Troy Parlier, Oswego Village President election questionnaire

Full Name: Troy Parlier

What office are you seeking? Oswego Village President

What is your political party? Republican

What is your current age? 58

Occupation and Employer: Teacher, CUSD 308

What offices, if any, have you previously held? Oswego Village President, 2019-current

City: Oswego

Campaign Website: www.teamparlier.com

Education: BS Electrical Engineering Technology

MA Teaching

MA Educational Leadership

Community involvement: Oswego Chamber of Commerce

Volunteer at my church

Marital status/Immediate family: Wife Denise

5 children

Why are you running for office?

I ran for office four years ago because I felt Oswego was headed in the wrong direction. Projects were taking priority over our residents as tens of millions of dollars were added to our long term debt, the local tax burden was becoming exhaustive, new taxes were being created and our tax dollars were being given away in incentives without much received in return damaging our community and those government partners that depend on sound decisions from our Village. Over these past four years we have righted the ship with our Village in the best financial shape in its history. We have the Village tax rate four years in a row, collected and assessed over 18 million dollars in impact fees from developers that have been financing our large infrastructure projects and been shared with our schools, parks, libraries and fire department. We accomplished this but the job is not done. We have very large transformative infrastructure projects underway in Wolf’s Crossing Road and the Lake Michigan long term water source connection and I want to ensure they are delivered on time and in a cost sensitive manner to our community. I want to keep the financial stability we now enjoy in place for the long term future.

What makes you qualified for the office you’re seeking?

First and foremost I have kept my campaign promises from my first term and delivered financial security and safety to our community. Our general fund is at an all-time high, we have cut the tax rate four years in a row and have invested in the community and our police department in the way of more officers, equipment, technology and training leading to a 41% drop in crime incidents.

What is your position on the Illinois weapons ban that took effect in January 2023?

I will look for clarity on the weapons ban as it makes its way through the courts. The Village will follow the laws of the State of Illinois.

Is crime a problem in your community and, if so, what would you do to curb it?

Oswego has always been a great community with a low crime rate. That doesn’t mean we should not look at ways to further reduce crime. In that regard we have made a large investment in our police department. We have added new officers reaching the highest point of sworn officers in Oswego’s history. We have also invested in equipment, technology and training. The result is Oswego’s already low crime rate has been reduced by 41% since taking office.

What is your assessment of how the COVID-19 pandemic was handled locally?

We got out early on the global pandemic. We met with the large grocers in town and suspended ordinances that got in the way of grocery delivery to ensure our shelves remained stocked. We met with the Chamber of Commerce and relaxed some ordinances and created others that would support our businesses during this time. We also created Village loan and grant programs to provide quick relief for our businesses as we waited for State and Federal programs to come online. When those did we were ready and delivered the funding so quickly we were in line for a second round that not all communities received. On the health front, I lobbied the county to bring a mass vaccination clinic to Oswego. We successfully ran those clinics in coordination with our partners at the school district and the Chamber.

What did you learn from the pandemic?

It actually was a reminder of what I already knew. We have a special community in Oswego and when we pull together we can accomplish great things.

How would you spur economic development in your community?

We’ve created a robust and dynamic local economy in Oswego that outperforms communities across Illinois. We have streamlined many of our business and construction registration and permitting departments and they are now very business friendly. We have encouraged and supported organic growth of our existing business with grant programs for expansion and actively prospected for new businesses to come to Oswego. In our four years we have welcomed more than 150 new commercial businesses to town. Our sales tax receipts are up 37% over the past four years as a testament to this growth.

Would/can/should local governments do anything to help reduce the tax burden on residents?

Local governments should at all times look to reduce the tax burden on its residents. We have accomplished this on many fronts. First and foremost we have been able to deliver property tax rate cuts in each of our four years. We were also able to analyze our water rates and make a cut there. We have kept a lean budget and eliminated wasteful spending. One of the first exercises I took was to review every line item in our budget and eliminated those that had not been fully utilized. Some were in the budget that had not been used in 5 years but still budgeted! It doesn’t stop locally, I introduced an intragovernmental agreement with all of our taxing bodies that have led to savings for the entire community. The school district was able to take advantage of that by using our dome to store their salt resulting in a savings of $200,000.

Do you support recreational marijuana being sold in your community to help lower residents’ tax burden?

We passed a local ordinance to allow dispensaries in Oswego with restrictions on the use of the revenues. The revenues from these dispensaries must be spent on the police department, school resource officers, drug awareness curriculum and related legal fee recapture.

What projects or infrastructure would you look to address in your community and how would you do it?

We have two very large, transformative infrastructure projects underway. The first is Wolf’s Crossing Road reconstruction. This road has been overlooked by past administrations for too long. We began this process as soon as we took office and we will have the first segment including a Harvey Road roundabout completed by Thanksgiving 2023. The second segment focusing on the Douglas Road intersection is in engineering design now and will commence construction following the Harvey Road completion. We are looking at completing these first two segments without incurring new taxes or debt. The second project is the Lake Michigan long term water source ensuring safe and enduring water to Oswego. This project too was kicked down the road by previous administrations despite the acknowledgement our aquifers were rapidly being depleted. We have found ways to fund this without placing all the burden on our residents. We have secured millions of dollars in grants, passed a Real estate transfer tax referendum and paid down over 2 million dollars in long term water debt. Although the cost of water will go up in Oswego, we have found ways and look for more to lessen the impact on our residents.

Will you accept the voters’ decision in your race on Election Day?

Of course, the voters always have the ultimate say on their elected officials

What is your position on open, transparent government?

Our government has been very transparent over the course of the past four years. Our finances have been an open book, we have hosted dozens and dozens of open houses, home owner association meetings and events where we have been available to the public. In addition I have attended many homeowners association meetings and have held more than twenty open forums with the community.

Do you support the Freedom of Information Act and citizens’ ability to freely access government records?

Of course

Would you sign a nondisclosure agreement with a prospective company that would limit your ability to communicate with your community?

Communications with the public are essential and backed by law. There are times when sensitive information must be discussed in a closed session of the board.