The Voice contributor, Marissa Amoni, and other community members, wrote several questions for Aurora mayoral candidates in the consolidated primary election to answer.
Below are answers from Aurora alderman at-large, John Laesch.
How will you work to restore our riverfront along the Fox River, especially north of downtown and RiverEdge Park?
Directly north of RiverEdge Park should be parking lots for RiverEdge event attendees.
I would like to see the majority of the area north of RiverEdge Park be converted to a nature preserve, and restore the riverfront for recreational and leisure use. I would do the same thing north of Illinois Ave. once the city’s maintenance building is relocated. We need to regrow the trees and bring wildlife back to the riverfront. The only buildings I would like to see on this property is a nature center building that serves as a dual-use educational facility and natural healing center. A multi-discipline natural healing center where people can reconnect with nature and learn alternative healing techniques from qualified therapists and yogi’s would add a very unique attraction to Aurora. This natural regeneration effort should be done with a theme that honors the Native Americans who once inhabited the shores of the Fox River.
We also need to build a handicap-accessible walk bridge over Rt. 25 so pedestrians can cross over to RiverEdge from the post office or ATC parking lot. The Jolly Trolly is a good idea.
I oppose building more apartments. I support keeping the river front open for everyone to enjoy. We also need to work with existing businesses like Garbe Iron to find a way to affordably relocate them without the aggressive legal approach we currently use.
How will you work with small businesses to ensure their success despite economic trends?
While I can appreciate the progress made downtown, it has cost the Aurora taxpayers tremendously to perpetually be subsidizing restaurants and bars. Businesses need customers to survive. The difference between Aurora and some of our neighboring towns (Geneva and Naperville) is that our neighbors have a higher average median income (AMI) per household. Aurora needs more companies that pay living wages. Until we move in this direction, we will be stuck in a cycle of constantly subsidizing the “next shiny object” downtown.
I do support some of our entertainment venues and initiatives to draw more people downtown and I will continue to support those initiatives that have proven to be effective. I supported the expansion of RiverEdge Park, but I will not support the proposed City of Lights Center (CLC). This is a half-baked idea. Until we can prove that “going bigger” will attract new entertainers at RiverEdge, I’m going to oppose the CLC.
Will you consider rezoning downtown Aurora to first floor retail, entertainment, and dining to encourage more foot traffic and visitors?
I would need to learn more about this and would only consider it with support from downtown business owners. I also would like to see some tech businesses call downtown Aurora home and I’m not sure that this kind of restriction would help us achieve that goal. We have seen American’s shopping habits changed by big boxes and Amazon. These changes have had an impact on every “historic downtown” across America. As people moved from shopping downtown to shopping at big boxes and now shopping online, city governments are now responsible for dealing with the old empty buildings. Every warehouse we approve effectively kills a local retailer. We need to be cognizant of these decisions as we embrace new shopping trends.
In downtown Aurora, there are a few stretches of prime storefronts that continue to remain vacant (e.g. 44 W. Downer Pl. and 65 E. Downer Pl.). What is your plan to activate those properties?
Finding the right person to invest in these properties and working with the new owners to cut through some of the red tape is the best approach. The reality is that the multi-million-dollar rehab projects drive up the cost of rent for perspective business owners. Higher rents mean fewer opportunities for tenants. I would want to work more towards an “owner occupied” building.
How will you deal with commercial property owners who continue to not maintain their property?
Work with them to find a suitable use for the building. I do want to pursue green building dollars available through CEJA and IRA to assist with retrofitting old buildings. That does not mean this will move someone to invest in these buildings, but we need to try new, creative approaches that do not rely on the local taxpayers.
This fall, City Council approved giving three million dollars to Elevate Aurora, a new organization that includes Invest Aurora, Aurora Downtown, and Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce. What are your thoughts on the merger?
I voted against the “merger” of a new economic development group that has an ever-changing name for a number of reasons.
1) Every chamber of commerce should be member-funded and independent of the city. It should not rely on taxpayer dollars and should be able to lobby for member interests without control by the mayor.
2) The Aurora Downtown SSA as a funding stream should continue to serve the specific goals of that SSA, and the business members of the SSA, not be diverted towards this new organization that does not have clear goals or a business plan.
3) There is no transparency or oversight by the city council for how this entity will spend the taxpayers’ money.
4) There was no business plan to make this organization sustainable without city tax dollars and Invest Aurora had the same problems.
5) The City of Aurora’s Economic Development department could probably do all of the same functions with less money.
6) This whole approach is both unproven and is being run by political people, not business people. I hope that Aurora residents can read between the lines on this one.
With the director of Aurora Public Art being dismissed recently, what is your plan for the future of Aurora Public Art?
I support public art, and I need to know why the Director of Public Art was dismissed. She seemed to be doing a great job, and we have a number of great murals and public art displays that have really spruced up the downtown.
What is your plan for the old post office which most recently served as SciTech Museum?
Speaking of art, let’s talk about the old post office! I would love to see the old post office turned into a larger version of the Water Street Studios in Batavia. It should be a multi-use artist space, so all types of artists have a place to work. A larger studio and wine bar could host frequent exhibits and attract people to the downtown. This building was identified as an ideal pilot project for an extreme green building retrofit. I would explore that option and seek to get an estimate on how much it would cost to take this approach to revitalize this old building.
Do you have any long term plans regarding the homeless population living in encampments around the outskirts of downtown?
I have opposed the gentrification of our city with every vote that seeks to raise rents and push poor people out of their homes. I will aggressively chase green building dollars from the Illinois Climate bank and work to build more working-class housing that is both energy efficient and affordable for working families. The natural healing center mentioned earlier should include proven alternative addiction treatments and counseling services. We need to either pay people more money or reduce the cost of living, or America as a whole is going to have a massive homeless problem. This will be a top priority of mine.
What industry or businesses would you most like to see established in Aurora?
I will be very focused on bringing better paying jobs to our city and one of the ways that we can do this is by positioning our city to be at the cutting edge of the green building and green hydrogen economy. There is currently $1 BN available for the Midwest Green Hydrogen Hub and I want Aurora to be at the cutting edge of this developing technology. I have already spoken to a large-scale manufacturer of Hydrogen Fuel Cell producers with the intent of getting them to relocate their national headquarters to Aurora. We have an ideal interstate location, and with the right
I also want to aggressively pursue green building dollars that can be used to retrofit old houses and businesses and make them more energy efficient. Again, this is money that we are bringing to our community. It will create local, living wage jobs and help people save on their heating and cooling bills.
Finally, we need to build out a high-speed fiber optic broadband system that will position Aurora to attract new tech companies. The Irvin Administration has run Onlite Aurora into the ground. I’m not sure just how bad of a shape it is in, but long-term we need a publicly-owned high-speed broadband option that reduces costs for homeowners and attracts new technology companies.
It might be difficult to make Aurora a tech hub and green hub at the same time, but we need to be at the forefront of an emerging technology if we want our residents to succeed financially.
Do you believe transparency in government is important, and would you support increased reporting requirements for private organizations receiving significant city funding?
I don’t take any campaign contributions from people doing business with the City of Aurora. I’ve posted how I spend my Alderman funds and have voted against any use of taxpayer funds that are not transparent.
I support complete transparency. If any business receives city or state tax dollars they should have to share their books with the public as a way to justify these taxpayer subsidies. All of the city-connected economic development entities need to also make their books available to the public. If taxpayer dollars are being used for anything, they need to be accounted for.
The city has continued to acquire real estate, particularly downtown. What is your stance on this practice?
I have voted against several purchases of more city property. If we don’t have a use for a property we should not be buying the property. Some of these purchases have been well above market value and connected to donors of the current mayor.
What is your position on dam removal?
I support the removal of the dams from the Fox River to restore the river’s health. I do want to know how the removal of the dams will impact our fresh water because our city gets 60% of our fresh water from the Fox River.
The Army Corps of Civil Engineers is going to remove the dams up and down the Fox River. If we do not allow the federal funding for the removal of these dams, then the taxpayers will have to pay to modify the dam to restore the river’s health.