2025 Election Questionnaire: Douglas Bernabei, Mayor of Peru

Name: Douglas Bernabei

What office are you seeking? Mayor of the city of Peru

What is your political party? Independent

What is your current age? 64

Occupation and employer: Lieutenant of Administrative Services

What offices, if any, have you previously held? County board member and township trustee

City: Peru

Campaign Website: Doug Bernabei for Mayor of the City of Peru via Facebook

Education: Illinois State University Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice Sciences 1982Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command a 10 week-400 hour management course 2003

Community Involvement:

Marital status/Immediate family: Father of Dominic age 25, a project engineer and Ben, age 23 in sales.

Questions:

Do you believe the city should use hotel/motel funds on a municipal pool?

Yes, I absolutely do. The voters of Peru by an overwhelming margin voted in a November referendum to do just that. As Mayor I will offer my complete support as I believe the will of the people is paramount. I look forward to the current pool study and recommendation that is forthcoming from a very dedicated group of two aldermen, two community members and the parks and recreation director who are diligently working as a committee to advance the building of the Peru Pool.

What ideas do you have to grow Peru?

The city is poised for growth based on the good works of governmental officials over the last 60 years starting really with the willingness to expand the boundaries and put in necessary infrastructure to interstate 80. I was also very fortunate enough to serve from 2014 to 2021 in a dual role as both Chief of Police in Peru but also as the city administrative services manager and was lucky enough to work with the city officials at the time that built what I feel consists in great part of the city’s overall economic team, bringing in the city’s first ever in house engineer and planning officer, a chief financial officer, a economic development director. The team is also lucky enough to have the oversight and commitment of Alderman Jim Lukosus as well as both the city attorney and city TIF attorney. If elected Mayor I will commit to offering this excellent team the necessary support and offer my personal municipal experiences obtained in my 4 decade municipal career to continued managed growth. I will also bring together as necessary members of the current Peru business community, health care officials as well as Peru schools to offer advice, guidance and support to achieve the mission. No one person can achieve success and I believe the already well established team can only be better with support from these other groups of people.

What do you believe is the greatest issue facing the city of Peru at this time and how do you plan to address it?

The city of Peru is facing a major financial crisis. 4 short years ago the incumbent mayor took office with a general fund savings reserve account of over 4.3 million dollars operating on a budget of just over 16 million dollars. In just these past 4 years the general fund budget has exploded to well over 23 million dollars and the 4.3 million dollars has been spent away. The city is now living pay check to pay check. Should the current practices of the incumbent mayor continue the city will no doubt be forced to have massive property tax increase, cuts in service or both. If elected as mayor I will take my 4 decades of municipal experience to institute a strategic spending plan that is sustainable and I will be strong enough to say no to unnecessary and wasteful over spending. Having served over these 4 decades as a police officer, homicide detective, city administrator and over 30 years as a police chief I know what it takes to make tough decisions. Running a city like Peru is not easy. It takes a strong leader to set the agenda. I will lead the city and the awesome group of city employees and managers to continued growth in a well-reasoned, affordable and managed fashion. I will move heaven and earth to stand between the people of Peru and massive tax increases and cuts in services. I pledge to the good people of Peru, you the taxpayer will be paramount in my decision making, not the results of a future election.

How would you address the need for affordable housing?

I would form a working group that would work with both our city engineer and city attorney on future planning for this specific need. This working group would be made up of developers, financial institutions and other community stakeholders that would work with both our city engineer and city attorney on future planning for this specific need. There are many stakeholders that have already committed to me to become involved on this and a variety of many other issues and initiatives within Peru. Let’s put the community stakeholders and city hall together as together we are that much better.

Constituents, city staff and elected officials often have differing opinions and political leanings. How would you balance your personal ideology if your constituency, staff and elected officials differ from your personal beliefs?

I would enter the office of Mayor as a servant to the people. Personal ideology and opinions of one individual should never be the dominating force. The person serving as mayor must always remain grounded and remember who he works for and that is the people. I will bring people together, hopefully people with opposing views s that can be a healthy thing. We all love Peru and want what’s best for the community. The challenge in leadership is bring together the opposing views and ideologies that we all have as individuals. That can be beneficial when the politicians in city hall and those very same community members work together for the common goal. If the leader of the community creates a collaborative culture only good will come from that and most people that I know are open to listening to others’ views, and then meeting in the middle when necessary. I hope to be the vehicle that can get those things done.

Should local law enforcement cooperate with ICE to identify and deport immigrants who do not have legal status to be in the United States?

I have been a police officer for 43 years and taken the oath of office to uphold the constitution of the United Staes, the constitution of the state and to enforce all city ordinances. I take that oath seriously and followed it every day of my career notwithstanding how it plays in certain groups. Following your oath should not be open for interpretation. I do believe that law enforcement should assist ICE within the parameters of the law. The Illinois Trust Act, enacted in 2017, prevents state and local law enforcement from assisting the federal government with civil immigration enforcement but allows coordination when there is a federal criminal warrant. I disagree in part with that wholesale approach and find it terrible that police officers may not assist a federal partner who is carrying out their duties. That is contrary to the core to the law enforcement partnership across our nation. When a fellow officer may need help it is all hands-on deck. As of February 6, 2025 that law is now subject to federal litigation and I like all other police officers I know and have talked to about this very issue hopae for a quick, clear and conclusive court decision.

How do you intend to balance economic development with environmental sustainability in the community?

While much of this must be done on a state of federal level nonetheless, I do think that local communities can play somewhat of a role on this issue. One thing certainly that Peru is way ahead of the game on is that we already have our hydroelectric facility on the Illinois river. The renewal energy that is created in itself has given the city many sales of energy tax credits awhich provide a funding source to help the community grow and meet the federal and state

What are your plans for enhancing public transportation and infrastructure in the city?

I would work to foster more of a serious partnership with NCAT. NCAT provides door-to-door, origin to destination public bus transportation for residents and guests of LaSalle County. I believe that as Peru is the economic, retail and hotel engine of our entire area that an expanded partnership is critical. They are looking for a home in Peru and we should roll out the welcome mat.

What are your top public safety concerns for our community and how would you propose addressing them?

My 43 years of experience as a patrol officer, a homicide detective and police chief have given me a unique appreciation for this issue. While many things have changed over these 4 decades today the greatest public safety concern no doubt is the lack of police resources to address mental health issues. Police officers have to wear so many hats and we need to expand the training in this area and bring into our law enforcement agencies mental health professionals to help those people and their families in need. The new generation of cops, the ones that are my children’s ages are so eager and ready to tackle this and I am thrilled to see how that culture has changed in my 4 decades, a very positive change. I saw way too many times the past culture turned a blind eye to this need. Peru is lucky, we have in my opinion the greatest group of officers anywhere, they are ready to tackle this crisis, but they need a little more help. As Mayor I will call on my experience to help better the community for all of us and this must be a top priority.

How will you ensure that city policies promote inclusion for all residents?

Do you support requiring government officials to publicly disclose potential conflicts of interest, and how would you enforce this?

I absolutely am in favor of this. Transparency on this is critical to fostering community trust. The city should develop a more detailed and enforceable city ethics policy and have an independent ethics officer available to review any ethical concerns or questions that an elected official may have or simply question. I know the city officials both past and present, they are good caring people and know not one of them would quarrel with such a process.

How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?

If elected as Mayor I will immediately tender my retirement notice as a police officer and that would allow me to be a mayor that is available to both the community and staff on frankly a full-time basis. While the mayor must be involved, he must also let the talent pool in the city work force do their job but the public needs unfettered access to the mayor. One of my biggest initiatives that if elected is to form a city citizen advisory group. I want this group to be a think tank to help guide the city. I want the group of citizens to be a cross section, I want them to have diverse opinions and views. I want them to keep me and my fellow elected officials grounded. I want them to have a voice in their city. I want their voice to be heard. I pledge that I will make sure this happens, the doors to city hall will be wide open.