2025 Election Questionnaire: Jim Lanham, Joliet City Council

Name:

Jim Lanham

What office are you seeking?

City Council at Large

What is your political party?

This is a non-partisan race; party affiliations don’t matter.

What is your current age?

Occupation and employer:

I work as a private security contractor.

What offices, if any, have you previously held?

None

City:

Joliet

Campaign Website:

facebook.com/share/1BY88rsNZX/

Education:

1991 wilmington high school graduate

Community Involvement:

Member of will county old timers baseball association

Marital status/Immediate family:

Single.

No kids

Dog, dillinger

Questions:

Gun violence is still a problem in the city despite the police saying crime overall was down in 2023. What can the city do differently to address this ongoing issue?

There isn’t a gun violence problem. It’s gang violence; it’s not even a city issue. The police do what they can be arresting the offenders. This is a poorly written question. All it is is anti-gun bias on its authors part.

What is your vision for the city’s future development? What you would like to see in the city’s comprehensive plan being developed?

Add and grow small businesses. Add new revenues instead of raising taxes.

Don’t turn away things like more Marijuana dispensaries like the council did in 2023.

That revenue would have eased other tax raises since then. The third largest city could probably even support 1 more either on a retail or agricultural level. It’s licensed legal and highly regulated industry. It’s free money for Joliet.

Housing affordability and shortage of quality multifamily housing has been labeled a county-wide problem. How can your city address this locally?

Does the city or HAJ even have the funds? This would probably require federal grant money to actually do anything.

What are your top three priorities for our city, and how do you plan to address them?

Lower taxes/fiscal responsibility

Anti crime/public safety

Growth of businesses and creating jobs

Lowering taxes self explanatory

Fiscal responsibility means stop wasting money even things like that $85,000 trolley

Could use that for streets and sidewalks

Growth of businesses/jobs

Stop denying new businesses, especially the ones not politically connected

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

What does this even mean? What business in joliet would even harm the environment? Except maybe all these warehouses and their 100s of 1000s of trucks that some on the council support and take money from.

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

Does the city even do anything now? Metra and Pace aren’t run by Joliet; those are outside agencies.

What role should the city council play in supporting local businesses and economic growth?

Encourage and support it. Be more open to approvals.

Dont worry about LED lights in windows

Dont think because theyre minority owned there will be problems

Its 2025 not 1980.

Turn the page on your calendar

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

Let the police do their jobs. Period.

Don’t give in to criminals.

Don’t worry if it will upset social justice warriors.

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

Treat everyone equally

No special rights. Equal rights.

No pay to pay

No cronyism

Encourage all to seek an elected office

Attend council meetings

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

Part of that is disclosed in campaign financial reports (when of course it actually gets reported instead of unreported coordination).

Enforcement would rely on using Robert’s rules in council meetings, and by using public comments during agenda items. If you think a council member has a conflict of interest, demand they recuse themselves. Like those who get north point money shouldn’t be voting on north point issues.

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

There’s an official city email. Use that. And I would be out in the community.