Candidates for Elgin City Council have been discussing issues such as progress, economic development, downtown revitalization, ethics, and more as seven candidates compete for four seats to be decided in the April 4 election.
All four incumbents — Rich Dunne, Terry Gavin, John Prigge and Carol Rauschenberger — are seeking another term. They face challengers Corey Dixon, Brenda Rodgers and Brandon Yaniz.
This is a snapshot look at the candidates.
Corey Dixon
Challenger Corey Dixon, 34, is an Illinois Department of Human Services Caseworker and a member of the Elgin Planning & Zoning Commission whose campaign web page states that “Elgin is only as strong as its downtown.”
“We have a strong downtown, but it isn’t living up to its full potential,” Dixon said in a written response.
He said his concern about the downtown is one of the reasons he’s running. He thinks Elgin needs a comprehensive economic development plan, and said he has met with Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Neighborhood Association officials about what they provide Elgin and their growth strategies.
Dixon also said Elgin needs to correct zoning “to make it more conducive for retail stores and restaurants to occupy street-level properties.” As a Planning & Zoning Commissioner, he said he often encounters applications from businesses that want to move into a space that isn’t zoned for the use it needs.
“This is a problem because we end up having non-tax generating businesses taking up prime downtown property that otherwise could be occupied by a business that generates revenue for the city,” Dixon said. “This also hurts existing retail or restaurant businesses because it takes away a potential space for a business that compliments them and could have created even more foot traffic, which directly affects the surrounding businesses.”
Rich Dunne
Rich Dunne, a grants manager for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is seeking his third term on the Elgin City Council. During his current campaign, Dunne has been talking about Elgin revisiting its ethics ordinance, which covers accepting or offering gifts and participation in political activities.
“The code does not address conflicts of interest. I believe that the city should have clear guidelines as to what is a conflict of interest for elected and appointed officials of the city as well as management employees,” Dunne, 56, said via email.
Dunne’s campaign webpage mentions that while there have been improvements in the city’s transparency, there is still work to be done.
“The city has increased its transparency rating during my term on the Council from a 28.5 percent to a 98.7 percent rating by the Illinois Policy Institute. Still, citizens have expressed to me concerns in the content placed on our website and the ease of finding content on our site,” Dunne said.
Dunne noted that he sought a rule that was approved by the City Council that no item be placed on agendas without having support materials attached or three bullet points to explain the agenda item.
“We also require that all materials presented to the Council become part of the permanent record,” Dunne said.
While the city provides Elgin budget details on its website — including the entire budget and all of the PowerPoint presentations used during budget hearings — Dunne believes the information could be presented in a more searchable format.
“Citizens have requested the addition of a ‘true tax calculation’ to be added to the website on a quarterly basis. I feel that this would be another step forward toward transparency,” Dunne said.
Terry Gavin
Independent insurance broker Terry Gavin, 62, is seeking his second consecutive term on the City Council and his third term overall.
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Gavin has been involved with the Elgin Development Group and is supportive of its efforts. He cites the group’s work as examples of things he can help accomplish.
“Nothing works as well as success, and over the last few years the Elgin Development Group has been extremely successful in attracting, maintaining and marketing businesses here in Elgin.” Gavin said via email.
He notes that Elgin is one of only four communities in Illinois seeing economic growth over the last two years, a timeframe largely defined by the budget stalemate in Springfield, Gavin said.
Gavin also noted that Elgin has a 3.95 percent vacancy rate in retail space citywide and tens of millions of investment dollars have been brought into the community in recent years. That includes two new car dealerships, good paying manufacturing jobs, offices and national headquarters for several companies.
“Elgin has the most private sector jobs in Kane County, even more than Aurora, which has a significantly larger population base,” Gavin said.
Gavin also noted that the city pays $243,000 annually to the Elgin Development Group for the purchase of a services agreement, while city staff says that bringing the work back in-house, which would include hiring another senior staff person, would cost more than $500,000 annually based on what was paid for it 10 years ago.
“By every measurement of economic success, the Elgin Development Group’s approach is clearly working to the benefit of our city and taxpayers,” he said.
John Prigge
Incumbent John Prigge, a self-employed auctioneer, is seeking his third term on the City Council.
Prigge did not respond to requests to answer questions from the Courier-News.
On his website, he describes himself as a “practical, conservative voice” who delivers, “straight talk and direct answers.”
His campaign website emphasizes “empathy” for taxpayers and questions policy changes that he has described as insider deals.
The Courier-News previously reported that he enjoyed meals expensed to the City 51 times over a 15-month period, as many as the rest of the City Council members combined during the same period.
Often an outsider on the Council, his website urges voters to support him and the three challengers.
“We need to repair our relationship with Elgin taxpayers and lead them through tough times, not deeper into them,” a statement on his website reads.
Carol Rauschenberger
Occupational therapist Carol Rauschenberger, 64, has been an advocate for plans to bring Shared Harvest, a food co-op, to downtown Elgin.
Some have questioned the plan because organic foods are now available at most mainstream grocery stores. But Rauschenberger remains committed.
“I think these are complex questions,” said Rauschenberger, who is seeking her second term. “I believe the concept is viable based on the market study and the idea that cooperatives focus on local foods.”
With a vacancy in the director’s spot with the Downtown Neighborhood Association, Rauschenberger sees “an opportunity for rethinking the role of the DNA with the city and the downtown property and business owners.”
She worked with the group while sitting on its economic development committee and would like to see that panel revived.
“I understand the new DNA board is reconsidering the role of DNA and I look forward to meeting with them soon,” she said in an emailed reply.
Brenda Rodgers
Real Estate professional, Brenda Rodgers, 53, said she is running for Elgin City Council because economic development is very important to her, both downtown and throughout the community. Housing and core services are other issues she said she will work on if elected.
“I would like to see more restaurants, boutiques, small businesses and housing in our downtown,” Rodgers said in an emailed statement.
Rodgers served a prior term on the Council and said she is running again because she has “a proven record of bringing jobs and keeping jobs in our community and I want to do it again.”
“The economy and the Real Estate market are turning around and commercial investors are starting to invest again in the market, she said. “I want to see companies recruited to our community that will pay our residents a living wage so that our residents can support the smaller businesses in the community.”
Rodgers would like Elgin to hold annual food truck and restaurant week events to help raise money for the city’s nonprofit community.
“I have mentioned it to some of the nonprofits. I can’t say how much the event would raise; I can only say that people come out to food truck events.”
Brandon Yaniz
Brandon Yaniz, 37, is a business management consultant whose campaign has focused on economic development and has been critical of the Elgin Development Group, the arm of the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce paid by the city to provide economic development services.
“In the business world a company will establish defined metrics for the subcontractor to achieve, however, in this instance the subcontractor is not only evaluating their own progress, but essentially writing their own specifications as well,” said Yaniz, a newcomer. He wants the group to be more transparent with findings and data.
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Yaniz said via email the city’s most egregious developmental failure is “our historic downtown. When you look around the downtown there are many empty and underutilized storefronts. We are now seeing a trend of nonprofits and religious entities acquiring this valuable real estate, eliminating tax revenue for the city, because the building owners have been unsuccessful in attracting retail business.”
Yaniz also believes there are too many restrictions and zoning hurdles placed on new businesses that want to open in Elgin.
“For example, a personal training business can’t come into the downtown without a variance,” Yaniz said. “An escape room business would have to go through the laborious process of getting a conditional use permit, which can take months. Both of these venues are very popular with our target demographic and could attract new patrons into the (downtown) area which in turn could bolster other established retail and service based businesses.”