SAFETY FIRST

My top priority is safety.  I will continue working with our police and fire departments, parks and schools to ensure excellence and a safe environment for our families to live and grow.  We will proactively seek out and employ safety preventative measures.

911 Call Center

 Consolidate our 911 center with other Lake County entities. This will eliminate the transfer of emergency calls and shorten the time in which a call is received by the correct agency that will provide the emergency services.  We will work to see this open in 2025.

Police & Fire Departments

Continue to increase our number of police officers and firefighters/paramedics. Add more equipment to handle the increasing number of calls being received.   Add additional safety measures and equipment.

Focus on employee wellness that allows the employees to be at their very best when they are responding to resident needs.

DECISIVE, RESPONSIVE LEADERSHIP THAT LISTENS TO AND COMMUNICATES WITH RESIDENTS

As Mayor I have been committed to serving all the residents of Gurnee, listening to their needs and concerns, and responding to them while working with the Village Board, Village Staff and other leaders of our community so that together we can build a strong, safe Gurnee.  I will continue with “From the Mayor’s Desk,” Keeping Posted, and Meet the Mayor opportunities to promote transparency and to keep residents updated on what’s happening in the Village and respond to their concerns.  I plan to add more opportunities for residents to contribute to the Village with their ideas and talents.

A NEW ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT

• Focus on developing the 44 prime acres immediately adjacent to Six Flags to the south. Our goal is to assist the owner in developing this property into an entertainment and residential use that all Gurnee residents will enjoy.

• Continue to develop Gurnee’s business and entertainment mix by attracting more first-class entertainment venues to the Village, enhancing Gurnee’s strong entertainment presence in Norther Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. I will work with our Economic Development Director and third parties retained by the Village to make Gurnee a leading shopping and entertainment destination.

EAST SIDE DEVELOPMENT

Gurnee Arts District: I will work to transform the East Side of Gurnee into the Gurnee Arts District.  A special emphasis will be on attracting music, dance, theater, art galleries and classes to further budding artists and continue to attract and enhance the business mix on the East side.

• Continued investment in the curb appeal of the East Side Grand Avenue corridor to include landscaping, enforcing Village codes and investing in businesses through capital grants.

• Continued safety improvements on the East Side with additional flock cameras, digital speed signs and police patrols.

ENVIRONMENTALLY PROACTIVE

As Mayor I will continue to be proactive in environmental responsibility to plan for and monitor issues that affect the health and safety of our residents and their families. We have made considerable progress with ETO, recycling and Green sustainability initiatives but there is always more to be done.  We want to leave a clean, environmentally responsible Gurnee for generations to come.

• Support legislation in the Illinois House to require fence line monitoring around non-sterilizing ETO facilities.

• Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC) — grow into new areas including the education of residents/students about environmental issues facing all of us and what we can do to make our environment better.

• Continue my work on the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency and the Stormwater management commission to ensure the integrity of our water supply.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY WITH NO VILLAGE PROPERTY TAX

I am committed to strong financial responsibility in spending our resident’s tax dollars and NO VILLAGE PROPERTY TAXES, providing the very best services to our residents and planning for our future to leave a strong and prosperous Gurnee for generations to come

BUSINESS & ECONOMIC GROWTH AND PLANNING

I will continue to aggressively cultivate new business opportunities and encourage their investment in the Village of Gurnee and continue to invest in existing businesses to assist them in being more profitable.  I will be proactive in cultivating a good business mix that maximizes its contribution to Gurnee’s economy and the welfare of our residents without overly taxing the Village infrastructure or negatively affecting Gurnee’s family oriented values and environment.

• Proactively pursue businesses that we want to see locate in the Village of Gurnee.

• Continued transparency with residents about upcoming proposed developments

IT TAKES A VILLAGE–RESIDENT INVOLVEMENT IN NEW VILLAGE COMMISSIONS AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

Gurnee’s strength comes from its people—residents, business and organizations—who care deeply out our community and its future. Working together and fostering connections within our Village, we will all make Gurnee an even better place to live, work and play and write the next chapter of our story.

• Form a Village Commission to assist those in need in the Village of Gurnee and work with other agencies, churches and groups that provide food, clothing, housing and the like to help those in need.

• Form a Village Arts Commission to focus on the furtherance of the arts across all of Gurnee.

• Conduct a new resident survey to better understand your needs and priorities.

CONTRIBUTE TO GURNEE, A BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE

Working together, we will improve our “curb appeal” as a Village and contribute to the beauty of Gurnee.

• Use of capital grants to improve business facades.
• Continued landscape assistance where needed
• Add one code enforcement officer to encourage residents and businesses to care for their properties.
• Increase the number of holiday lights and decorations throughout our business district.