MEET SCOTT

GOVERNMENT AND PERSONAL INTEGRITY

A Commitment to Integrity

The need for personal and government integrity has always been one of my most strongly held beliefs. I am committed to leading our City government in an open and transparent setting.  Personal and government integrity as well as meaningful ethics ordinances will be a top priority of my administration. Serving with integrity includes making sound decisions based on best practices, and acting in the City’s interest, irrespective of personal relationships or beliefs. 

Elmhurst operates under a council-manager form of government, which means the city manager is directly responsible for the administration and operation of all city departments.  The Council, however, sets the policies for the City. The mayor sets the tone for the Council and City staff and has the responsibility and power to make sure that governmental integrity is maintained. During my tenure as acting mayor, I made it clear to the city manager and the department heads that my primary expectation was that they “do the right thing.”

Transparent and Easily Accessible Information

I am a strong advocate of open, accessible and transparent government.  Information about our City government should be accessible to all. This results in more public engagement, informed debate and better decision-making.  We will continue to increase the information on the City’s website and make the site more user friendly.   

Working Together

Communication and relationships with our residents, local institutions and businesses, as well as other bodies of government, are critical to ensure that City actions are efficient and effective. 

I have routinely demonstrated my openness to resident input and responsiveness to issues raised. As mayor, I will increase opportunities for all residents to provide input and connect with City services.

Within City Council the ability to shape an outcome is dependent on collaboration, communication and cooperation to gain colleagues’ support. I have a track record of introducing an issue and working with other aldermen to produce a positive outcome. My colleagues’ respect for me was further demonstrated when they selected me in 2012 to serve as acting mayor until the next election. During my tenure as acting mayor, I encouraged constructive and respectful debate and will take the same approach in working with the next Council, which will include at least five aldermen who joined the council within the previous 12 months, a relatively significant turnover. 

Another critical set of relationships for the City are those with the park and school districts. Although all three bodies of government are independent, taxpayers benefit from existing intergovernmental agreements related to stormwater projects, shared vehicle maintenance services, and shared tax increment financing. As mayor, I will identify and support new opportunities to work with the park and school districts in ways that are mutually beneficial.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Protecting Our Families and Keeping Our Neighborhood Safe

Protecting residents is an essential service that only a city government can provide.

Police and Crime

Elmhurst has an exceptionally low crime rate and a highly responsive police department. The department responds to more than 30,000 incidents annually, and the professionalism of the department is affirmed by a prestigious accreditation that currently is held by only 40 police departments in Illinois. I will work to keep our police department among the best in the state.

Having chaired the Council’s Public Safety Committee, I fully understand the critical work of the Elmhurst Police Department and the issues it faces. I will rely on my professional experience with crime reducing and solving technology to keep the police department a cutting-edge agency. 

Elmhurst residents have policing concerns other than crime.  The most frequent complaint from residents is speeding on residential streets. We will increase traffic enforcement in our neighborhoods and explore more innovative approaches to reduce speeding and other dangerous driving.  We will also make a priority the continuing diversity and bias training of our police officers to both protect those who encounter our police and the police department, itself.

Fire and Paramedic

The excellence of the Elmhurst Fire Department is demonstrated by quick response times and a classification that fewer than one percent of departments nationwide achieve. The department annually responds to more than 5,000 calls for service.

In 2017, the City Council analyzed the department’s emergency medical services and considered various improvements. The outcome was the implementation of a rapid response vehicle, Rescue 1, to enhance the City’s advanced life support (ALS) response. This innovative, award-winning service is staffed around the clock and responds when one of the City’s two ambulances cannot respond more quickly. 

In 2018, Elmhurst’s Insurance Service Office Classification was increased from Class 2 to Class 1, recognizing premier fire protection services, including fire prevention and building standards for residents and property owners.  Insurance companies generally offer lower premiums for property owners with a Class 1 rating.

I will keep fire protection and paramedic services among the best, while recognizing that innovative approaches may allow that to happen with greater efficiency and a lower cost.

Unique Professional Qualifications

No other alderman has my policing and public safety credentials, or my experience in this area.   In addition to serving as a program manager and executive with the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission, I was the deputy executive director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority.  I created the Police Information Management System, a pioneering computer operation that served over 50 Illinois police departments, and conceived ALERTS, a statewide program that led to the installation of mobile data terminals in suburban police cars.  I was member of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the Statewide LEADS board and the president of the Illinois Academy of Criminology.  I co-authored the section of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act that for the first time made criminal conviction information publicly available.

PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Planning

For Elmhurst to continue to be an outstanding community, we need to adapt constructively to changes and this requires planning. 

As a result of the budget cuts necessitated by the Great Recession, the City’s planning staff was eliminated, and there was no formal planning process.  In May 2013, I was appointed chair of the Development, Planning & Zoning Committee of the Council and served in the capacity from 2013 to 2017.  To reinitiate planning efforts, I made a motion during the budget process to dedicate funds for planning, which led to the development of the 2015 North York Corridor Plan, the North York Streetscape Plan, the 2016 Downtown Plan, and the 2018 Subarea Plans. These plans continue to guide City policy, and private and public investments in these areas.   

Other areas of our City would benefit from focused planning efforts, including the Spring Road and Valette/York retail business areas. 

Downtown Elmhurst/City Centre

Our City Centre, as well as all of our local businesses have been impacted by the pandemic.  I will guide the City to meet shifting demand and expectations in ways that contribute to a desirable and unique downtown experience.

Thoughtful planned development will keep our City Centre and other shopping and business districts vibrant.  We also must adhere to high standards and quality construction as we grow City Centre for the future that will be here for decades.

Some have expressed frustration at the potential the loss of a small-town feel, due to downtown development.  The development has been necessary for the survival of City Centre.  In 2011, Elmhurst Hospital moved from just east of City Centre to the south edge of Elmhurst.  City Centre merchants noticed an immediate decrease in business when the large number of hospital employees and visitors were no longer shopping or dining in City Centre. 

The Downtown Plan recognizes that the viability of City Centre depends on a customer base from residents, employees and visitors.   Most of the new buildings offer retail space on the first floor and residential units above.  Transit-oriented development is a term used by planners to refer to multifamily development located near major public transportation facilities, such as our Metra station.   Almost all the residents are young professionals, couples with preschool age children or older residents who no longer need or want to maintain a home.  Very few of the residents of these developments are school-aged children. As a result, there has been a tremendous increase in our property tax base, of which approximately 85% goes to District 205, with very few new students.  Given that about 85% of District 205’s revenue comes from property taxes, this has both increased its revenues, without requiring more resources, and minimized the property tax burden on other residents.

Retail Economic Development

Retail businesses generate sales taxes from customers, many of whom are from outside Elmhurst.  Property taxes are approximately 21 percent of the City’s general revenue fund, while sales taxes constitute 28 percent. Elmhurst is an attractive business location with low occupancy rates.  The pandemic has severely impacted many of our retail businesses. 



As Mayor, I intend to work with our business and community leaders to attract and retain business and to develop policies that will make doing business with and in our City easier.

As a business attorney I have represented businesses, retail tenants and landlords. I owned a retail business. I understand the needs of retail prospects and will positively represent Elmhurst as we grow our business districts, increase our sales tax revenues and create jobs. 

The City has a number of tools, including tax increment financing and sales tax rebates, to attract businesses. I support the judicious use of these incentives to attract and maintain retail businesses that can in turn provide tax revenues to justify the investment and lower the tax burden on residents.

Code Enforcement

An essential responsibility of the City is code enforcement. In addition to regular visits to construction sites, the City’s code enforcement staff routinely respond to reports of possible code violations. As Mayor, I will insist on prompt handling of ordinance violation investigations and require communication with residents who report violations. I will also ensure our code enforcement actions are well-documented, applied consistently and sufficient to encourage compliance.