Bobby Fontana, Elmhurst Ward 4 Candidate

ELMHURST, IL – Bobby Fontana is one of two candidates for the Ward 4 seat on the Elmhurst City Council.

Here are his responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Name:

Robert “Bobby” Fontana

Town of residence:

Elmhurst, IL (8-year resident)

Age:

38

Campaign contact email:

Email: ward4bobby@gmail.com
Website: ward4bobby.com

Family:

Wife (Megan) and 2 kids (grades 3 & K, both at Field Elementary)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education:

MS in Interdisciplinary Engineering w/ Specialization in Global Management & Leadership (Purdue University)
BS in Electrical Engineering (Purdue University)

Occupation:

Systems Engineer

Previous or current elected or appointed office:

None

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

As alderman, my goal is to emphasize the strengths of Elmhurst, which I believe can be boiled down to two main areas: a thriving downtown and a welcoming community.

Our downtown, along with our other commercial hubs, is the first thing that makes Elmhurst such an attractive place to live. There are always things to do and places to go! As alderman, I will make responsible fiscal decisions to ensure that we maintain an active and thriving downtown.

After moving here, I quickly realized that our community is truly special. My family and I are extremely thankful for the friendships we have made and the support that we have given and received during our time in Elmhurst. As alderman, I will encourage community mingling through events, parks, and open spaces to continue to build the bonds that make our community so strong.

We are all very fortunate to live in such a dynamic and fulfilling town, and with that comes excitement for new opportunities & improvements while also presenting new challenges.

What I see as one of the most pressing issues for Elmhurst is navigating how to prioritize and pursue these opportunities & challenges in a reasonable and responsible manner. We must ensure that costs remain sensible, that the atmosphere is hospitable to businesses and individuals, and that our residents feel that their thoughts and concerns are being heard and carefully considered.

To express my priorities, I have included a PRIORITY SCORE in my “Key Takeaway” section of many issues below. Here, I state my priority of the situation as a score from 1 (highest priority) to 5 (lowest priority). It is my hope that identifying items in this way will show where I will dedicate my attention and give confidence that I will contribute to an effective, executable plan. After all, if everything is high priority, nothing is high priority.

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

As a systems engineer, I understand that everything is a trade-off and that all aspects of decisions must be considered carefully. I dedicate myself to understanding all relevant aspects of an issue and seek to determine the best path forward based on the data available.

I believe the city government has generally done a very good job maintaining the safety, fiscal health, and desirable nature of our town. I don’t plan on advocating for sweeping changes, but instead understand the value of incremental improvement. I strive to find ways to make things a little better than when I found them.

As a father of young kids (grades 3 & K) that plans to raise them in Elmhurst over the coming decades, I value long-term planning and understand the challenges and opportunities that many families with school-age children are facing.

Finally, I value the opinions of my neighbors in the fourth ward. I intend on being an alderman that can be trusted to make reasonable, responsible decisions that reflect the needs and desires of my constituents.

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

I work as a systems engineer for a company that designs complex satellite systems. The nature of these systems requires that I work across many teams to solve difficult problems. Priorities and trade-offs are the name of the game, and I regularly need to justify and make difficult decisions.

Additionally, I have taken on both a technical leadership role on my program and a people leadership role within my organization, so I am practiced in building consensus and trust in complex situations.

Outside of work, I served as the Vice President of the Homeowners Association at the last place I lived. Several members of the HOA (including the president) were attempting to pass new, overreaching rules that would require homeowners to actually undo some improvements they had already made to their homes. Though I myself was not directly affected by these new rules, I led a coalition against the proposal and was successful in limiting the HOA rules to the minimum necessary set, preserving homeowner autonomy.

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

Key Takeaway:

· The city government’s taxes are just about right

· There will be some challenges with potential upcoming projects, so we must time-phase projects accordingly to keep the tax burden stable

· Priority Score [1-5]: 2 (high)

One of the aspects that drew us to Elmhurst was the relatively low property taxes when compared to similar towns in the area. To maintain this relative advantage, it is important that we make responsible fiscal decisions when planning for the future, and any tax increase should be closely scrutinized.

There are several potential upcoming projects (e.g., police station, train station) that are under consideration that would pose challenges to our existing tax rates. One of the levers that we have to meet these challenges is time-phasing expenses so that we maintain a stable, predictable tax burden. This may result in delays to lower-priority projects but will result in better overall tax health for our city.

When it comes to property taxes, we first need to specify what part of property taxes an alderman (as part of city government) has control over. Less than 10% of every dollar in property taxes goes to the city government, far behind the roughly 75% that goes to the school district.

So, while the city government is not the primary driver for property tax rates, I nonetheless take very seriously the responsibility to ensure that every tax dollar is put towards truly necessary expenditures that reflect the needs and wants of my neighbors in the fourth ward.

How do you feel about the downtown apartment and condo development in recent years?

Key Takeaway:

· I am generally in favor of the balance achieved between generating business for the downtown area while limiting overcrowding & traffic

· I recommend taking time to assess impacts (both expected and unexpected) of recent developments

· Priority Score [1-5]: 3 (medium)

This issue relates to one of the strengths of Elmhurst – our thriving downtown. In order for our community to have this outstanding epicenter, we must ensure that there are sufficient numbers of people frequenting downtown to support all of the great businesses found there. The recent condo developments are a way to get more people in that area while limiting impacts to other aspects of town. For example, many condo residents are train commuters (or non-commuters) with low school burden.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that more is always better. There has certainly been a surge in condo development over the past decade, and I think it is important that we measure the impacts to ascertain if the results align with the intent. We should measure both the good impacts (e.g., driving additional business) as well as the bad (e.g., traffic).

Overall, I am generally satisfied with the balance achieved in recent years. Yet we need to ensure we are intentional and fully informed when deciding whether to pursue additional development in the future.

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

Key Takeaway:

· There are two main pieces for city infrastructure – roads & water. There is a dedicated question to water rates below, so this answer focuses on roads.

· Current maintenance & repairs of roads seem to be timely and effective

· Priority Score [1-5]: 3 (medium)

The city has generally been doing an admirable job of maintaining and repairing its roads, which is one main portion of city infrastructure. The other main portion is water. I will save specifics on the water side of things for the water rate question below.

My goal when it comes to roads is to keep doing what has been working. The city has the Elmhurst Connect app, an effective reporting system that can be used for residents to quickly and efficiently communicate repair needs (roads or otherwise) to the city. City staff have demonstrated the ability to be timely in their response to fixing reported issues.

In my conversations with voters, I have noticed that many are not aware of the Elmhurst Connect app. As alderman, I will communicate resources and processes available to our residents. When we have an effective tool, we should ensure that everyone knows how to use it.

Has the city done a good job in handling stormwater issues?

Key Takeaway:

· The city’s stormwater mitigation plan has done much to resolve city-wide stormwater issues

· We need to continue to execute the remaining pieces of the plan

· Priority Score [1-5]: 4 (low; finish executing the plan)

Over recent years, the city’s stormwater mitigation strategy has changed the stormwater issue from a major city-wide problem to more localized issues. There is still work to complete before the strategy is concluded, but we are heading in the right direction.

Even as the city-wide issues are being mitigated, it is important that we continue to have policies and programs in place that allow homeowners to limit and respond to local stormwater issues. Examples include water mitigation requirements for new construction and cost-sharing programs for on-property water detention pits on existing properties.

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

Key Takeaway:

· I am grateful to the police department’s excellent work in keeping our community safe

· Priority Score [1-5]: 1 (public safety is critical; no planned action regarding police department)

As alderman, I commit to continuing to make public safety a top priority for our city.

The fact that Elmhurst has recently been recognized as one of the top ten safest suburbs in the U.S. is something that should not be overlooked. While there are several contributors to this achievement, the Elmhurst Police Department are first and foremost in deserving recognition. Given this fine performance, I do not see the need for any changes specific to the police department.

Does the city need a new police station? Why or why not?

Key Takeaway:

· There are several serious issues with the current police station

· I support a new police station with a funding plan that limits impact to taxes

· Priority Score [1-5]: 2 (high)

The current police station faces many issues. Primary issues include concerns with safety, structural deterioration, under-sizing, and facility issues (e.g., HVAC). Additionally, there are secondary issues pertaining to inefficiencies in layout and old systems. I recommend reading the 2024 report detailing the issues with the current building.

The relatively small cost savings (~8%) of renovating the station do not, in my view, justify the issues that would persist with a renovated building. As such, I support a new build.

Building a new police station is a high priority for me, and we should intelligently plan for rebuilding the station in a way that fits into our current budget situation and limits the impact on property taxes. A recent proposal by the finance committee funds the construction of a new police station with an estimated increase of ~$40 per household per year in property taxes. This is a reasonable solution with a relatively small impact. Delaying planning for a new station will only result in a more critical need in the future that is more disruptive to the city’s financial picture.

Do you support a property tax increase, in part, to pay for the new station?

As stated above, I am open to a small increase in property taxes to avoid what will be a much larger impact should we defer the planning of a new station. The current proposal by the finance committee includes an estimated increase of ~$40 per household per year in property taxes. I consider this to be a reasonable proposal.

What is your view of the city's decision last year to raise water and sewer rates by 28 percent?

Key Takeaway:

· Maintaining our water safety is a critical need that requires immediate attention

· Unfunded requirements placed on the city, combined with aging water infrastructure, required drastic measures to be taken in 2024

· I support limited application of progressive water rates to mitigate the rate increase on low-usage households

· Priority Score [1-5]: 1 (critical)

Elmhurst’s water treatment facilities and water mains are aging and require renewal. This would be a challenging but achievable problem under normal circumstances, but adding to the issue are unfunded requirements placed on the city to make improvements to our water treatment.

The city made the hard decision last year to deal with the issue directly with a large increase to water rates. I commend that decision, difficult as it was. These projects are crucial to the quality of our water, and that is something that should not be taken for granted.

The increase in water rates allows for funding the projects in bundles, which will mean the elevated rates will remain as the projects execute in phases. By aggressively attacking this issue, city council has ensured that the major increase is behind us and we now have rates that will enable us to execute the necessary changes to our water infrastructure.

There is currently a consideration to implement progressive water rates (where water rates increase as households & businesses use more water) to help manage the cost challenge for residents. I support this proposal in principle, but recommend that it be limited in nature. It should be used only to ensure that all residents, regardless of income, have access to affordable water that meets a baseline need. Over-application of progressive rates may result in heavier users (including families with children) seeing further increases to their bills. Restraint in the policy’s application will be crucial to its success.

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?

Key Takeaway:

· I am self-funding my campaign

· I do not believe changes need to be made as long as political contributions are transparent to voters

· Priority Score [1-5]: 5 (lowest)

Firstly, I must say that I am fully self-funding my campaign and taking no donations whatsoever. However, I understand the necessity of fundraising when running larger campaigns. Transparency is the key. As long as voters can determine where political contributions to a candidate have come from, I think that prohibiting such contributions would become more problematic than the current status quo. With this knowledge, voters can make the determination on whether or not they trust their candidate to make quality decisions based on where their funding originates.

Should the city allow video gambling or recreational marijuana sales in town?

Key Takeaway:

· I do not believe it would be to the city’s benefit to have recreational dispensaries in our downtown or commercial hubs, but am open to dispensaries outside of these areas

· I am against allowing video gambling in town

· I do not plan on taking action regarding this issue unless the community desires it

· Priority Score [1-5]: 5 (lowest)

Elmhurst’s thriving downtown is one of our city’s strengths, and its approachability and family-friendliness are key contributors to its success. We need to carefully consider how we present our downtown and commercial hubs to the residents of Elmhurst and neighboring communities.

I believe that allowing video gambling in town would be a detriment. Similarly, allowing recreational dispensaries downtown or in our commercial hubs would have a negative impact to the appeal of those areas.

I am open to considering allowing dispensaries outside of downtown and other commercial hubs, but I would need to be convinced that this was truly a desire of our residents. We also need to consider the nature of diminishing returns regarding dispensaries, where the positive economic impact from new dispensaries gets smaller and smaller as more locations are opened. This means that the economic impact of allowing dispensaries in town would likely be low. Therefore, I consider this issue to be a low priority.

Should the city do anything to make housing more affordable in town? Why or why not?

Key Takeaway:

· Options to make housing more affordable without simultaneously making Elmhurst a less desirable location are limited

· I support making use of best practices used by communities facing similar challenges

· Priority Score [1-5]: 3 (medium)

I appreciate that many folks want to live in Elmhurst. It is what makes our town so dynamic and our communities so entwined. However, it also comes with challenges. Specifically, housing prices.

One of the great cultural aspects of our communities is the mix of homes that you will find walking down many of our streets. It is common to find old homes next to new ones. On my own block, we have 80-year-old homes (mine was built in 1941) next to new construction. But we all come together, get along, and love Elmhurst. It is special, and it gives a unique feel to our neighborhoods.

I have heard concerns regarding overdevelopment expressed within my community, with some preferring renovation to new construction. This issue requires nuance. New development is necessary and healthy for a community, but existing housing and renovation also contribute to the unique and beneficial culture described above. One area the city should explore is to look for ways to incentivize renovating homes without punishing development. Examples could include cost-sharing programs for revitalizing aging systems within older homes.

To do what we can to maintain affordability, the city is engaging Homes for a Changing Region. This is a free program that provides suggestions based on best practices discovered by other communities facing similar challenges. I look forward to seeing the suggestions that come out of this program.

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

No. I expect to serve my full term.

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

I moved to Elmhurst eight years ago. My wife and I quickly concluded that this was the best place we’ve ever lived. And it’s not close. Moving in, I knew we were lucky enough to be coming to a place with an active downtown. A town that was walkable and safe.

What I didn’t fully realize was the quality of the community that we were entering. At first, I thought it was just by chance, but I now realize that a key enabler of building strong communities within our town are the various opportunities to mingle with your neighbors. Sure, there’s school-related activities, which most towns have. And there’s our downtown, which is less common but certainly not rare. But then there’s everything else, each of which is not unique in its own right but comes together to form something truly special.

I’m talking about things like the Prairie Path where people can be active together. Events like Rock the Block and the Craft Beer Fest where residents can have fun. Programs like Elmhurst Princesses that create cherished father-daughter bonds. And many others, including spaces where neighbors can run into each other and simply talk.

One of these such spaces is the green space located between Third and Schiller Streets in the fourth ward. I have observed tremendous, vocal support from our community to maintain this area as open space. I have witnessed the benefits that this area has to the surrounding community: from a safe thoroughfare for walking kids to school, to an area for kids to run around and play with their friends; from a quiet place to enjoy nature, to a place to walk your dog with more interesting scents than the oft-used sign poles and fence posts; from a place for gentle sledding and snowman-building, to just a nice, shaded spot that you can go interact with your neighbors without having to spend money.

I pride myself on looking at all aspects of an issue before determining a preferred path, and I just don’t see the estimated value of selling the space as measuring up to the countless beneficial experiences that are had each day within the community. We will need to find a long-term solution on how to keep and maintain the green space going forward so that it is not a regular candidate for sale.

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Throughout this questionnaire, I have stressed the importance of priorities. To get involved in the discussion, please go to ward4bobby.com where you can take a 30-second survey to let me know your personal priorities for our town. It also contains useful information on my campaign as well as my contact information.

Thank you for your consideration for Fourth Ward Alderman.