Diana Alfaro: 2023 candidate for Elgin City Council

Bio

Town where you live: Elgin

Age on Election Day: 38

Occupation: Latinx Business Development Manager

Previous offices held: None

Q&A

Q: What is the most serious issue your community will face in the coming years and how should the city council respond to it?

A: Elgin's economic strength is an issue that the city council will face in the coming years. The Federal Reserve has a target of 2% inflation. Yet, inflation is at 6.5%. We are all feeling the effects of inflation from the gas station to the grocery store to getting materials/supplies, etc. This is dramatically affecting people's economic livelihoods. Businesses are having difficulty finding staff, inventory costs are going up, and people are re-evaluating what they can afford and where to spend money. Elgin needs to invest more resources to ensure the economy continues to grow and stay strong.

Here are three strategies: 1.) Work with community partners to create joint awareness campaigns on available programs; 2.) Work on strengthening the business ecosystem to assist in retaining, attracting, and creating businesses; and 3.) Work on lessening the retail sales loss. Elgin Development Group 2021 Retail Market Analysis stated about $240 million is spent by Elgin residents outside of Elgin.

Q: How would you describe the state of your community's finances?

A: Elgin maintains a strong budget and follows key financial processes. Elgin has a very high bond rating, depending on the bond rating agency, it ranges from AA to AAA, which are the top two scores. Elgin has a tight budget in which there isn't much unnecessary expenses. Elgin has a reserved fund which is important for a strong city economy.

On city council, I would work with fellow council members, mayor and city staff to continue limiting unnecessary expenses and keeping all our taxes low including utility, sale, and property. We have to consider how to offer key services in the city, while staying within budget and limiting the tax burden on residents.

Q: What should be the three top priorities for spending in your community during the next four years?

A: Economic Development: A strong economy leads to more resources and a prosperous community. Investing in downtown Elgin along with the east and west sides of Elgin will be critical, all with community input and participation.

Infrastructure: A serious priority that needs more investment. Lead is a problem affecting our community and we need to continue tackling it. We need to tackle other physical infrastructure to ensure we are maintaining everything properly. We need to work on city government organizational infrastructure to ensure we have the proper staffing, etc.

Inclusive Community Engagement: Feeling a sense of belonging is important to increase community morale. Having people increase their time they spend in Elgin versus going to adjunct communities assists in fostering a stronger pride in Elgin. We need to work on increasing accessibility, equity, and community participation. Fostering bridges between different neighborhoods in Elgin to increase more synergy.

Q: Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed? If so, what are they?

A: Elgin has a strong budget where there isn't much unnecessary expenses. The one item I would defer is the $400,000 skate park. I would defer that expense at the moment because the Parks & Recreational Board is conducting a master plan that would share more information on the need for an additional skate park. Elgin already has skate parks or trails. If an additional skate park is needed, then we would have to look into what area, how would it draw those who skate to the park and how can we engage other Elgin residents to the skate park?

In addition, how can the space be utilized in the winter, if possible, with innovative ideas to maximize the use of the space? At this time, given there are areas to skate and the Parks and Recreation Board is conducting their master plan, I would defer the $400,000 skate park.

Q: What do you see as the most important infrastructure project the community must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what project(s) can be put on the back burner?

A: The most important infrastructure project the community must address is one it is currently working on and that is lead service line replacement. According to the lead service line replacement interactive dashboard, there are 11,000 service lines that are lead based and about 1,600 service lines that are unknown.

Clean water is a human right. Everyone, regardless of their neighborhood in Elgin, should have access to clean and safe water. This is essential for the livelihood of the community. The city, as it has, should continue seeking funds via grants and other avenues. As mentioned in an earlier item, the additional skate park in the budget can be deferred until the Parks and Recreation Board complete their master plan. The master plan would provide more information if an additional skate park is needed or not.

Q: Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach agreement and manage local government? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your city council.

A: My style is to dive into research, hear all stakeholders involved, and receive as much feedback as possible from those the policy will affect directly. It is important to me to see if similar policies being discussed were implemented elsewhere and if so, what was the impact there on those affected.

I want to understand what we can learn from similar policies implemented elsewhere. I pride myself in seeking feedback from others. I want to hear and listen to all stakeholders on the issues within the policy that is important to them, to understand what is utmost important to them. I work with all applicable stakeholders to ensure they are informed in a timely manner and address any questions they may have regarding the development of the policy.

I know these experiences will assist me on city council to ensure community voices are heard and policies reflect the roots of what people want.

Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?

A: I am a proven bilingual/bicultural professional with an immense wealth of experiences. In higher education, I worked primarily in federal regulatory compliance which gave me an understanding of how to implement federal guidelines and regulations all at the same time balancing various stakeholders interests. I work in government serving as the state's liaison for Latino/a/x and Hispanic owned businesses. I've been able to strengthen the business ecosystem by creating a collective model that strengthens the business support for Latino/a/x owned businesses.

The model has been replicated to support the Black and women business communities. Expanded outreach to Arab/Middle Eastern North African, Native American, and LGBTQIA+ owned businesses. I am known to seek feedback from those I am serving to ensure I am serving them well. I've been able to make positive contributions at the state level and I am looking forward to using what I have learned to serve Elgin more directly.

Q: What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?

A: The pandemic dramatically changed the economic landscape forever. It is important to examine Elgin's economic development to continue growing a strong economy. I am suggesting the city create a pilot City Economic Development Advisory Group. The group will focus on ALL of Elgin. It would consist of, but not limited to: business owners and leaders, workforce leaders, representatives of the arts, freelancers, community leaders including nonprofit, representative from Planning and Zoning Commission, and city staff.

The purpose of the pilot is to provide: recommendations to city programs, policies, and ordinances; recommendations on how to further increase Elgin residents and surrounding areas spending in Elgin; work on avenues to further engage the community to increase their input and participation; and identify possible economic development issues. After evaluating the success of the pilot group, then it would be determined if it should continue.