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Name:
Jason Edgcomb
What office are you seeking?
2nd Ward Alderman
What is your political party?
Candidate did not respond.
What is your current age?
49
Occupation and employer:
Jail Superintendent La Salle County Jail
What offices, if any, have you previously held?
2nd Ward Alderman City of Peru
City:
Peru
Campaign Website:
Candidate did not respond.
Education:
Attended IVCC
Community Involvement:
Peru CSO
Member of The Perfectly Flawed Foundation Board of Directors
Member of the IVCC Area Planning Council
CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) advisory consortium member (Arukah)
Marital status/Immediate family:
Married wife Angela, one son Anthony Ossola
Questions:
Do you believe the city should use hotel/motel funds on a municipal pool?
I don’t believe it is the best use of the funds. I have made this clear in the past. However, that was the question on the ballet and I will honor what the voters asked for. My concern is how this affects city projects down the road, but we will figure that out when we get to it.
What ideas do you have to grow Peru?
We have a very good team that works hard on bringing in new business. True growth comes in the form of people. I would like to see the city work closer with our area realtors and create a link with them to get people into the available homes we have in the city of Peru. As we have seen over the last couple of years, businesses are going to come and go, we have to find ways to get people to want to live in the city.
What do you believe is the greatest issue facing the city of Peru at this time and how do you plan to address it?
Continuing to progress while staying within our budget. As the city grows, the need for growth in the police and fire departments grows. We need to find ways to pay for those needs without raising any of the taxes of our constituents. We are very proud of the growth we have had over the last several years and still being able to balance the budget at the same time.
How would you address the need for affordable housing?
I would like to see the city find a partner that would like to do affordable single family dwellings. Whether that is condo type housing or something else. Single family residences like this have worked in other community’s like Ottawa and been very successful.
Constituents, city staff and elected officials often have differing opinions and political leanings. How would you balance your personal ideology if your constituency, staff and elected officials differ from your personal beliefs?
I’ll listen to what anyone has to say. I think the pool is a perfect example. I wasn’t afraid to tell people I was not in favor of it. But they had the opportunity to express their feelings through the vote. They did, now as an elected official it is my job to listen.
Should local law enforcement cooperate with ICE to identify and deport immigrants who do not have legal status to be in the United States?
I believe this is a Springfield issue. The way the law currently reads, law enforcement should not be intervening in these cases, without a warrant signed by a judge. I do not believe law enforcement should have to intervene on a detainer signed by a supervisor which is ICE current policy.
Disclaimer: I would like to add that these are my opinions and do not reflect the opinions of my employer or any discussions that have been had with my employer about immigration. I do not speak on behalf of the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office on these issues.
How do you intend to balance economic development with environmental sustainability in the community?
I think this is a balance that we entrust our economic development team to always review when they are looking to bring in new businesses to the city.
What are your plans for enhancing public transportation and infrastructure in the city?
The city engineers office has a multi year plan laying out the city infrastructure improvements and it seems to be working well as we continue to have several areas of the city get new roads and water and sewer separation every year. We also work with place like NCAT to assist financially so our residents have affordable public transportation when they need it.
What are your top public safety concerns for our community and how would you propose addressing them?
We need to expand our fire department. We continue to grow our city north yet sit with the same number of full time fireman we have had for years. We are working on changing that currently to try and get new people into the budget. The next key after that is getting them to stay.
How will you ensure that city policies promote inclusion for all residents?
We ran into this issue a few years ago. There was a complaint lodged with the city about one of the special event nights at the pistol shrimp game. My response then and will always be, this is a free event, and you can choose not to attend, but we will not be excluding people for any reason at any event for their race, sex, orientation, religion or anything else.
Do you support requiring government officials to publicly disclose potential conflicts of interest, and how would you enforce this?
Yes, we kind of already turn in a yearly form through the county clerks office a statement of economic interest that tells of any economic conflicts there may be.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
My phone number and email are listed in the city calendar and on the city website. I always try to respond in a timely manner but sometimes my fulltime job comes first and i my be a little slow to reply. I would continue this practice of making sure my contacts are posted.