Christopher Faber

On the Record

What experiences do you have that make you a good candidate for office?

I’ve been involved in North Aurora for the past seven years, serving three years on the Plan Commission and the past four years on the Village Board. It takes some time to learn the ropes and I’ve got that learning curve under my belt. My 12 years of business experience mean that I know how to create a budget and stay within it and I think that my strategic planning skills are an asset to the Village.

What are your top three priorities if elected?

1. Economic Development. This may sound like a broken record in North Aurora, but Economic Development is still a very important issue in our village. Our Rt. 31 corridor is one of the most visible parts of our community, and we need to continue to work to improve it. Burying the power lines along Rt. 31 is important. That process is long and expensive, but we can get there by continuing to work together with the business owners, utility companies, and our state legislators. 2. Job creation, bringing new businesses to North Aurora. We have some great industrial real estate available in our village. Our geographic location and I-88 access makes North Aurora an attractive location to many types of business. The effect of bringing in a major employer and creating a large number of jobs will be felt throughout the community, from housing to restaurants and retail. 3. Taxes. I’m proud of the way North Aurora has handled the economic downturn. We’ve called upon our excellent staff to push their capabilities to the fullest extent, as we’ve tried to run as lean as possible to keep costs down. As economic conditions improve, we need to continue to provide the services that we are responsible for in the most efficient way possible. We have to continue to fund our road program, plan for future increased water demand and continue our expensive battle with the Emerald Ash Borer.

Would you support freezing your taxing district’s levy until housing prices rebound? Why or why not?

You can’t freeze the tax levy. We are not a Home Rule community, if we don’t take our full tax levy, we don’t ever get it back. This is the way it works in Illinois, and for that reason, we can’t stop the levy. The funds from that levy are used to keep North Aurora running, and losing it forever could cause us to have to make serious cuts to the services we provide.

What one decision by the village board do you most disagree with and why?

I’ve certainly voted against a number of issues in the past four years. A big concern for me is the way we develop. We all want to see more rooftops and more businesses in town, but that doesn’t mean we should give every developer whatever they ask for. We have an obligation to the businesses and over 16,000 residents who are currently here to maintain the community standards that they’re accustomed to. You do have to get more creative in bad economic times, but the decisions we make are going to impact the village for many years and we have to remember that and think long term when we\\\'re dealing with potential developers.

What was the biggest accomplishment of the board in the past year?

It’s been a year or significant changes. We completed some much needed road and water projects on the East side of town that will be a big benefit to residents. We completed a remodel of Village Hall that allows our staff to work much more efficiently and comfortably. The building hadn’t been updated since the 70’s, some major changes to the HVAC system were necessary, and half of the building was set up as a police department. The former police area wasn’t really useable for any village functions under the previous layout, so the renovation now allows us to fully utilize all of our square feet, rather than having half of the building untouched. We also had a couple of significant staffing changes. We have a new Economic Development Director, who will be a big asset as the economy improves and development picks back up, and we are also beginning the search for a new Village Administrator.

Why should voters elect you to office?

I think my experience and past involvement in North Aurora is a big asset. I also believe my financial and business background and budget experience are a valuable contribution.