Accomplishments
Fiscally Responsible Government
I am proud of our record of running the most fiscally responsible government in the city’s history. We’ve increased police on the streets and upgraded our vital infrastructure while not increasing the city’s tax levy on residents and businesses or taking on any new debt. Our administration has focused on outreach for grants, and these grants have helped fund upgrades at our historic water plant, professional staff for our lakefront, and support for our police and firefighters.
Putting Public Safety First
Waukegan has its challenges regarding public safety, as do all urban cities in the United States, but in the last three years, we’ve invested in the tools to keep our residents safe. These investments include increasing our active police force and our firefighters, adding cameras to help police solve crime, reinstating our Neighborhood Policing after it was ended previously, and changing how our police department works to ensure we have less administrative overhead and more police on the streets. We still have a ways to go, but Waukegan is on the right track.
Investing in Infrastructure
Unlike many of our neighboring communities, Waukegan is a historic city. This means that when we upgrade our infrastructure, we aren’t considering upgrading 15-year-old or even 50-year-old projects. For example, the city partnered with Congressman Brad Scheider to upgrade our historic water plant and remove and replace lead service line water pipes into homes and businesses throughout the city. Our city’s public works department has been updating city sidewalks, making them ADA-accessible for people with disabilities, and we are resurfacing and repairing streets throughout our hometown.
Supporting our Business Community
Waukegan has a strong and vibrant business community. During my term, we’ve seen tremendous growth in businesses all over the city. Downtown, we have a lively entertainment district with restaurants and bars for residents and visitors to visit before or after a show at the Genesee Theatre or the Three Brothers Theatre. On the west side of the city, near the new American Place casino, we’ve seen new restaurants and retail shops—talking to owners of those businesses, they have nearly unanimously spoken about their increased traffic during the last three years. Our industrial sector is bringing new businesses to Waukegan regularly, making Waukegan a destination for smart, high-tech jobs.
