Election 2013: George Korovilas for Second Ward of Park Ridge

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Name: Dr. George Korovilas

Position sought: Second Ward Alderman of Park Ridge 

Campaign contact information. Please include any or all of the following: website, email address, phone number, Facebook page, Twitter account, mailing address, etc.

Email: DrKorovilas@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GeorgeKorovilasFor2ndWardAlderman

Age: 44

Family Include as much info as you like (names, ages, number of children, etc.): I have been a resident of Park Ridge for the past 10 years. I am married to my lovely wife, Jeanette, and have three beautiful children: Yianni, age 8, Loula, age 6, and my youngest, age 4. My two oldest children attend Franklin Elementary School and my youngest is enrolled at the Park Ridge Park District Preschool.

Education Include degree(s) and school(s): 

• High school: Loyola Academy (1983-1987)
• College: Loyola University (1987-1990), attained my Bachelor’s degree in three years (degree in biology).
• Loyola University of Chicago School of Dentistry (1990-1992)
• University of Illinois Dental School (1992-1994), where I attained my Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree
• Academy of Gp Orthodontics (1998-2000)
• Chicago Implant Dentistry Continuum (2004-2005)

Occupation: Dentist

Political Party: Independent

Official name of your campaign committee (if you have one):

I do not have a campaign committee.

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices:

• I have previously not sought an elected position.
• I have been appointed to serve on the Park Ridge O’Hare Airport Commission.

Is there any additional experience you believe qualifies you for the position?

• I am one of the founding members and First President of the Hellenic American Organization at Loyola University.
• I have been a long time active member of the Albany Chamber of Commerce, where I have used my success at my dental office to promote businesses to come into the Albany area.
• I have opened three dental offices from scratch. I understand the concept of financing extremely well and understand how to control and manage debt so that it does not cripple you.
• Lastly, I am not a career politician and have not donated to anyone’s campaign to be appointed to any office, thus I do not owe any favors to any political power. I do not pay to play!

What would your priorities be if elected to this office?

• Reorganize the TIF debt. Five options from the Kane & McKenna Report are available to us that will accomplish this without raising our property tax.
• Flooding issues affecting all of Park Ridge as well as my ward.
• Eliminating wasteful spending in our budget
• Energy conservation for the City of Park Ridge which would save the city $62,000 a year guaranteed by Total Energy Concepts and the federal government will give grants to the city to do this project.

Why did you choose to run for alderman?

• To cut the fat in the city’s budget.
• To Propose cost saving improvements to how the city is run and put that cost savings into the flood projects in my ward ASAP, instead of waiting five years for our ward’s project, which is last on the list of wards, to be fixed.
• To reduce unnecessary ordinances that hinder homeowners from maintaining their property.
• Develop user-friendly communication to the residents on how our money is being spent in Park Ridge as well as inform residents of any large builder developments that are being proposed in our community.
• Improve our infrastructure.
• Provide accountability to city hall!

What are the most important issues facing Park Ridge and what would you do as alderman to address them?

The most important issue facing Park Ridge is the TIF debt.  As discussed above there are five options that are available to us:

1. Refinance (save $1.6 million) as well as renegotiate terms with the park district as well as school board on what monies should go to them from TIF. It is in everyone’s best interest to sit down and discuss this. The park district, school board and city council all have the same constituents.
2. Develop empty lots to bring business to uptown — but let us do it responsibly to avoid some of the problems from the past.
3. Reclassify how properties are taxed in the TIF district. They should be done by individual parcels rather than grouped by neighborhood (savings of roughly $250,000 a year).
4. Termination of debt: This is basically extending the life of the loan another 12 years… Thus lowering our monthly payments but in the long run end up paying more for the debt. We need to sit down and weigh the pros and cons on this one.
5. Change the boundaries of the TIF. I am not in favor of doing this.

The next important issue is our infrastructure. It is old and crumbling.  We need to start projects ASAP. The cost savings that I will propose should then go directly into starting projects right away, instead of waiting years to do.

What is one of the most important issues facing residents in your ward, and what would you do, if elected, to address it?

If we forget about the TIF, because that has the potential of raising our property taxes every year until it is paid off — then I would say it is the flooding issues and the loss of electrical power. Without raising the property taxes of Park Ridge residents, I will review the budget with volunteer accountants and cut out the fat. Every savings I come up with I want applied to fixing the infrastructure in my ward.

By using an energy conservation program, I will save The City of Park Ridge $62,000 a year. Our city attorney makes approximately $285,000 a year for part-time work. If we hire a full time attorney for the city, it would cost us between $70,000 and $100,000 a year — a savings of $185,000. Just those two ideas if implemented would be close to $250,000 extra dollars that I can put into starting our flooding projects ASAP, rather than waiting five years.

It has been estimated that the Uptown tax increment financing fund, or TIF, will cost the general fund approximately $1 million annually. What action would you support the city take to address the Uptown TIF debt, why?

I have gone into detail on this above.

O’Hare International Airport has plans to construct a cargo facility in the northeast portion of the airport, which will increase air traffic over Park Ridge during the nighttime. Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to respond to letters sent by Park Ridge regarding flight traffic sometime this year. What would you do, if elected, to represent Park Ridge residents’ interests with regard to noise pollution and expansion of airport operations?

I am currently a commissioner on the OAC. I am fully aware of all the changes that have occurred since the last environmental study done and the need for a new one. Not only do we have a concern about noise, but more importantly I have a concern of what the increase in traffic will do to my children. The increase of jet fuel and toxins that come out of these plans as they fly so low overhead that do not have time to disperse through the atmosphere before we breathe it in as well as getting into our soil. There are mitigation measures that are available to us that have been offered to surrounding suburbs (Arlington Heights, Rosemont, Des Plaines, etc.) but not to Park Ridge, without going to litigation. 

As commissioner, I believe it was very important to oversee this commission to make sure that what happened roughly eight years ago does not happen again… The spending of $700,000 with no real direction. A waste of my and my fellow residents’ tax money. 

Why would you do a better job representing Park Ridge than your opponent? Or, if you’re running unopposed, what makes you a strong candidate?

• First and foremost, I am not a career politician, while my opponent’s history proves that he is a career politician, or at least an aspiring career politician. I am running for alderman because I plan on retiring in this community and want the best community for my children as well as my Park Ridge neighbors.
• I have successfully managed the financing and construction of my three dental offices throughout the years. I understand what it takes to be fiscally responsible in order to succeed.
• I have only missed one meeting at the OAC, where my opponent had a poor 70 percent attendance record at the appointed position of Park Ridge Park District Commissioner.
• Although my opponent tried twice, in 2009 and then again in 2011 to be appointed on the Zoning Commission, our current Alderman DiPietro and the other aldermen on the mayor’s advisory board did not recommend him for the position.
• My opponent has donated money to the Frimark campaign and thus do not believe he is impartial to that agenda.
• Since I am the owner of my dental offices, I can schedule my procedures to fit the time needed to being committed 100 percent to my job as alderman.