Candidate Name:
Mike Isaac
Education:
Coastal Carolina University, BS in Finance & Marketing
Occupation:
CEO, CFO Third Party Pet
Past Political Experience:
Current Board Member for Financial Advisory Board, City of Naperville
Why are you running for Naperville City Council?
I am running for City Council because I love Naperville, and I want to help ensure that in 20 years, my 3-year-olds, Kaleb and Keegan will continue to love it and be able to call it home too.
Naperville is what it is because past leaders saw the potential for a flourishing community that would provide families with a livelihood and a safe place to settle and raise children, with plenty of educational, social and recreational opportunities. They worked, planned and argued to make it so. Now my generation of new leaders has a responsibility to maintain what exists and build on their success.
I want to make sure that we control taxes through smart fiscal management, reduction of governmental waste and responsible economic development.
I want to work on a range of housing and transportation options that mean that we, our grown kids and our parents can continue to live here throughout our lives.
I want to ensure that our teens and young adults get the support they need to stay in school, avoid drugs, find jobs and work toward healthy futures.
I want to make sure that we have the public safety and infrastructure resources we need to protect the community.
And I want to continue to lead in sustainability to protect the environment our children deserve to enjoy.
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 am not in favor of government over-regulation or infringing on the rights of property owners. I think the goal is to ensure that we find ways to avoid discrimination and develop a wide array of attainable housing stock, particularly for seniors. In light of the current statistics on percentage of Naperville housing currently occupied by lower income tenants, I believe Naperville is working to do its part in providing attainable housing. Going forward with future developments, it would be advantageous to the community to have more scattered affordable housing options. Planning and zoning should have that goal in mind. I believe everyone seeking to live in our community must be treated with dignity and respect, and the rights of individual tenants must be protected, but so should the rights of property owners.
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).
This area is a great opportunity for the City to develop a dynamic district which offers vital extension of Downtown Naperville and a business and cultural connection to Chicago, with a mix of traditional and innovative retail, office and residential uses that will attract millennials, young couples, families and empty nesters alike. It is critical that a variety of housing options, including economically viable and attainably priced mid-rise condos and apartments as well as 2- to 3-story townhomes be included in the plan.
Equally important are business spaces which reflect the needs of next generation businesses, including co-working spaces for entrepreneurs, pop-up retail opportunities and tech and small business incubator locations which might link suburban workers with Downtown Chicago through the convenience of the train. As current commuter parking must be replaced, and parking for additional tenants must be accommodated, parking garages adjacent to the tracks will be necessary.
The area must accommodate bus circulation, taxis and kiss-and-ride drop off as well as short-distance people movers and bicycles. Designing walkability and bikeability connecting the area to the downtown should be considered.
Density and height are always a concern for neighborhoods adjacent to commercial and transitional areas. Appropriate zoning will dictate uses in this mixed-use district. However, I believe the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff should maintain sensitivity to the adjacent neighborhoods.
The City should consider tax incentives and cooperative financing that allow for development now, when the community can benefit long term.
What is your judgment on the consolidation of township services and/or the potential for greater government consolidation?
As Chairman of Naperville/Aurora Citizens for Lower Taxes, I helped pass the nonbinding advisory referendum on government consolidation with a 90% approval. To me, this means that the vast majority of Napervillians are in favor of measures like consolidation that will eliminate service redundancy and allow for tax savings for property owners.
We are already seeing that intergovernmental agreements can create efficiencies in fire and public safety services. We have entered into group buying for utilities and must continue to explore those relationships to ensure smart purchasing in the future. I would also like to see us look at ways we can examine additional group purchasing and service deliverables going forward. In my business, we look to allocate resources as intelligently as possible. I see additional opportunities for sharing services for garbage and recycling pick up, yard waste pick up and disposal, as well as 911 services. These are Items I am discussing as a member of the Mayor’s Financial Advisory Board.
I will continue to look for ways to make government work smarter not bigger, while still delivering the quality of services that make Naperville a community in demand.
Mike Isaac
Education:
Coastal Carolina University, BS in Finance & Marketing
Occupation:
CEO, CFO Third Party Pet
Past Political Experience:
Current Board Member for Financial Advisory Board, City of Naperville
Why are you running for Naperville City Council?
I am running for City Council because I love Naperville, and I want to help ensure that in 20 years, my 3-year-olds, Kaleb and Keegan will continue to love it and be able to call it home too.
Naperville is what it is because past leaders saw the potential for a flourishing community that would provide families with a livelihood and a safe place to settle and raise children, with plenty of educational, social and recreational opportunities. They worked, planned and argued to make it so. Now my generation of new leaders has a responsibility to maintain what exists and build on their success.
I want to make sure that we control taxes through smart fiscal management, reduction of governmental waste and responsible economic development.
I want to work on a range of housing and transportation options that mean that we, our grown kids and our parents can continue to live here throughout our lives.
I want to ensure that our teens and young adults get the support they need to stay in school, avoid drugs, find jobs and work toward healthy futures.
I want to make sure that we have the public safety and infrastructure resources we need to protect the community.
And I want to continue to lead in sustainability to protect the environment our children deserve to enjoy.
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 am not in favor of government over-regulation or infringing on the rights of property owners. I think the goal is to ensure that we find ways to avoid discrimination and develop a wide array of attainable housing stock, particularly for seniors. In light of the current statistics on percentage of Naperville housing currently occupied by lower income tenants, I believe Naperville is working to do its part in providing attainable housing. Going forward with future developments, it would be advantageous to the community to have more scattered affordable housing options. Planning and zoning should have that goal in mind. I believe everyone seeking to live in our community must be treated with dignity and respect, and the rights of individual tenants must be protected, but so should the rights of property owners.
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).
This area is a great opportunity for the City to develop a dynamic district which offers vital extension of Downtown Naperville and a business and cultural connection to Chicago, with a mix of traditional and innovative retail, office and residential uses that will attract millennials, young couples, families and empty nesters alike. It is critical that a variety of housing options, including economically viable and attainably priced mid-rise condos and apartments as well as 2- to 3-story townhomes be included in the plan.
Equally important are business spaces which reflect the needs of next generation businesses, including co-working spaces for entrepreneurs, pop-up retail opportunities and tech and small business incubator locations which might link suburban workers with Downtown Chicago through the convenience of the train. As current commuter parking must be replaced, and parking for additional tenants must be accommodated, parking garages adjacent to the tracks will be necessary.
The area must accommodate bus circulation, taxis and kiss-and-ride drop off as well as short-distance people movers and bicycles. Designing walkability and bikeability connecting the area to the downtown should be considered.
Density and height are always a concern for neighborhoods adjacent to commercial and transitional areas. Appropriate zoning will dictate uses in this mixed-use district. However, I believe the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff should maintain sensitivity to the adjacent neighborhoods.
The City should consider tax incentives and cooperative financing that allow for development now, when the community can benefit long term.
What is your judgment on the consolidation of township services and/or the potential for greater government consolidation?
As Chairman of Naperville/Aurora Citizens for Lower Taxes, I helped pass the nonbinding advisory referendum on government consolidation with a 90% approval. To me, this means that the vast majority of Napervillians are in favor of measures like consolidation that will eliminate service redundancy and allow for tax savings for property owners.
We are already seeing that intergovernmental agreements can create efficiencies in fire and public safety services. We have entered into group buying for utilities and must continue to explore those relationships to ensure smart purchasing in the future. I would also like to see us look at ways we can examine additional group purchasing and service deliverables going forward. In my business, we look to allocate resources as intelligently as possible. I see additional opportunities for sharing services for garbage and recycling pick up, yard waste pick up and disposal, as well as 911 services. These are Items I am discussing as a member of the Mayor’s Financial Advisory Board.
I will continue to look for ways to make government work smarter not bigger, while still delivering the quality of services that make Naperville a community in demand.
