Ted Schauer, Darien Ward 1 Candidate

ELMHURST, IL – Incumbent Ted Schauer is one of two candidates for the Ward 1 seat on the Darien City Council.

Here are his responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Name:

Ted V. Schauer

Town of residence:

Darien

Age:

55

Campaign contact email:

Tktt2005@comcast.net

Family:

2 boys, one 25, second is 22.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No one in my family works in politics or government

Education:

BA University of Iowa

Occupation:

Been in the banking business for over 20 years

Previous or current elected or appointed office:

Currently Alderman Ward 1 Darien IL

The single most pressing issue facing the city is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The most pressing issue facing the City of Darien is funding the police pension at a 100% per year, WITHOUT eliminating any police officers. When I first became alderman in 2009, the city was contributing $900,000 a per year to the police pension. This year the city will contribute more than $3 million dollars to the police pension. The fact is that the pension is outpacing inflation by 4-5 times. As long as I am on the council, I will never vote to eliminate any police positions. The key is to attract and retain businesses that will continue to have local sales tax that will pay for the pensions. We also need to work with the state of Illinois to not "move the goal post" when it comes to the funding of the pension. When I started as an alderman for Darien, we were funding 900k per year, and our funding percentage of our pension was 61% to goal. Now we are funding from the city of Darien over $3 million, BUT our funding percentage has dropped to 59%. The fact is we need to force the State of Illinois not to change the funding numbers on a yearly basis, this way every town and city in Illinois will have a consistent dollar amount to fund their police pensions.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?

I have never met my opponent, nor has anyone from the city has ever seen him at city hall or a city meeting. In fact, he met Dan Gombac, the head of Municipal Services, on the street and never knew who Dan was, so I cannot tell you the difference between him and myself are. The two things that I have always done as an alderman, is one, I have brought a commonsense solution to problems in Darien. Using this approach, I have always strived to do what's in the resident's best interest. Secondly, I have never been afraid to make tough decisions, being alderman and making tough decisions has not always been popular, but still in the best interest of the City of Darien and Ward 1 residents.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

These are just some of the accomplishments I have completed since being alderman:
1) Worked for 7 years to get a $895,000 federal grant for the stoplight at Bailey and Plainfield Roads.
2) Secured $300k in funding working with other alderman to redo the parking lot for Chuck's restaurant. Otherwise, Chuck's would never have come into the City of Darien. Since that time, Chucks has produced in excess of a million dollars in sales tax revenue.
3) Helped negotiate with the bank on the corner of Cass and 75th to sell the property to the bank from the city that made Darien a $333,000 profit.
4) Recommended the city re-do the strip mall plans from one long building into two separate buildings, resulting in two drive-throughs and increased sales revenue for the city.
5) Obtained the hotel on Frontage Road that produces over $50k in tax revenue per year.
6) Secured early funding for re-doing the ditches on Gail Ave and Linden, 2 years ahead of schedule, and secured funding for all ditches in Ward 1.
7) Have always secured funding (and voted in favor) for infrastructure improvements for maintenance of the streets in Darien.
8) Have kept property taxes low, by always seeking out alternative revenue options and limiting expenses only as needed.
9) Fought to keep the Nantucket basin from being planted with tall grasses and flowers, because no resident who backs up to the basin wanted it. As long as I am on the council, I will push to keep it with plain grass so the residents of that area, and their kids, can play on it.

Are the city government's taxes too high, too low or just about right? Explain.

If you look at your property tax bill, we have one of the lowest property taxes around just for the city. We have accomplished this by limiting expenses as needed and being diligent with every dollar we spend. The one area as mentioned above is maintaining the pensions for police. Again, we need to work with the State of Illinois to have a set dollar amount we can strive to attain 100% funding by 2040.

What is your view of the city's maintenance of its infrastructure?

I am a huge proponent of re-paving the city streets. Every year we average between 4-5 miles in re-paving the city streets, and I have always voted in favor of funding for streets maintenance. I also made sure we have had funding over the last 15 years for re-doing of the city ditches, which we finally finished last year. Having excellent water flow in the city's ditches has prevented flooding in streets and homes and extends the life of the streets. Preventing ongoing flooding of the streets helps the longevity of the streets and reduce the costs to the residents.

What is your assessment of the police department's performance?

I believe the police have done an excellent job maintaining their professionalism and integrity for the City of Darien. Chief Thomas has done a fantastic job maintaining the professionalism and leading the police in reducing crime throughout the city. I believe we have one of the best police forces in DuPage County. Again, as long as I am alderman, I will never vote to eliminate police positions.

Do you support the city's approach to recreational marijuana? Why or why not?

I was one of three aldermen who did NOT want to have a marijuana dispensary in Darien. The vote was 4-3 in favor, and we lost that vote. Of the 4 alderman who voted yes, 2 of them were voted off the city council in the last election, and I believe their support of a marijuana dispensary was a major factor in them losing. The fact is that the revenue from the dispensary is only about 40k per year, and it will never be worth it having it in Darien.

Should the mayor and aldermen take political contributions from city contractors or those with zoning or other matters before the council? Why or why not?

No elected official should ever take ANY contributions from city contractors with zoning matters in the city. In my years as being an alderman, I have never and will never take political contributions from contractors doing business with Darien.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

There should be no reason why I would not serve a full term. I am about to complete my 4th term and hopefully start my 5th.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As long as I am alderman of Ward 1 in Darien, I will continue to maintain the excellence the residents have come to expect when it comes to policing, maintaining infrastructure, and basic necessities like snow removal. I will always vote for a fleet of city vehicles that are in excellent shape and are well maintained so we have no disruption in service. I am asking for your vote for April 1.