Election 99' Profiles

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To: The Citizens of Prospect Heights Please Vote on Tuesday April 13, 1999

From: Gerald T. Anderson, 4th Ward Alderman, Phone: 870-1746, Fax: 818-1137

Subject: Gerald T. Anderson, a "Candidate" for the Office of Mayor of Prospect Heights

Who is Gerald T. Anderson?
Elected Office Currently Held: Assumed the 4th Ward Alderman's seat on May 5, 1997.
Meritorious Service Award: Presented by Ward 4 Citizens in October of 1997.
Education: Bachelors of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering, Illinois Inst. of Technology
Married: For 25 years to Linda, an 8th Grade Math and Science Teacher.
Resident: Of Prospect Heights for the last 20 years.
Military Experience: USAF (Airborne Communications Repair) for 4 years, Vietnam Era.
Work: I run a home based design and prototype business.

What Prompted Gerald T. Anderson to Enter Public Service?
About 10 years ago, a neighbor asked me to step in and help him to engage City Hall over a problem. The problem was the City wanted to condemn his property to make it part of a proposed mall. The end result of this engagement is my neighbor remains on this piece of property to this day. From this experience, along with others, I found out that one person can make a difference. This led me to think about seeking an elected office.

Why Do I Want to be the Mayor of Prospect Heights?
As an Alderman, I have witnessed a number of problem areas in the way our City Government is run. As the Mayor, I would to be in a more favorable position to help rectify some of these problem areas with ideas and strong leadership. [ More Info. on pages 2, 3 & 4.]

Public Service Work Ethic
As an Alderman I have never missed a City Council meeting since taking office. I once however was physically unable to attend one meeting because I was in the hospital for Gall Bladder Surgery. This did not detract from my participating in that meeting though, because I had arranged for a conference call in advance. Several Aldermen later told me that the Mayor was not happy about my unique participation at that Council Meeting. The Mayor and the City Council later drafted and passed an Ordinance that prohibits such remote communication by an Alderman under similar circumstances.

How Information is Dispensed to Citizens
I have conducted a Citizens Meeting, for almost 1.5 years, on the last Saturday of every month at 10:00 A.M.. This meeting is currently held at our Police Station. This meeting along with my address, phone and fax numbers are listed in our City Paper. I invite all of you who live in Prospect Heights, to attend any of these monthly meetings.

Aldermanic Involvement in Ward 4 Related Issues
I am proud of my involvement in keeping our Post Office in Prospect Heights and in having the intersection of Maple and Marberry closed within 4 months of taking office. The Citizens had waited 12-years to have the closure take place. I also found, with the aid of our Police Chief, a way for our citizens to have Graffiti removed from their property for free.

The Education of an Alderman
On May 5, 1997, the first day I officially took my Aldermanic seat, I asked the Mayor and the City Council Members several questions.
1 ). Could there be space allotted in our City Paper for the Citizens and the Aldermen to express their ideas? The Mayor and the City Council answered no! ( I found out later that we could add 12 pages to our current paper without incurring any additional postal expense.)
2 ). Could the City transmit our Council Meetings over Cable TV or at least record the meeting on video tape? The Mayor and the City Council answered no!
3 ). Could the City have an active Web Site to list the minutes of our meetings along with how we voted? The Mayor and the City Council answered no!

Continuing Education
After about 3 months on the job, an Official told me, that I have lots of ideas just like he had when he was elected to the City Council. The only difference though, he said, was that he just never got around to telling anyone else about his ideas. He additionally stated, that I am too aggressive for being so new to the Council and that I should dispense my ideas more slowly. I asked him facetiously, how long a period of time should pass before dispensing a new idea?

Can Citizens Questions and City Council Meetings Coexist?
A Citizen attending a City Council Meeting should be allowed to ask questions at anytime during the meeting. The questions should be short and pertinent to the topic at hand. Additionally, the Citizen should expect to have his questions answered during the meeting or have a follow up letter sent to his home. Remember, that the Citizen is the boss and we as the official's work for him, not vice versa.

The Abuse of Roberts Rules of Order at our City Council Meetings
During our Council Meetings a Roberts Rules of Order tactic, unofficially called "Calling the Question" is used. This tactic stops any further discussion on a given topic. I think this is a bizarre approach to finding a possible solution to a City Problem.

Following Our City's Original Development Plan
In 1976 our "Original Prospect Heights City Charter" called for maintaining a Semi-Rural Environment. I think this Original City Charter was an "IMPLIED CONTRACT" between the City and its Citizens. Are we today adhering to this contract?

Revisiting City Financial Matters
1 ) I would like to see the entire City Council evaluate the City Budget line item by line item.
2 ) Some Council members have projected that in 2 or 3 years our City expenses could exceed our income. Where is our written plan to rectify this situation, if it happens?
3 ) Some Council members have projected the new Arena could save us from having to look into new approaches for saving or acquiring money. Estimated 1st year income to the City from this venture works out to be between $229,000 and $350,000 net. This would be between a 5 and 7.7% addition to our estimated $4,500,000 General Revenue Fund for 1998-99. Is this enough?

More Citizen Interaction Regarding City Projects
We should be utilizing the expertise of our Citizens throughout the time frame of a given City project. Currently, this is not done.

Communications Between Taxing Bodies
Our City Council should receive monthly reports on what the other Taxing Bodies are doing. These reports would contain information germane to our City related issues. With this information the City would better understand how to interact with a given Taxing Body. We cannot continue with our current mushroom management in this area.

Basic City Concerns
1 ). Does the City need a tough ethics policy that is signed by all the officials?
2 ). Are we abiding by our Original City Charter and subsequent 5 year plans?
3 ). The City Water issue is: $50,000,000 / 2450 homes = $20,408 per home for the laying of the pipe. If this is spread out over 30 years the $ figure is $1,100 per year added to your taxes. This figure does not include the 3 to $4,000 up front one time hookup fee or the 4 to $7.00 per 1000 gallon water usage fee. The $1,100 figure is the result of a Major Bank Bond Analysis, done 2 years ago, assuming we had a AAA Bond Rating which we currently do not have.
4 ). Do we need Airport noise, safety, pollution and airplane performance information?
5 ). Is there a need for Airport operational time limits?
6 ). Do we need a new Prospect Heights and Wheeling Intergovernmental agreement?
7 ). If the Airport Commission never existed, would the Airport have been run any differently? Example: Incoming information normally sent to the Commission would instead be sent directly to each municipality to evaluate. This means the information sent to each municipality would not have been filtered first by the Airport Commission.
8 ). The Arena is projected to hold 12,500 people which translates, at 3 people per car, into 4,166 parking places, The current Arena plan calls for 3,400 parking places.
9 ). What are the projected Arena related Police, Fire Department and Public Works costs?
10 ). Should we eliminate the night time train whistle noise on the East Side?
11 ). Are there problems still to resolve with McDonald Creek and the Des Plaines River?
12 ). Should we evaluate the 5 year plans of the other taxing bodies and see how they interact with ours and vice versa?
13 ). Should the land across the street from our New City Hall, be commercialized?
14 ). The West Side and the East Side Citizens sometimes feel like they are not part of the City. Is this a true statement?
15 ). As a side issue, I think we should record the official City Council Minutes "verbatim." This will end the constant addressing of errors in this area at every meeting. Modern technology begs for this to happen. (Then place the Minutes on our Web Site.) Questions(Q) that I have asked of Various City Officials including the Mayor and their answers(A)
Q1). The City has several funds within its Budget. The question is, whether there is one additional fund missing called a "savings fund?"
(A1). It is "NOT" the responsibility of a Municipal Government "TO SAVE MONEY!"

Q2). How long have you worked for the City and when was the last time you inspected your employees' work?
(A2). I'm proud to tell you that after 4 years on the job, I have "NEVER" inspected any of my employees' work!

Q3). From December 1997 through April of 1998 did the City fail to send out monthly bills to a certain group of our citizens?
(A3) "YES!"

Q4). In (Q3) did the monthly bills total up to approximately $80,000 not counting interest?
(A4). "YES, BUT THEY ARE GOOD FOR IT!"

Q5). In your position, don't you think you already have too much power over our Citizens?
(A5). "NO, I THINK I SHOULD HAVE MORE POWER!"

Q6). Mr. Mayor, did you receive $5,000 of the $6,134.47 you raised in your last election from one organization connected with the Airport? Is this organization owned in part by another larger parent organization that is going to be suppling talent to our new Arena?
(A6). You are a liar and you did not know what you was talking about. [The monetary amounts listed came from election documents that each candidate has to file. The parent corporate report was used to substantiate responsibility. The Arena owners answered the question of who will be suppling talent.] (A6). The answer should be YES!

Q7). Mr. Mayor, don't you want to pose the same basic questions to each architectural firm we are interviewing for our new City Hall? Don't you want to be fair?
(A7). I do not want to pose the same questions and I do not want to be fair!

Q8). Mr. Mayor, when you take your trips downstate and to other places, you never give the Council a written report of your expenses or what you accomplished, is this true?
(A8). NO ANSWER.

Q9). Mr. Mayor, since Cook County is going to rebuild Camp McDonald Road with Motor Fuel Tax Money, why can't we ask for and get a 40-year warrantied concrete road?
(A9). You are a liar and you don't know what you are talking about. The Cook County Engineers also know much more than you do. [ At the same time, I had called the Portland Cement Institute for an Engineer (PE) to address the Citizens attending the Eisenhower School Conference, about 40-year road construction techniques. Our Mayor would not allow the Engineer (PE) to speak to the citizens at that Conference. One year later the "Chicago Tribune" published an article substantiating both the Engineers' and my claims. The article also indicated that Europe and the States of New York and Washington are already using this kind of construction. Finally, Camp McDonald Road Construction Crew members were heard to say, "Why isn't this road constructed of concrete because of the heavy use it will see?"]

Q10). At the beginning of the Mayors first campaign for Office, I asked him why he wanted to be Mayor?
(A10). "I DON'T KNOW!" ( Pg. 4)
To: The Daily Herald

From: Gerald T. Anderson

Subject: Eleven Questions asked of the Candidate by the Daily Herald

Name: Gerald T. Anderson,

Date of Birth: 5-21-43,

Address: 2 East Clarendon St., Prospect Heights, IL. 60070-153402

hone: 847-870-1746, Fax: 847-818-1137

Office I am Seeking: Mayor of Prospect Heights,

Incumbent Mayor: No,

I have lived in Prospect Heights: For 20 years,

Occupation: Self employed Electrical Engineer

Education: Illinois Institute of Technology,

Major: B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering

Spouse's name: Linda Anderson

Prior Political Experience: Alderman of the 4th Ward,

Assumed Office: 5-5-97

Community Activities: Science Fair Judge since 1995

Military Service: USAF(Airborne Communications Repair) for 4 years, Vietnam Era

How many meetings have I missed since becoming an Alderman: Zero since 5-5-97

1. Why am I running for office?
Since becoming an Alderman, I have witnessed a number of problem areas in the way our City Government is run. As the Mayor, I would like to be in a more favorable position to help rectify some of these areas with ideas and strong leadership.

2. Contributions as an Alderman:
I am proud of my involvement in keeping the Post Office in Prospect Heights and having the intersection of Maple and Marberry closed after a 12-year wait by the Citizens of Ward 4. I found, with the aid of our Police Chief, a way for our citizens to have Graffiti removed from their property for free. I also conduct an open monthly meeting for the citizens.

Contributions I would make as the Mayor:
I would like to:
A. continue conducting an open monthly Citizens Meeting,
B. ask for space in our newspaper for the Citizens and Alderman to express their ideas
C. ask for the transmission of our Council Meetings over cable TV,
D. ask for the city to set up an active Web Site to list the minutes of our meetings along with the way we voted.
E. ask that the citizens be allowed to ask questions at anytime during a Council meeting,
F. ask that the Council refrain from using a Roberts Rules of Order tactic unofficially called Calling the Question,
G. try to maintain our Semi-Rural Environment we incorporated under,
H. ask that the City Council evaluate the City Budget line item by line item,
I. ask that a new intergovernmental agreement be worked out between Wheeling and Prospect Heights.
J. ask for a tough ethics policy which would be signed by each official.
K. ask for the City Council minutes to be recorded verbatim.

Shortcomings in our current City Council:
A. the Roberts Rules of Order procedure "Calling the Question" is invoked too often at our Council Meetings.
B. some of the Council members do not read all of the material presented to them.
C. some of the Council members never ask any questions on any topic.
D. some Council Members are more interested in going home early rather than getting all the facts.
E. some Council Members appear to have the idea that the meetings are nothing more than a boys club meeting.
F. the Council Meetings appear sometimes to be run like a Dictatorship.
G. the Citizens are not allowed to participate throughout the Council Meeting.

3. Difference between my opponent and me:
A. all of the above information covered to this point.
B. I do communicate with the Citizens at a live once a month meeting.
C. the citizens can call or visit me at my home with my address, phone and fax numbers published in our City Paper.
D. I believe in maintaining our Semi-Rural Environment.
E.. I do not believe in home rule at this time.
F. I believe in controlling our spending habits and saving money.
G. I believe in having technology work for us.
H. my opponent has been working on projects for 8 years with little or no results. I. I believe in respecting restrictive covenants and zoning ordinances.

4. What changes are needed in the city and how will I help bring these about?
The principal changes that I could see take place are:
A. Following Our City's Original Development Plan.
In 1976 our "Original Prospect Heights City Charter" called for maintaining a Semi-Rural Environment. I think this Original City Charter was an "IMPLIED CONTRACT" between the City and its Citizens. Are we today adhering to this contract? I would follow the plan.

B. We should be utilizing the expertise of our Citizens throughout the completion time frame of a given City project. Currently, this is not done.

5. What do you think about the planned Prospect Heights Arena?
I do not think this project has been thought out completely in regards to its total impact on the City of Prospect Heights. A semi-rural environment does not normally have an arena in its midst.

How do you think the Arena will affect the city?
There are a proposed 270 booked dates for the Arena in the first year of its existence. That is almost doubles the 144 dates I first heard when I became an Alderman on 5-5-97. That means there will be an event going on two out of every three days for the entire year. The parking needed for a filled stadium (12,500 seats) is 4,166 parking spots using 3 people per car as the criteria. The projected Arena parking at this time is 3,400. Where do the 766 cars go to park? (The Rosemont Horizon has 18,000 seats and 6,000 regular parking spots with 1,000 additional backup parking )

6. The arena will take up only a portion of the tax increment financing district put in place on the east side of the city to spur redevelopment. What else, if anything, should happen there?

The City should have a plan of attack to encourage development if the citizens want this. There should be some idea as to the type of business's that would do well in this type of environment. We should be marketing these ideas and the area! We also should remember that development of this area will increase the traffic even more within the city.

7. What is your position on bringing Lake Michigan water into the city?

With the current information that I have it would cost 2450 home owners $50,000,000 or about $21,000 each to get the water piping to them. It would cost them an additional 3 to $4,000 to hookup to their home. If we had a AAA Bond Rating we could get a 30 year bonds for $1,100 per year added to each persons taxes. Either way it does not appear economically feasible to do this at this time.

8. Do you think the shared ownership of Palwaukee Airport works well? No!

Why not?
Because there appears to be too much influence by one FBO.
Because there is a need of a new intergovernmental agreement between communities.
There is too much influence exerted on the Commission by the Airport Administrator.
The even number of Airport Commissioners is currently being used. An odd number is needed so as to avoid a tie vote.
There is no arbitration or mediation capability between the two municipalities.
If the shared Airport ownership doesn't work well, what would you suggest to improve it?
Evaluate if the Airport Commission concept really works for this type of ownership. Possibly disband the Commission and send all the information directly to each City Council

9. Would I support an evening curfew at Palwaukee Airport if the FAA allowed it?
Yes!
Why? The people that live around the Airport need to sleep.

10. Do you think there will ever be a time when the city would have to start levying a property tax?

The term "ever" is a long time. If we keep our spending habits under control we possibly can stave off this event for a number of years.

What are your feelings on this issue?
Any tax removes money from your pocket, nobody wants this. We know what monies come into the City and we know what our expenses are. It would seem like a simple solution to cut down on expenses to give the City a chance to save some money (contingency money). This would also allow us not to have to ask for a City Tax. Finally, we have to determine when in the future our expenses will exceed our income and prepare with that in mind.

11. When a man died while trying to stop a tow truck from taking a relatives car, not much was said about the matter by the city officials. Why is that?

An open City Council Meeting is not normally the forum used to discuss this type of information. (The Agenda for the City Council is not set by the Alderman, so if the powers to be do not want to discuss a subject, we do not discuss it. I think the Alderman should be involved with setting the Agenda.)

What do you think happened there?
I do not have all the facts on this subject to make a comment.

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