Election 2013: Nicholas Milissis for Second Ward of Park Ridge

The following information was provided by Nicholas Milissis. Patch provides a platform for candidates to share their messages, and does not give endorsements. To share your message with readers for free, add it to the Local Voices section on Park Ridge Patch.

Name: Nicholas Milissis

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: MilissisForAlderman@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MilissisForAlderman

Phone: (847) 877-0983

Age: 38

Family Include as much info as you like (names, ages, number of children, etc.): Married to Lena for nine years. Two children: Andreas, 5, and Gabriella, 3.

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

• Chicago-Kent College of Law: Juris Doctorate
• Northwestern University: Graduate Certificate in Strategic Organizational Management
• University of Illinois at Chicago: Bachelors of Arts in Psychology
• Admitted to practice law in the Illinois and District of Columbia Bars

Occupation: Supervisory Officer with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Political Party: None, non-partisan election.

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

I do not have one. I am not soliciting nor accepting any donations.

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices:

• Park Ridge Park District Commissioner, 2008-2009
• Golf-Maine Park District Commissioner, 2005-2007
• City of Park Ridge, Civil Service Commission, 2007 to present
• City of Park Ridge, Fair Housing Commission, 2007 to present

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

I have been following the city council since I moved into Park Ridge over seven years ago but I have attended almost every city council and committee of the whole meeting in the past 10 months. I believe in-person attendance at city hall is essential if you are serious about being an alderman. You need to know how the council operates, how to introduce legislation, how procedures and regulations work and to get an understanding of motions and rules of order. My attendance and legal background give me an edge in this area.

What would your priorities be if elected to this office?

• Hold the line on taxes.
• Address the TIF issue.
• Promote economic development.
• Resolve flooding issues.

Please see below for more information on each priority.

Why did you choose to run for alderman?

This is a critical time in the history of our city. Our finances are in a very precarious position due to the effects of the Uptown TIF. One million dollars will be getting siphoned off of the city’s general fund for many years to come in order to pay our obligations to the TIF. If our city council does not differentiate between wants and needs and doesn’t prioritize fiscal responsibility above many other issues we will be pushing the city and its residents into an untenable position. I felt that I needed to be involved in order to preserve the future of Park Ridge for our children. I ran because I want to address flooding issues, an issue particularly devastating in the second ward, once and for all. It is my goal to have those issues resolved by the end of my term. Finally, I ran because I want to remove any possible obstacles to and encourage responsible economic development as a way to ease the tax burden now largely placed on our residents.

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

• Uptown TIF
• Flooding
• Economic development

I speak to the first two issues and my solutions to them elsewhere in my answers to this questionnaire. Economic development often develops organically and is affected by many different factors which are not necessarily controlled by the City of Park Ridge, such as the overall economy, real estate, the consumer market, etc. However, we as a city have to do as much as we can to influence the natural process and attract retail business to our town. We need to remove any existing barriers to retail business. We can do that by streamlining and simplifying licensing, signage and zoning laws affecting businesses while being responsible to and not sacrificing our existing residential character. It’s a balance we need to establish and it can be done. I do not subscribe to giving tax breaks as a means to attract business. I believe our city is already an attractive retail location due to our high per capita income, public safety and convenient setting. We need to showcase our advantages as a community and make it easier for new business to set up shop in Park Ridge. We also need to assist and be supportive of our existing Park Ridge businesses.

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

Flooding has been a chronic and catastrophic issue for the second ward. Many residents have had their basements flooded and their properties destroyed repeatedly over the years. The engineering study the city conducted gave us a plethora of options to address and resolve these issues once and for all. The most effective way is the installation of new, larger sewers and the use of detention basins. The problem is that the current plan calls for a phased approach to conducting the public works needed in areas around the city. Under the current plan our ward wouldn’t see relief for several years. If elected I will do everything in my power to ensure that the sewer lining and detention basins work for the second ward get funded and implemented immediately.

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?

We must recognize the fact that our obligation to the TIF cannot go away. It is an unfortunate burden we have to see through.

Most importantly, we have to be frugal with our spending as a city. We have to examine every expense carefully to make sure it is necessary. If it is a necessary expense, then we need to determine if it can be done for less money. It is imperative that we built a surplus in our general fund because that is where the money to pay the TIF will be coming from. The city-commissioned study by the firm Kane/McKena gave several options the city can exercise in order to address the TIF. I believe that after examining each one and weighing its impact we should implement as many of them as possible in order to address this problem with a multi-prong solution. The one option I am outright against is that of extending the life of the TIF in order to make smaller payments. We should not take the easy way out and saddle the next generations with additional debt because of previous bad decisions. Using a combination of the other available options should help alleviate the burden of the TIF.

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 would continue to support the efforts of Park Ridge’s O’Hare Airport Commission. These efforts include the push for a supplemental environmental impact study meant to uncover increased pollution issues that O’Hare has on our community, as well as the push for continued lobbying of elected federal, state and local officials. However, I would not be willing to dedicate any more taxpayer funds to fight O’Hare expansion. The city and its taxpayers have already spent millions of dollars fighting that losing fight against the City of Chicago without any results to show for that misguided “investment.”

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?

I am not a one-issue candidate. I am not running because I have any personal issues or animus towards the city or the staff. I am involved because I have the best interests of the residents of the second ward and the taxpayers of Park Ridge in mind. I want residents to look back at the end of my term and know that every decision I made was for the betterment of their lives. I want them to feel that they saw and heard from me on a regular basis after the election and throughout my four-year term. They will know that they were actively engaged and heard on issues that affect us and our ward. I will use all of my experience, work ethic and knowledge for the benefit of the city and the Second Ward. My education and work experience, along with my lengthy volunteer service and previous elected positions have helped me master management, personnel and budgetary issues. I am a public servant and currently work for the federal government.  As such I have no need for name promotion, networking or aspirations for higher office. I am an independent who has been engaged in my city for the past seven years. I have attended close to every city council and committee of the whole meeting the past ten months and have addressed our city council in person on issues that are important to my fellow residents. Because of my long-standing community involvement, I know and have worked with many of the elected officials in several different governmental organizations and boards within our city. Because of those relationships and my collaborative style, I can and will get results for the people I will represent.