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Name: Tom Riordan
What office are you seeking? 2nd Ward alderman
What is your political party? Independent
What is your current age? 51
Occupation and employer: Business owner
What offices, if any, have you previously held? None
City: Peru
Campaign Website: None
Education: Lp High School
U of I Illinois fire service institute
Community Involvement: None
Marital status/Immediate family: Married
One adult child
3 granddaughters
Questions:
Do you believe the city should use hotel/motel funds on a municipal pool?
Yes , that’s what the citizens voted they wanted done. Now it’s up to the elected officials to get the ball rolling to accomplish what the citizens said they wanted . The city has gone long enough without a pool. Plus it needs put back in the same spot as it was. I was born and raised in Peru and used the pool practically every day as a kid. It needs to return .
What ideas do you have to grow Peru?
Concentrate on the downtown as much as we do up north of town. Most towns downtown areas are thriving but Peru’s needs help. Work with existing businesses to help them continue to be profitable and succeed . We need to stop tearing down buildings and giving away city parking lots. There needs to be community involvement to beautify spaces. We could save so much money if we brought back the Beautify Peru program with volunteers doing plantings and such things. Start small grants to help businesses spruce up and/or update their buildings or areas to attach more people and businesses. Find developers to build more hotels since ours are regularly full most nights which was promised over a decade ago when taxpayers paid to tear down the condemned/vacant hotels.
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 biggest issue is , and always has been transparency between city hall and the citizens. Too many secrets about how they’re running our town and spend our money. When they tell us something is happening, most of the time it’s never been discussed in the open . However they’ve been discussing it amongst themselves for months. I’ve emailed my 2 alderman and the mayor about issues I’ve had in the past and the only person to respond was the alderman who was up for re-election at that time. It seems like they frown on citizens asking questions and just ignore it which is why people don’t ask questions or want to get involved. Someone will ask an elected official a question on social media and after several days you’ll see it says “the person has responded privately “. Why can’t they answer general questions out in the open ?
If someone wants to know something I’m going to tell them. If someone emails me a question or asks on social media, I’m going to respond as fast as I can like I do in my professional life with customers. That’s what I would expect.
How would you address the need for affordable housing?
There is a big need for affordable housing. However we’d need a developer that would come in and plan out an area for a development to fit that need. Or possibly to build small duplexes around town in vacant lots for small families/elderly residents. Other than trying to attract a developer for that , it’s really out of the cities hands.
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?
Elected officials are elected to do what their constituents want. Plain and simple. No matter what their personal views are. Which is why I don’t understand what the hold up is on a pool. The voters have spoken, now the city needs to follow through and do it.
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‘m not aware what the cities policy is on it right now. I think the federal government will come in and do what they want no matter what the cities policy is on it. That would be a discussion to be had with the council if I’m elected.
How do you intend to balance economic development with environmental sustainability in the community?
By making sure anyone wanting to develop here is responsible for the environmental area they want to develop
What are your plans for enhancing public transportation and infrastructure in the city?
We should be able to look into finding funds to operate a small bus service, possibly with neighboring communities, to provide transportation where there are gaps in service from other providers. It’s definitely worth discussing with other communities.
What are your top public safety concerns for our community and how would you propose addressing them?
Vehicle speed downtown during busy hours at night when there are a lot of pedestrians.
The only option is to put more patrols down there at those times.
How will you ensure that city policies promote inclusion for all residents?
They already do
Do you support requiring government officials to publicly disclose potential conflicts of interest, and how would you enforce this?
Yes definitely.
Zero tolerance
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
My phone , email and text will be accessible to my constituents. I’m always around. I’ve lived in the 2nd ward practically my whole life. My wife and I live in my childhood home. My driveway is always open for anyone to pull in to chat.