Richard Kiefer, Plainfield Village Trustee: Candidate Survey

PLAINFIELD, IL — Four candidates are vying for three open seats on Plainfield's Village Board.

In the April 4 Consolidated Election, voters will be asked to choose between Brian Wojowski, Margie Bonuchi, Peter Adamson and Richard Kiefer. The only candidate currently on the Board is Wojowski, who was first elected to the position in 2015.

Kiefer recently responded to a Patch.com election survey. Take a look at his answers below:

Your Name: Richard Kiefer

Age (as of election day): 55

Town/City of residence: Plainfield

School district: Plainfield District 202

Family: Wife: Paula. 3 adult children: Zoe, Emma and Jack

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Education: M.A. in Political Science from Governors State University, B.S. from Miami University, and additional graduate work in Public Administration and Political Science from Northern Illinois University.

Occupation: Full-time Professor of Political Science & History at Waubonsee Community College: 2000-Present.

Campaign website: www.kieferforplainfield.com

Previous or current elected or appointed office: Village of Plainfield Plan Commission & Zoning Board of Appeals: Chairman from 2016-Present and Commissioner from 2009-2016

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them. I believe that 3 of the most pressing issues that currently face the Village of Plainfield are:

Smart economic growth, maintaining a safe community environment for all residents, and traffic issues.

I will continue to focus on smart development within the Village of Plainfield and attempt to balance residential, commercial, agricultural, and business interests in a way that hopefully benefits the residents of Plainfield.

I will focus on maintaining a high quality of life for Plainfield residents. It is important to me to preserve the "small town" feel that drew so many of us to make our home in Plainfield, even as we have grown to a modern municipality of 45,000 people.

I will continue to look for ways to improve traffic issues within Plainfield. While I do not believe that there is an easy solution to this challenge, I believe that there has been some successes as well. For instance, rerouting truck traffic away from the downtown corridor has improved the environment greatly for businesses and pedestrians that frequent our historic downtown.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? I believe that the combination of my 14 years of experience on the Plan Commission, coupled with my professional work as a Professor of Political Science & History at Waubonsee Community College, will prepare me to serve successfully if I am elected to the position of Village Trustee.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district? There are currently 3 Trustee positions up for election this cycle, with 2 of them being open seats. I believe that the individuals that have served on this board, or are currently seeking these positions, are running for what they think is in the best interests of the residents of Plainfield. I know that is what is motivating me to seek a position as a Village Trustee.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform: My campaign as a candidate, and plan if elected, is centered around four main issues:

1. A Smart Growth approach towards change in Plainfield. I will take a balanced approach toward the needs of residents, businesses, commercial projects, and the agricultural operations of our Village.

2. A focus on maintaining the high quality of life that the people of Plainfield have come to expect. Issues such as public safety, green space, traffic concerns, and expanded business opportunities, were just several themes that were often mentioned to me while I was walking neighborhoods and gathering signatures to appear on the ballot as a candidate for Village Trustee.

3. I promise to take a collaborative approach toward common-sense problem-solving regarding the issues that face our Village. I look forward to the opportunity to work alongside all of the other Trustees that serve on the Village Board.

4. I will work to explore alternative revenue streams for the Village that do not overburden the citizens of Plainfield, and do not overly rely on property tax increases for our residents.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? As Chairman of the Plainfield Plan Commission & Zoning Board of Appeals for the past 7 years, I have run this commission to the best of my abilities. I pride myself on running a fair, transparent, and unbiased public meeting that allows not only the applicants to make their case, but affords the Village staff to weigh in with their professional reports, and still provides the public an opportunity to voice their opinions. While some of the issues that our meetings have dealt with have had the potential for conflict, I have always strived to maintain a civil environment where everyone can be heard and feel safe in a public forum. I have also ensured that our public meetings are in compliance with the State of Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Why should voters trust you? I promise to remain open, transparent, and unbiased in all of my public duties. This is how I have conducted myself as the Chairman of the Planning Commission, and as a Professor at a local community college. If elected to serve as a Trustee for the Village of Plainfield I will continue to serve in this manner.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success? If there can be some concrete progress in improving traffic, and an honest discussion about ways to increase revenues for the Village that do not rely solely on property taxes and local sales tax increases, I will view my term as at least a partial success. I would also like to remain open to engaging with the residents of Plainfield to get a sense of how they feel about important issues that face us as a community.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking? I believe that all elected officeholders have a duty to be as responsible as possible with the taxpayer revenue that they deal with. This includes not only local dollars, but also State and Federal monies.

What are your thoughts on how the district has handled the COVID-19 pandemic? This is an issue that impacts the school district more so than the Village Board. However, I did have a student in the district during the pandemic, and I can say that I believe that the district had a very challenging task of trying to comply with not only State and Federal health mandates, but also trying to continue offering educational programs in an ever-changing environment. I know that I was personally impacted by Covid protocols as a Professor at a public community college. It was a very difficult few years, and I was forced to change how I interacted with students and co-workers during the pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some school boards saw extremely heated disagreements during public meetings. If elected, what changes, if any, need to be made to ensure meetings are run efficiently while still allowing open discussions? I am not a candidate for school board. However, I believe that allowing open discussions in a civil environment should be the goal for all public meetings.

How do you feel about sex education being taught in school? Should an LGBTQ component be included, and why or why not? I am not a candidate for school board.

What are your views on critical race theory and whether it should be taught in the district? I am not a candidate for school board.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so? If you are referring to the Village Board, I believe that the current staff and administration is committed to not only racial equality, but also gender equality, and compliance with state and federal policies in hiring and the workplace.

When it comes to student achievement, what are schools within this district doing well and what needs to be improved? How can those improvements be made? I am not a candidate for school board.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family? No. I am committed to serving an entire 4-year term if elected by voters to the office of Village Trustee.

The best advice ever shared with me was: Be honest all of the time in all things that you do.