Joliet City Council District 4 Candidate Survey: Bill Ferguson

JOLIET, IL —Patch submitted questionnaires to the candidates running for Joliet City Council in the April 4 election. The following responses were provided by Bill Ferguson, who is one of four challengers on the ballot in District 4.

Your name:

William Ferguson

Age (as of Election Day)

67

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

I'm a Certified Medicolegal Death Investigator for the Cook County Medical Examiner and am retiring this year.

Education

St. Joseph Grade School, Joliet Central High School, Joliet Junior College, Worsham College

Occupation

Currently I'm a Certified Medicolegal Death Investigator. Previously I was Chief Deputy Coroner for Will County and later served as Director of the Will County Emergency Management Agency.

Campaign Website

www.facebook.com/Ferguson4Joli...

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I have not previously been elected to any office. After serving as a volunteer for the Will County Emergency Management Agency (and its' predecessor, the Will County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency) for 17 years, I was appointed the full-time Director and served under two different Will County Executives.

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them.

Even with Joliet's ranking as the 8th safest city in America every one of our neighborhoods has experienced crime. Bringing the police closer to our community through the N.O.P.T. (Neighborhood Oriented Policing Team ) program would let citizens know the police that patrol their neighborhoods and provide a sense of community so that when they "see something, say something." We need more N.O.P.T officers. Additionally, I believe that the police department's Traffic Unit should be supplemented with additional members to monitor truck traffic to keep semi-tractor trucks out of neighborhoods they have no good reason to be driving through.

Providing good jobs for all of our citizens by promoting business development is another way to help curb crime. For any development that occurs in Joliet, a key issue for me is that the use of economic incentives for economic growth be collateralized and tied to performance. If we build infrastructure for a specific company or development, they need to meet specific job creation goals, wage and benefit goals, and tax revenue generating goals or else they need to reimburse the taxpayers of the City of Joliet for the money we laid out to help them succeed. Banks require guarantees and collateral as a normal business practice and so should taxpayers. These new requirements would prevent the current trend of the recent past where our government and tax dollars helped has created too many low-wage warehouse jobs and put a strain on the existing roadways and traffic safety.

Repairing aging infrastructure in our older neighborhoods, which is true of most of District 4, is a quality-of-life issue that I intend be diligent about devoting my efforts toward improving.

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

From the biographies I have seen online from the other candidates, none of the other candidates have actually worked in government, which makes a big difference when trying to hit the ground running. In addition to my knowledge of general government operations and the interaction of various levels of government and their responsibilities, I have firsthand experience working on budgets, supervising government staff, finding innovative ways within the government to accomplish goals, and working across governmental jurisdictions to accomplish the goals for the collective good. As Director of the Will County Emergency Management Agency I learned the importance of planning for routine and emergency events, and that being available is one of the most important elements to success. As a member of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force and Co-Chair of the Emergency Management Work Group I participated in and developed programs that benefited diverse communities across the entire State of Illinois

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

The 4th District City Council seat is an open seat due to the retirement of Bettye Gavin.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I have watched with great disappointment the internal squabbling on the Joliet City Council for the last4 years. We elect them believing they will put aside personal differences to act in our collective best interest and instead we get this petty, juvenile bull%$#@ squabbling that distracts from achieving the goals of the residents. If I wanted to see that I’d watch that ridiculous Kardashian reality show. One of the reason I decided to run, and I will forcefully advocate for this as City Council Member, is to shutdown any disputes that extend beyond a public policy debate and I will call out any city official in public who abandons his or her responsibilities to engage in personally motivated confrontations. Government at all levels should be run by experienced, mature, responsible adults and they should act like it at all times.

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

My years of service as a Deputy Coroner in Will County as Lt. Coroner and Chief Deputy Coroner, appointed Director of the Will County Emergency Management Agency, and a seat on the Illinois Terrorism Task Force have that kept me in the public's view and compiled a list of positive accomplishments that people have continued to recognize. I'm proud of my membership in the Joliet Exchange Club for over 27 years and the support that it's given to the community in the support of efforts to prevent child abuse, recognize the scholastic achievements of high school students, and honor the heroic efforts of local police officers and firefighters.

Why should voters trust you?

First, you should only trust people you’ve known for years and it is impossible for any of the candidates to know each of the 30,000 plus residents in the district. While I personally have met thousands of people in Joliet over the years and meet new people every day, voters need to review the experience, qualifications, employment history, education and reputation of the people running for office and make a “best guess” determination on what kind of public officials they will be. I am a 4th generation lifelong resident of Joliet who is an open book with decades of experience, so I invite folks to look me up on Facebook and carefully read the mail I send to your homes. I am a voter like everyone else and I make my choices with the understanding that if they do not follow through on their platform, I can vote to throw them out of office in a few years. All that being said, I am 100% trustworthy — just ask me.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

A reduced crime rate, a reduced property tax bill, reduced traffic congestion, and verifiable reports of an increase in the number of businesses and living wage jobs created in Joliet from 2023-2027.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

In general, I believe government in Illinois is plagued by a spending addiction, not by difficulty in generating revenue through reasonable taxation. Not Joliet government itself, but Illinois state government and Chicago/Cook County have created an unsustainable systemic debt spiral that threatens to take all responsible governments down with them. I support a balanced budget, a zero-based budgeting process, the reduction of debt and an economic impact analysis of future spending proposals. We need to know the long-term effect of spending liabilities. I do not support any new taxes or any increases in taxes.

Do you support the Illinois assault weapons ban, and would you support a local assault weapons ban in this community?

Joliet is a Home Rule community so we can decide for ourselves what limits we do or do not want to put on any firearms or firearm accessories apart from whatever the state legislature decides. I prefer that we do it by referendum so that everyone gets to say what they limits should be. I think gun laws should be uniform across the United States and any reasonable restrictions need to be in compliance with the U.S. Constitution. I am disturbed by gun violence and support background checks and the prohibition of gun ownership possession by persons who are career criminals, previous violent offenders or persons with psychological imbalances which make them a threat to all of us.

Do you support Black Lives Matter, and do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality? If not, what specifically should be done to do so?

I support the equal application of the law to every citizen as well as the right of those who think they are being mistreated to protest peacefully. I don’t think promoting civil rights enforcement by slogan is an effective method of enacting meaningful change. I think injecting any color into a slogan (whether black, white, brown or blue) is ultimately counterproductive to the ultimate goal of equality and fairness. Mass peaceful protests and voting out unresponsive politicians is.

I think the current Joliet city administration, with the concurrence of the city council, has made great progress in diversifying its advisory councils and the city workforce. Improvements in diversity and inclusion should always be a priority in a city as diverse as Joliet.

Do you support the SAFE-T Act? Why or why not?

I oppose the elimination of cash bail. While I'm sure that the Cook County residents that serve as our Governor, Senate, and House leaders believe that they were making the criminal justice fairer, its clear that some of the provisions of the SAFE-T Act only made matters worse, criminals bolder, and families less safe.

What are your thoughts on the crime rate in your community, and what more can be done to combat crime — especially violent crime — in town?

Crime reduction is the most important issue and our cops need to be where the crime is. I believe 4th District residents are entitled to more car patrols, foot patrols, bike patrols and semi-truck traffic enforcement unit “stings” (for lack of a better word). I do not believe crime statistics in Joliet are broken down by district, but I believe it is safe to assume that the crime rate and gang-gun-violent crime offenses are higher in the 4th District than they are in the Kendall County portion of Joliet based on the crime scene addresses reported in the newspapers. Law enforcement resources need to be deployed to where they can do the most good in both prevention and in solving crimes once they occur to get those offenders off the street — especially the violent repeat offenders. Bringing the police closer to our community through the N.O.P.T. (Neighborhood Oriented Policing Team) program would let citizens know the police that patrol their neighborhoods and provide a sense of community so that when they "see something, say something." We need more N.O.P.T officers.

What is your view of the city's/village's approach to commercial and residential development?

I understand that Joliet is a major Midwestern intermodal transportation hub due to the connection of commerce through major rail lines, I-80 & I-55, the DesPlaines River, the Sanitary & Ship Canal, and probably a new Monee based cargo airport. We have made the most of that though the development of CenterPoint. It was part of the master plan when the old Joliet Arsenal was decommissioned and replaced with the Abraham Lincoln Veterans Cemetery, the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie National Park and the intermodal sites for private development. Now we need to stop focusing on the warehousing and shipping oriented growth and work to diversify our local economy by attracting corporate headquarters as they exist in DuPage County along the I-88 corridor between Oak Brook and Naperville. We also need to encourage local retailers to incorporate adjusted business models to factor in online shopping business trends and potential future pandemics which will require indoor/outdoor customer visits.

When it comes to development, what are some key areas for improvement or additions you feel are most wanted by residents? What will need to be done to make this happen?

I believe that it would be beneficial for the east side of Joliet east of the river to have a full service flagship grocery store like Jewel, Mariano’s or Tony’s, and I would be willing to entertain incentives as long as they have quantifiable benchmarks that need to be met by the business owners so that Joliet tax payers do not get left on the hook for private business enhancements. I do not want to be like Chicago, which attracted a Whole Foods with millions in incentives to only to see it shut down a few years later with no refund of the TIF money contributed to the project.

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

No, but ask me again if I win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot. Seriously, the Joliet city council is not a stepping stone to other offices for me. I have no desire to reach for a seat at the county, in Springfield or in Washington.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Don’t quit one job until you find your next one.

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

I am personally, deeply affected by crime because as a professional death investigator and former Will County Deputy Coroner, it was part of my job responsibility to notify family members of the unexpected or violent death of a family member, whether it was an accident or through the actions of a criminal. I want to help create innovative strategies and tactics to prevent violent crime and reduce gun violence because I have seen first-hand — hundreds of times — the devastating emotional toll it takes on families and friends.

Also, I'd like the voters to know that I intend to make District 4 a welcoming place for everyone to live, receive a good education, work, and play. The older neighborhoods of District 4 have traditionally been the landing area for immigrants to Joliet, like my ancestors four generations ago. We can share the American dream with new arrivals and improve the area for established families by working together to make Joliet live up to its nickname, a "City of Champions".