and improve those things that are working. Opioid overdoses have risen steadily for nearly 40 years. This not an issue that has a quick fix or is quickly remedied.
How important is the city’s relationship with small businesses? What do you believe it is doing well, or needs to improve in this relationship?
A. The relationship with the small businesses is essential, especially if we want to attract new business. Not only do we need to work with SACCI, I think our city administration must have relationships with all the businesses in the community. They need to know that they are appreciated for bringing jobs, tax revenue, and services to our community. We need to recognize our businesses and reach out to them so they know we support them and want to help them succeed.
What can the city do to improve its housing stock?
A. Strict code enforcement is key to improving our housing stock. We already have codes in place, we just need to utilize those codes, instead of creating more laws. Furthermore, we need to be diligent with our code enforcement to get building owners to improve their properties when appropriate.
I would like to see partnerships with the schools, and potentially others, to address the issues with the city owned properties. At this point my idea has many unknowns, and it would be a huge undertaking. But my plan would be to establish a potential untapped revenue stream for the school system and the city.
Lastly, I have an idea for the vacant property the city now holds. We can potentially market the property to bring in people from other communities to build new homes. New homes add revenue to the property taxes roll, and this plan could remove the city as the owner of the property with all the responsibility that goes with owning a property. The cost to the city for this plan would be minimal.
What asset would you like to see utilized more in the city? Explain your answer.
A. I think we have two assets to utilize. First is the labor force in this community. But we need solid employment with livable wages to support this labor force. We can also seek out ways to advance the skills of that labor to accommodate for changes in production, electronics, and other technological advances. With improved skills, we can work toward attracting businesses.
The other asset is our unique history. Streator's history includes many unusual and important details. The history is exclusive to this community and we can promote Streator and our events by expanding on our history.
Describe the role you believe the city manager plays in the city’s government.
A. The city manager is integral in keeping the council and mayor apprised of existing and new laws which affect how we govern. The manager typically seeks out and applies for available grants. The city manager also directs the department heads of the city administration, works on the budget along with other administrative responsibilities. But the city manager also has to follow the direction of the council. The council dictates the direction of the city to the manager, and they work jointly with each other to discover and create ways to improve the revenue stream, the economic development, amenities, deliver city services, and draw new businesses to Streator.
I am in favor of the city manager form of government and look forward to meeting the new city manager once that process for the selection is complete.
How aggressive should the city be with annexation? Explain your answer.
A. At this time, I don't think we should be aggressive until we fix some of the issues we're already battling. Annexation only makes sense if there is a net increase in revenue or some other benefit resulting from the process. It creates more tax revenue, but also increases the demand for city services. Annexing large outlying areas would likely force us to increase the police and fire protection personnel. It would also increase the need for personnel necessary to maintain our streets within the Public Works Dept. Any annexation should be in small bits and deliberate with respect to how it affects our budget.
Should the city consider expanding or contracting liquor licenses or gambling licenses? Or do you believe the number is OK as it is?
A. With the legalization of gaming machines in Illinois, the liquor licenses have been a hot commodity. I need more time to research these changes and speak with those who currently hold liquor licenses before I can give a credible answer to this question. We need to better understand the impact handing out more liquor licenses will have on the businesses already in place. So at this time I have no plans to change the number of establishments who offer gaming in accordance with city and state laws.
How do you plan to make yourself available to the public?
A. I plan on being available at City Hall and through a city email address, and of course, through Facebook. During my prior time as a council member, I answered or returned every single call I received from constituents. I addressed every issue brought forth to me, and I plan to continue with that same level of service to our residents.
Since announcing your candidacy, how many City Council meetings have you attended?
A. I've attended three meetings regarding the landlord/rental property issue at City Hall and I have watched meetings on my computer. The reason I attended those meetings was to express my concerns and offer suggestions. We can be informed of city issues without physically attending the meetings.
We are fortunate to have the technology available to the community to be able to watch the meetings from our home. We also have a newspaper which covers our meetings at great length. While it may seem like no one is paying attention to what is going on during the council meetings, people can be informed by watching the taped meetings and reading the paper.
Other than for health reasons, why would you leave your position mid-term?
A. I can't think of any reason for leaving mid-term.
What headline do you want to see on the front page of The Times during your term?
A. Streator's on the rise.