Candidate Name:
Judith Brodhead
Education:
B.A., English, Douglass College. of Rutgers University
M.A., English, Rutgers University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Occupation:
Associate Professor of English and Coordinator of Cultural Events, North Central College
Past Political Experience:
Councilwoman, City of Naperville, 2009-present
Why are you running for Naperville City Council?
After 16 years on boards and commissions, including helping to shape Naperville by serving for more than a decade on the Plan Commission, I was elected in 2009 and re-elected in 2013 and 2015. I want to move Naperville further along in its role as a 21st Century city. Naperville is a “boomburb,” close to 150,000 in population. Although we’re the fifth-largest city in the state, partly because we planned and encouraged commercial and retail development, we produce more sales revenue in multiple categories than any other city in Illinois except for Chicago.
I believe I’ve done a good job for the city and will continue to use both my institutional knowledge and skills in collaboration with fellow council members, elected officials, residents, and business owners to move the city forward. I know firsthand how essential it is to balance the needs of our stakeholders. We now have a structurally balanced budget, and we are working proactively to reduce the city’s debt by 25% and increase reserves by 25%, both in the next eight years. We maintained a triple-A bond rating even during the recession. Our pension funds are in very good shape because of the steps we’ve taken to fund them.
I can help Naperville continue to be the outstanding community that wins dozens of accolades and matures into a city that is a great, safe, and productive place to live and work for families, empty nesters, seniors, and millennials.
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?
Since we receive about $440,000 in CDBG (federal bloc) grants, the city is required to pay attention to the Fair Housing Act and how to remove impediments to fair housing, in addition to following the provisions of the law, which is required of all landlords. Housing vouchers are designed to help the disabled, the elderly, and the very low income. The CDBG grants support our non-profits that provide social services and are so crucial to our community. Despite some fears that this will have a significant effect on the population of Naperville, we know that allowing housing vouchers to be counted will not add a great number of voucher holders, just because rents here are high enough that most would not qualify even with the vouchers. Naperville has 50,000 housing units, including its apartments, condos, and single family homes. About 500 vouchers are used now in Naperville. We are talking about a small number of additional vouchers to help our Naperville residents who are facing hard times, old age on a small income, or disability.
I understand that some Chamber members who are residential landlords or property managers feared that this definition would add several levels of bureaucracy to their work. This should not be the case, since the HAP (Housing Assistance Payment) is with the housing authority, not HUD. A HAP contract does not exist outside a concurrent lease. The inspection required is a minimum one. The DuPage Housing Authority does not set a rental price - the market does that.
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’d like to see a mix that includes retail, restaurant, business, and residential uses, as well as parking that would provide about 1500 spaces and enough for shoppers, restaurant patrons, and employees. (Not all of the parking will necessarily be in the same location in one huge deck, depending on which parcels are developed.) It will be exciting to see how creative the proposals will be. It could provide some housing suitable for empty nesters, seniors, and millennials. We are looking for originality and creativity. I’d welcome architectural designs that draw on our local history. The railroad and its existing station, the old limestone quarries, and nearby housing and retail styles from the late 19th and early 20th century (including Frank Lloyd Wright or Craftsman influences) can provide inspiration. Ideally it should be sensitive to the neighborhood and more interesting than some of the mixed-use developments along railroad lines that we’ve seen in northern Illinois.
Since the city owns the property, that does provide an advantage, in that we are sending out the RFQs and will get to have early input into the development process. I think it’s premature to assume there will be a TIF, although that’s a possibility. Bonding for a parking deck is possible as well. Since the parking lots are owned by the city (and aside from the former Boecker property have been for a long time), they are not producing any tax revenue right now but will turn into an extremely valuable asset.
What is your judgment on the consolidation of township services and/or the potential for greater government consolidation?
I supported the consolidation of road districts (not the same as the dissolution of an entire township) when the City of Naperville proposed it to Naperville Township. That offer did not work out, so the road commissioner arranged a different deal with Lisle Township. We will see if that is sustainable over multiple years. I don’t think we will see the end of townships very soon (it may take a generation - or two), but I think they will gradually disappear as DuPage and Will County urbanize or suburbanize. Rural townships are needed when they can serve a population that would otherwise have to receive all their services from a county, but they can become superfluous when the amount of unincorporated land they include diminishes. Many of the services that both unincorporated and incorporated residents require (like fire protection) are already handled by the City of Naperville. Very often it is City of Naperville police officers rather than the county sheriff’s department who respond to 911 emergency calls in unincorporated locations. There are a number of laws that govern how consolidation can take place, but I think combining road districts, whether by referendum or by mutual agreements between townships, or between a township and the city, is a good place to start. We are already cooperating with Lisle in sharing an ambulance; on March 7 the City Council voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement to allow Naperville and Aurora to transfer Aurora and North Aurora’s 911 Service to the Naperville ETSB.
Judith Brodhead
Education:
B.A., English, Douglass College. of Rutgers University
M.A., English, Rutgers University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Occupation:
Associate Professor of English and Coordinator of Cultural Events, North Central College
Past Political Experience:
Councilwoman, City of Naperville, 2009-present
Why are you running for Naperville City Council?
After 16 years on boards and commissions, including helping to shape Naperville by serving for more than a decade on the Plan Commission, I was elected in 2009 and re-elected in 2013 and 2015. I want to move Naperville further along in its role as a 21st Century city. Naperville is a “boomburb,” close to 150,000 in population. Although we’re the fifth-largest city in the state, partly because we planned and encouraged commercial and retail development, we produce more sales revenue in multiple categories than any other city in Illinois except for Chicago.
I believe I’ve done a good job for the city and will continue to use both my institutional knowledge and skills in collaboration with fellow council members, elected officials, residents, and business owners to move the city forward. I know firsthand how essential it is to balance the needs of our stakeholders. We now have a structurally balanced budget, and we are working proactively to reduce the city’s debt by 25% and increase reserves by 25%, both in the next eight years. We maintained a triple-A bond rating even during the recession. Our pension funds are in very good shape because of the steps we’ve taken to fund them.
I can help Naperville continue to be the outstanding community that wins dozens of accolades and matures into a city that is a great, safe, and productive place to live and work for families, empty nesters, seniors, and millennials.
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?
Since we receive about $440,000 in CDBG (federal bloc) grants, the city is required to pay attention to the Fair Housing Act and how to remove impediments to fair housing, in addition to following the provisions of the law, which is required of all landlords. Housing vouchers are designed to help the disabled, the elderly, and the very low income. The CDBG grants support our non-profits that provide social services and are so crucial to our community. Despite some fears that this will have a significant effect on the population of Naperville, we know that allowing housing vouchers to be counted will not add a great number of voucher holders, just because rents here are high enough that most would not qualify even with the vouchers. Naperville has 50,000 housing units, including its apartments, condos, and single family homes. About 500 vouchers are used now in Naperville. We are talking about a small number of additional vouchers to help our Naperville residents who are facing hard times, old age on a small income, or disability.
I understand that some Chamber members who are residential landlords or property managers feared that this definition would add several levels of bureaucracy to their work. This should not be the case, since the HAP (Housing Assistance Payment) is with the housing authority, not HUD. A HAP contract does not exist outside a concurrent lease. The inspection required is a minimum one. The DuPage Housing Authority does not set a rental price - the market does that.
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’d like to see a mix that includes retail, restaurant, business, and residential uses, as well as parking that would provide about 1500 spaces and enough for shoppers, restaurant patrons, and employees. (Not all of the parking will necessarily be in the same location in one huge deck, depending on which parcels are developed.) It will be exciting to see how creative the proposals will be. It could provide some housing suitable for empty nesters, seniors, and millennials. We are looking for originality and creativity. I’d welcome architectural designs that draw on our local history. The railroad and its existing station, the old limestone quarries, and nearby housing and retail styles from the late 19th and early 20th century (including Frank Lloyd Wright or Craftsman influences) can provide inspiration. Ideally it should be sensitive to the neighborhood and more interesting than some of the mixed-use developments along railroad lines that we’ve seen in northern Illinois.
Since the city owns the property, that does provide an advantage, in that we are sending out the RFQs and will get to have early input into the development process. I think it’s premature to assume there will be a TIF, although that’s a possibility. Bonding for a parking deck is possible as well. Since the parking lots are owned by the city (and aside from the former Boecker property have been for a long time), they are not producing any tax revenue right now but will turn into an extremely valuable asset.
What is your judgment on the consolidation of township services and/or the potential for greater government consolidation?
I supported the consolidation of road districts (not the same as the dissolution of an entire township) when the City of Naperville proposed it to Naperville Township. That offer did not work out, so the road commissioner arranged a different deal with Lisle Township. We will see if that is sustainable over multiple years. I don’t think we will see the end of townships very soon (it may take a generation - or two), but I think they will gradually disappear as DuPage and Will County urbanize or suburbanize. Rural townships are needed when they can serve a population that would otherwise have to receive all their services from a county, but they can become superfluous when the amount of unincorporated land they include diminishes. Many of the services that both unincorporated and incorporated residents require (like fire protection) are already handled by the City of Naperville. Very often it is City of Naperville police officers rather than the county sheriff’s department who respond to 911 emergency calls in unincorporated locations. There are a number of laws that govern how consolidation can take place, but I think combining road districts, whether by referendum or by mutual agreements between townships, or between a township and the city, is a good place to start. We are already cooperating with Lisle in sharing an ambulance; on March 7 the City Council voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement to allow Naperville and Aurora to transfer Aurora and North Aurora’s 911 Service to the Naperville ETSB.
