Candidate Name:
Benjamin (Benny) White
Education:
Bachelor of Science (BS), United States Military Academy at West Point
Master of Science (MS), Indiana University
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Webster University
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Benedictine University
Occupation:
Retired Army Officer/Senior Army Instructor Army JROTC, Joliet West H.S.
Past Political Experience:
Elected to the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education
Appointed to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners
Why are you running for Naperville City Council?
I want to serve the city that has served my family since we moved here. I am often asked why I chose to go to West Point. My reasons at the time were quite selfish. I wanted to play Division 1 football, go to a prestigious college, and not pay for it. The five year military commitment was an afterthought. However, once I got into the Army, I discovered something that was bigger than me. I was serving my country and the men and women under my command and I was making a difference in both. Rather having some small role in the fall of the Berlin Wall or spending time with a dying soldier, my values had clearly matured into something special. Since moving to Naperville in 2005, I have continued to serve. I have volunteered in our schools and was eventually appointed and elected to the Indian Prairie School District 204 where I serve our students, teachers and community. Finally, my service and experience as a Commissioner on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners has given me a keen insight into the service of our public safety officials. I am ready to take all of my experience and help Naperville continue to grow into the city our children will be proud of.
What is your position on defining legal source of income to include vouchers? Can you address the issue especially with respect to the effect on private landlords and property managers?
I do believe housing vouchers represent a legal form of income for those who qualify. However, I believe we need a compromising solution that encourages fair housing laws but also protects the rights of property owners. According to the H.U.D. website, “A family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family's choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program.” Currently, owners must take the vouchers without any choice. I think they should have some level of choice especially when it involves renting single family homes. It is important to support fair housing practices to all who want to live in Naperville but I would be in favor of adding language that protects landlords from the unintended consequences of the voucher.
We continue to hear and read more about the City of Naperville and its efforts to redevelop the 5th Avenue property. What are your views on this redevelopment as it relates to: 1) redevelopment mix (residential, retail, business, entertainment & parking for downtown), 2) What role the City of Naperville should play in terms of financing (sale of bonds, TIF funds, tax incentives, etc).
I think we need to look at a housing community that encompasses supporting infrastructure with a major focus on our senior community. This infrastructure could include businesses such as a grocery store, convenient/drug store, health clinic, and eating establishments. At the end of the day, if Naperville wants to embrace attainable/affordable housing for our seniors, then we are going to have to put some “skin in the game!” Developers are not going to lose money in an effort to build housing for our seniors, but in this situation, the city owns the property. This puts the city in a position to provide incentives to developers, which may make it worth their time to pursue such a project. A housing community as opposed to a business community would have minimal effect on traffic flow on our major arterial roadways such as Ogden Ave. or Washington St. The adjacent neighborhoods should have input to the design and look of the housing area because the appearance of the new community could directly affect the property value of their homes.
What is your judgment on the consolidation of township services and/or the potential for greater government consolidation?
Combining road services is clearly the service that most people are talking about. Naperville can save taxpayer money by combining road services such as cleaning, snow removal, and repairs. This has already been proposed for Naperville and Lisle Townships. We should work with other townships like Wheatland and DuPage to see if there are cost savings and efficiencies available that would be a benefit to both sides. Paper services are an area our school districts have combined and the same can be done with Naperville and our neighboring municipalities. As a Commissioner on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, I can attest that we are already looking at combining emergency dispatch services with the City of Aurora in an effort to save money and improve emergency services. Finally, we need to seriously look at combining water services with some of our neighboring municipalities. Specifically, the federal government has mandated that all municipalities become compliant with clearing phosphorus from the water sources that supply water to our city. This is estimated to cost the city $50M to build a plant to meet compliance standards. We need to look at our neighbors to share in this burden which would potentially lower the cost for each of the governing bodies.
Benjamin (Benny) White
Education:
Bachelor of Science (BS), United States Military Academy at West Point
Master of Science (MS), Indiana University
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Webster University
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Benedictine University
Occupation:
Retired Army Officer/Senior Army Instructor Army JROTC, Joliet West H.S.
Past Political Experience:
Elected to the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education
Appointed to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners
Why are you running for Naperville City Council?
I want to serve the city that has served my family since we moved here. I am often asked why I chose to go to West Point. My reasons at the time were quite selfish. I wanted to play Division 1 football, go to a prestigious college, and not pay for it. The five year military commitment was an afterthought. However, once I got into the Army, I discovered something that was bigger than me. I was serving my country and the men and women under my command and I was making a difference in both. Rather having some small role in the fall of the Berlin Wall or spending time with a dying soldier, my values had clearly matured into something special. Since moving to Naperville in 2005, I have continued to serve. I have volunteered in our schools and was eventually appointed and elected to the Indian Prairie School District 204 where I serve our students, teachers and community. Finally, my service and experience as a Commissioner on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners has given me a keen insight into the service of our public safety officials. I am ready to take all of my experience and help Naperville continue to grow into the city our children will be proud of.
What is your position on defining legal source of income to include vouchers? Can you address the issue especially with respect to the effect on private landlords and property managers?
I do believe housing vouchers represent a legal form of income for those who qualify. However, I believe we need a compromising solution that encourages fair housing laws but also protects the rights of property owners. According to the H.U.D. website, “A family that is issued a housing voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit of the family's choice where the owner agrees to rent under the program.” Currently, owners must take the vouchers without any choice. I think they should have some level of choice especially when it involves renting single family homes. It is important to support fair housing practices to all who want to live in Naperville but I would be in favor of adding language that protects landlords from the unintended consequences of the voucher.
We continue to hear and read more about the City of Naperville and its efforts to redevelop the 5th Avenue property. What are your views on this redevelopment as it relates to: 1) redevelopment mix (residential, retail, business, entertainment & parking for downtown), 2) What role the City of Naperville should play in terms of financing (sale of bonds, TIF funds, tax incentives, etc).
I think we need to look at a housing community that encompasses supporting infrastructure with a major focus on our senior community. This infrastructure could include businesses such as a grocery store, convenient/drug store, health clinic, and eating establishments. At the end of the day, if Naperville wants to embrace attainable/affordable housing for our seniors, then we are going to have to put some “skin in the game!” Developers are not going to lose money in an effort to build housing for our seniors, but in this situation, the city owns the property. This puts the city in a position to provide incentives to developers, which may make it worth their time to pursue such a project. A housing community as opposed to a business community would have minimal effect on traffic flow on our major arterial roadways such as Ogden Ave. or Washington St. The adjacent neighborhoods should have input to the design and look of the housing area because the appearance of the new community could directly affect the property value of their homes.
What is your judgment on the consolidation of township services and/or the potential for greater government consolidation?
Combining road services is clearly the service that most people are talking about. Naperville can save taxpayer money by combining road services such as cleaning, snow removal, and repairs. This has already been proposed for Naperville and Lisle Townships. We should work with other townships like Wheatland and DuPage to see if there are cost savings and efficiencies available that would be a benefit to both sides. Paper services are an area our school districts have combined and the same can be done with Naperville and our neighboring municipalities. As a Commissioner on the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, I can attest that we are already looking at combining emergency dispatch services with the City of Aurora in an effort to save money and improve emergency services. Finally, we need to seriously look at combining water services with some of our neighboring municipalities. Specifically, the federal government has mandated that all municipalities become compliant with clearing phosphorus from the water sources that supply water to our city. This is estimated to cost the city $50M to build a plant to meet compliance standards. We need to look at our neighbors to share in this burden which would potentially lower the cost for each of the governing bodies.
