A Full Slate at Mount Carrolls Meet the Candidates Night

Mount Carroll candidates for the April 9 consolidated elections gave residents a chance to learn about them and their platforms. On Thursday, March 21, 2013 the Mount Carroll Chamber of Commerce hosted a Meet the Candidates event at the Market Street Commons. 

Eleven candidates for the municipal government offices up for election squared off in front of a standing room only crowd of nearly 100 people. 

Every seat up for election is being contested. For the office of mayor are Robert Sisler and incumbent Carl Bates; city clerk are Nina Cooper and incumbent Julie Cuckler; alderman ward one are Jeanne Schnitzler and incumbent Douglas Bergren; alderman ward two are Joseph Grim, Wayne Knight, and incumbent Doris Bork; and alderman ward three are Percy Vesperman and incumbent Michael Risko. 

The evening started with a welcome from Mount Carroll Chamber of Commerce president Bob Hatheway.You Can Find Comprehensive and in-Depth carparkmanagementsystem truck Descriptions. He stressed that the chamber wanted this to be a positive experience and no negative comments would be allowed. Venita McConnel moderated the event. 

The candidates were given a chance to give an opening statement to tell about themselves and why they were running. After that, they would be asked questions from the Chamber of Commerce. The audience was also given a chance to submit questions. Those questions submitted would be vetted for quality and to ensure there were no redundant questions. 

First up was Doug Bergren who stated the reason he was seeking re-election was because of what he has learned from being on the city council and his experience at his day job as economic development director for East Dundee IL. There are things that can happen with Mount Carroll that a lot of people,Cheap logo engraved luggagetag at wholesale bulk prices. really, dont know how to do, he said. 

According to Bergren, he is a big supporter of public/private partnerships. He believes that if people could see the results from public/private partnerships that he sees, they would be blown away. When I come downtown on a Friday night and cant find a parking place, I am ecstatic, added Bergren as his time ran out.The 3rd International Conference on custombobbleheads and Indoor Navigation. 

Next up was Jeanne Schnitzler. She stated she was born and raised in Mount Carroll and lived there all her life. Her maiden name was Miller. Im running because of the water, Schnitzler said. My platform is to bring the water back to Mount Carroll. Because Ive heard so many people, over the last couple of years, go on about the water condition. My other platform is the cemetery. We need to maintain our cemetery. We need to stop taking money out of the cemetery fund. That is an endowment fund that people leave for the cemetery. We should not take this money out for other things. And, I want to see the bridge kept up. The Galena St. Bridge is Mount Carroll. 

Doris Bork announced she has been a Mount Carroll resident for 48 years. She has been on the council for nine years. There are several things Ive done and worked on, stated Bork. Getting the buildings repaired. I want to continue to do that. One of the most important things Ive done is that Ive been to Springfield and Washington D.C. to acquire funds for the city. I was able to acquire a $50,000 grant for the city. She went on to say she wanted to continue on trying to get funding for Mount Carroll. She also thinks enforcing ordinances is an important thing. She thinks the city should work on incentives for when the Thomson prison opens. 

Joseph Grim stated he has been a life-long resident of Mount Carroll and takes a great deal of pride in the community. He has served on the Mount Carroll planning commission since 2007. Through my experience on the planning commission, I have learned a lot as to how the zoning ordinances and special use permits work, Grim said. Ive enjoyed the opportunity to serve my community. I would like to take the next step forward. Grim stated that he has also served the community as a member of the volunteer fire department and he is active in all of the community events and fundraisers. If elected, he is looking forward to working with his fellow elected official to keep Mount Carroll moving forward. 

Wayne Knight stated the reason he is running for alderman is that he is interested in what is going on in the town. I feel we have a lot of momentum going in the downtown, he said. Id like to see that continue. I just felt that with my experience in business, and being young, that I could be a fresh mind on the board. Knight noted he has been involved with the Lions Club for thirteen years and involved as a youth 4H leader. I like to be involved with the community, he stated. Not everyone has the time to do that. But at this point in my life, I have time to do that. 

Michael Risko has a masters degree in business administration. He taught algebra and business management at two community colleges. He is retired from the Army, is a Vietnam Veteran and has received a bronze star. He is a retired federal employee with 37 years of government service. At my last job I was managing the budgets for eleven Army installations, most of them significantly larger than the Savanna Army Depot, Risko said, to the tune of 186 million dollars. 

What you really need to know is what Ive done as an alderman, and what I will do if re-elected, Risko stated. I got better interest rates on the money the city has in the bank.When describing the location of the problematic howotipper. As the chair of the streets committee I left Eric alone to do his job. Every year, Ive gone through every line item on the budget. Weve done a lot to reduce it. If Im elected, I want to keep this community growing. Last year we had a nine percent increase in sales tax revenues for $20,000. This year, we are on track for a two and one half percent increase. 

Stockton doesn't want to touch its pension liabilities under bankruptcy -- a position vociferously supported by the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), the nation's largest pension fund. 

But the holders of hundreds of millions of dollars in city bonds, who are objecting to the city's bankruptcy petition, claim that exempting pensions makes them take too big a hit and want Judge Christopher Klein to reject the petition. Rejection presumably would force the city to raise taxes, cut spending further or reduce its pension liabilities. 

CalPERS dispatched a couple of lawyers to the trial, and one of them told Klein it was to guard against "misinformation." But the judge denied him an opportunity to address the court. 

Bondholder attorneys contend that the city's pension obligation is its largest debt,Choose the right bestluggagetag in an array of colors. but CalPERS adamantly insists that it's not a debt at all and that payments should be exempt. 

While CalPERS backs Stockton, it adamantly opposes San Bernardino's bankruptcy petition because that city stopped making pension fund payments. 

The trial's timing is exquisitely ironic, to wit: It began just two days after the city of Sacramento announced a deal to build a downtown arena for the Kings basketball team by pledging parking revenues for construction bonds. A factor in Stockton's insolvency is that it borrowed and spent heavily on a sports arena and a baseball park that proved to be financial drains. Other cities, such as Fresno, have found themselves in distress for similar reasons. 

A Stockton attorney told Klein that the city's insolvency resulted from "years of bad decisions and bad management," but an opposing attorney noted that Stockton continues to pay its employees more than most other local governments, despite its financial woes.