Thomas Ganiere, Ottawa City Commissioner election questionnaire

Full Name: Thomas Ganiere

What office are you seeking? City of Ottawa Commissioner

What is your political party? City elections are non-partisan and we do not run on a political platform. However, I am a Democrat.

What is your current age? 62

Occupation and Employer: Self employed as a Real Estate Appraiser, owner of Ganiere Appraisal Service, LLC. And I practice law part time with the Miskell Law Center, LLC.

What offices, if any, have you previously held? LaSalle County Board from 2006 to 2012

Ottawa Commissioner from 2015 to present.

City: Ottawa

Campaign Website: I do not have a website but I do have a Facebook page: Thomas Ganiere for Commissioner.

Education: 2 Associate degrees from Illinois Valley Community College

Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Science Management from Southern Illinois University

Juris Doctor degree from Chicago Kent College of Law

Community involvement: I am a member of the Ottawa Sunrise Rotary

Marital status/Immediate family: I am single

Why are you running for office?

For almost twenty-five years I served the citizens of Ottawa as a fire fighter. During that time the City was very good to me and now I am giving back to those citizens by serving as a Commissioner and doing everything that I can do to improve the quality of life for all of the citizens of Ottawa. Over the last eight years we, as a City, have made great strides in improving the quality of life but there is much more to do and I believe that my background, education, and experience uniquely qualifies me to be re-elected and serve the citizens of the great City.

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

Serving almost twenty-five years as a fire fighter, serving six years on the LaSalle County Board, serving eight years as a Commissioner along with my education qualifies me for the office of Commissioner. I also served on the Ottawa Plan Commission for more than fifteen years with many of those years serving as Chairperson. I also served as President of Ottawa Fire Fighters Local 523 for ten years and spent more than ten years on the Board of Directors of First Choice Credit Union (Bakelite) and was Chairperson of that board when they merged with Illinois State Credit Union.

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

This a law that was passed by the State of Illinois, all local governments are responsible for enforcing this law until it is either repealed or struck down by the courts.

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

I do not believe that crime is any more of a problem in Ottawa than it is in any other community within LaSalle County. We have a wonderful Police Department in Ottawa and they do a good job of policing the community.

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

I believe that the Ottawa City Council handled the COVID-19 pandemic better than most of the Communities in the county. We provided as much assistance to our businesses and citizens that we could. I believe, because of what we did, Ottawa only lost one business as a result for the pandemic. I don’t think that any other community in the area can say that.

What did you learn from the pandemic?

I think the biggest thing I learned from the pandemic is to be willing try things that may not sound viable at first but does have the potential to help someone or a business.

How would you spur economic development in your community?

The City is already doing a lot to help spur economic development. We have one of only a few shovel ready industrial parks in the State. During the past four years we installed a new water and sewer line to the Rt. 71 and Rt. 80 interchange which opens that whole corridor up for development. I think tourism plays a big roll in our economic development here in Ottawa and we need to keep promoting Ottawa to bring visitors here. One other way that we spur economic development is by maintaining our City infrastructure. Over the last four years we have paved over nineteen miles of streets and alleys, redeveloped the Eastside Park and Thornton Park, installed thousands of feet of new water and sewer lines, and are in the process of constructing a new pools. Also, the development of our riverfront will play a big part in economic development. We have a grant to build the amphitheater and that should be designed this year with construction to start in 2024.

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

I think it is very important for the elected officials to keep taxes as low as possible and still be able to keep the City running. One way that we, here in Ottawa, help to keep the property taxes low is by having a vibrant business community that brings in much needed sales tax dollars from people visiting here. We need to continue to support that business community so that we do not loose those sale tax dollars.

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

I do support recreational marijuana being sold in Ottawa. This is another source of revenue that does not come from the property tax. Currently the City is bringing in about $30,000 - $35,000 per month in recreational marijuana tax.

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

As mentioned earlier, the river front project is going forward in the next year. Also, we are in the very early design stage of a new fire station on the South side. I would like to look at a new skate park and possibly bring a new ice rink that has a chiller so that it can be used for five to six months. In addition, we need to keep up our robust street, alley, park, water, and sewer replacements.

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

Absolutely.

What is your position on open, transparent government?

Government needs to be open and transparent. I believe that we have made great strides with this over the last four years. We have more documents available online than any other City in the County. During the last term under Mayor Eschbach the Council had twenty-two workshop meetings and the current council has had fifteen even though we could not have these types of meetings for about eighteen months during COVID. In addition this Council has had two town hall style meetings, one on the pool and one on downtown parking. Is there room for improvement - yes and I will strive to improve the transparency.

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

Yes

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

Sometimes nondisclosure agreements are necessary for a prospective company to allow them to do their due diligence in procuring sites and financing.