:quality(70):focal(142x122:152x132)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/PJ22RLWVTZFWPKS4LXNXCJVW6A.jpg)
Name: Ryan Bongard
What office are you seeking? Alderperson / Ward 2 (St. Charles)
What is your political party? Non-Partisan Office
What is your current age? 43
Occupation and employer: Chief Executive Officer / Twelve21 LLC
- What offices, if any, have you previously held? Current Alderperson, Ward 2 (St. Charles, IL)
- Zoning Board of Appeals (St. Charles, IL)
City: St. Charles
Campaign Website: www.vote-ryan.com
Education:
- Bachelor of Arts, Concordia University
- Master of Science in Business Analytics, University of Notre Dame
- Executive Certificate in Leadership, University of Notre Dame
Community Involvement:
- St. Charles Knights Travel Baseball
- Storm (St. Charles) Basketball Program
- Tri-City Chargers Football Program
- St. John Neuman Parish
Marital status/Immediate family: Wife (Stefanie) and 4 Sons
Questions:
How important is sustainability/eco friendly energy? Major factors in decision to renew IMEA contract?
Ensuring sustainable, environmentally friendly energy is important for all of us. As the Chair of the Government Services committee, I have spent the past fourteen months working closely on this issue and I believe the city is still in the information gathering stage. Its crucial council, staff and residents take as much time as necessary before arriving at a decision. Understanding where our power is being generated from matters, projected expense to residents is our responsibility and ensuring absolute transparency are the three questions I want each Council member to confidently answer before deciding on St. Charles long-term energy supply.
Is keeping the dam important to you? Why?
Yes - keeping the dam is important to our community and I am on record that we should do everything we can to maintain it. So much of the history of St. Charles is rooted along the Fox River and our downtown footprint leverages the river in a number of ways. We need to continue to understand the long term implications removing the dam would have and exploring ways the city can ensure its future.
Are there any businesses you would not accept campaign donations from?
I am not accepting donations from businesses.
Should local law enforcement cooperate with ICE to identify and deport immigrants who do not have legal status to be in the United States?
Our local police department has a responsibility to enforce every law regardless if they personally agree or disagree with its origin or intent. Local law enforcement should continue to partner with County, State and Federal agencies on execution. We are a nation, state, city and community rooted in the “rule of law” and all must adhere to the same standards equally.
What are your top three priorities for our city, and how do you plan to address them?
- Debt Reduction - we must continue to reduce the city’s debt obligation. We will accomplish this by appropriately funding the projects we approve spending for and prioritizing what projects we can afford to invest in.
- IMEA Future - we will determine the best path forward to meeting the city of St. Charles energy needs by securing a provider who understands and can meet our energy mix expectations. Council will move forward on a decision that meets our own timeline.
- Diversify Commercial Development - our downtown district has a 95% occupancy rate and there is more new development on the east side of town than ever before. However we need to continue to expect City Staff to pursue future development throughout our city that compliments existing businesses and looks at each of the wards for potential investment.
How do you intend to balance economic development with environmental sustainability in the community?
Whenever a project or development is being considered, we need to continue to ask the following questions:
- what will the demands be on our existing utilities (water, roads, electric)
- how will this project impact our existing public safety departments
- how does this project compliment surrounding commercial and residential neighbors
If a project can answer each of these questions, it should be considered viable and continue through the vetting process for future consideration.
What are your plans for enhancing public transportation and infrastructure in the city?
I’m proud of City Council and Staff commitment to improving the state of our roads. For too long our roads were falling behind the recommended repair cycle and we have made great strides toward speeding up their repair. We need to take a similar approach to the city’s water infrastructure and lead pipe replacement program. These are important issues, which require a great deal of funding & planning, that the next Council must prioritize. In terms of public transportation, we need to continue to make St. Charles a safer place for people to walk, ride a bike and park a car. I’m proud of the work we’ve done these past four years towards making this community a more pedestrian friendly community which reduces transportation demands.
What role should the city council play in supporting local businesses and economic growth?
City Council is responsible for setting the vision for our community and giving City Staff the roadmap for where we want to go. Council needs to advocate for creative businesses that meet the needs of our residents, that enhance existing retailers and encourage visitors to come to St. Charles. In the coming year, Council needs to increase the specific types of development we hope to see to help City Staff execute on our vision.
What are your top public safety concerns for our community and how would you propose addressing them?
The number one issue facing Ward 2, in terms of public safety, is the increase in traffic throughout our neighborhoods. All of our residences are saying the same thing...there is too much speeding, people are cutting through our streets to reach RT64 or get downtown and its likely to continue with the new development on our east side. We need to work with both the Police Department and Public Works on new ideas (i.e. signage, street visuals, speed detection and social media reminders) to tackle this issue.
How will you ensure that city policies promote inclusion for all residents?
These past four years, Council & Staff consistently reviews our internal policies, procedures and communication methods to ensure we are reaching every resident and that everyone knows they have a voice in our community. Moving forward, I want to improve both the type of information we are sharing and the ways in which are getting this information out so we are talking about the things people want to hear more about. The more people engage, the more they feel they are included and we should always strive to be improve in this area.
Do you support requiring government officials to publicly disclose potential conflicts of interest, and how would you enforce this?
Absolutely. When someone runs for public office or serves in a government office, they have an obligation to disclose any and all potential conflicts of interest. I would ask the City Administrator and City Attorney to review our current process and ensure we are taking the appropriate steps for people to answer any conflict of interest question.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
Since I took office I began hosting quarterly “Connect with Council” sessions so residents had another way to connect with their local elected officials. The sessions have been very effective but I will continue to look for ways that we can increase participation. Secondly, I will work with my colleagues on Council regarding a possible newsletter and increasing social media following as well as improvements to our website. Lastly, I will continue to follow my 24hr policy of always calling + emailing residents back whenever they reach out to my office.