The mayoral race in Downers Grove pits two veterans of local government against each other.
Geoff Neustadt, who’s been on the village council for eight years, is running against Martin Tully who is seeking his second and final term as mayor. Tully previously also served on the council.
The mayoral post pays $4,800 a year. The village has a limit of two consecutive terms for the mayor.
If elected to the four-year term, both candidates say they will need to address issues from whether to construct or renovate village facilities and how to fund them, to improving infrastructure and snow removal, and the looming potential of revenue cuts by the state.
Tully and Neustadt both say they want to continue to deliver a high level of services to residents, but acknowledge that task will be harder if a proposal by Gov. Bruce Rauner to withhold Local Government Distributive Fund payments to municipalities and counties is finalized. Downers Grove stands to lose $2.4 million to its general fund if it is.
Neustadt, 39, said the village is already preparing for a potential loss of revenue by instituting a hiring freeze, except for essential public employees, and delaying the purchase of new vehicles.
“We’ve hit the pause button on that,” he said.
Neither he nor Tully could be specific about what other measures would be taken if the village loses revenue. A property tax increase might be off the table because the state may put a freeze on that option, they agreed.
In addition to considering whether to cut costs, both candidates said the village might also look at increasing revenue from existing or new sources.
Tully said the best option for increasing revenue would be “to look at raising revenue (from sources) where we have exclusive control.”
Fees and the village’s portion of the sales tax would be options where the village has exclusive control. Neustadt, too, mentioned those as possible sources of increased revenue.
Both candidates said that, before any measures are taken to reduce services or increase revenues, they will seek input from the community.
Tully, 49, said the village is hampered by the state’s budget problems, and plans to lobby the legislature to reduce or eliminate unfunded state mandates and reform the public pension system.
Whether or not to construct new village facilities or renovate them is another decision a new mayor and village board will address. Voters on April 7 will cast ballots on whether they approve of the village spending $46 million or more to construct a new village hall, police facility and fleet maintenance building.
Because of the potential of state budget cuts, the village has put consideration of the proposal on hold. But both candidates said, however, that the police station is particularly outdated.
“Unlike fine wine, this is a problem that doesn’t get better with age,” Tully said.
Tully and Neustadt said they would get a consensus from the community before a decision is made on how to proceed with improving any village facility.
“It’s not about what I think is best. It’s about what the community can support,” Tully said.
If revenue cuts from the state go through, Neustadt said the village will need to focus on providing essential services such as police and fire, water and snow removal to residents.
Both candidates touted the village’s long-range financial planning, and improvements to streets and the village infrastructure in recent years as accomplishments.
“We now have a plan for repairing and maintaining all our roads, a plan for installing sidewalks throughout the village and for reducing or eliminating the flooding that used to occur in the village,” Neustadt said.
The village spent $20 million on improving streets, the stormwater system and adding sidewalks in 2014 and is slated to spend $23.5 million in 2015.
Long-range financial planning has improved the village’s credit rating, Tully said.
Neustadt said the village did a good job this year on snow removal but wants to see if it can do better.
“While we addressed the large snowfall within our policy, it is always important to use weather events as learning experiences and adjust to better serve the community,” he said.
Tully said the village already evaluates its snow removal policy and works to improve it.
“We constantly adjust our snow and ice plan,” he said.
Tully said any adjustments to the village’s snow removal plan, such as clearing streets with cul de sacs quicker, could result in needing additional resources or increased costs.
If he is elected mayor, Neustadt said he plans to hold monthly meetings with residents.
“A lot more people would want to be part of that rather than on Tuesdays (at village board meetings) in front of the camera,” he said.
Neustadt said, because he works in the village as a maintenance mechanic for Downers Grove School District 58, he can be more accessible to residents than Tully. Tully, who works as an attorney in Chicago, called that assertion “ridiculous.”
“I spend a lot of time out in the community. Everybody who knows me knows that,” Tully said.
Neustadt has lived in the village his entire life. He and his wife, Leslie, have two sons, David, 6, and Declan, 21 months.
Tully, has two sons, Martin, 20, and Ryan, 18. He, and his wife, Shanon, have lived in Downers Grove since 1992.
