William J. Ferguson, Joliet City Council, District 4 election questionnaire

Full Name: William Ferguson

What office are you seeking? District 4 City Council

What is your political party? non-partisan election

What is your current age? 67

Occupation and Employer: Certified Medicolegal Death Investigator, Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office (retiring this year!)

What offices, if any, have you previously held? I have not previously been elected to any office. After serving as a volunteer for the Will County Emergency Management Agency (and its’ predecessor, the Will County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency) for 17 years, I was appointed the full-time Director and served under two different Will County Executives.

City: born and raised one block from where I currently live in Joliet

Campaign Website: www.facebook.com/Ferguson4Joliet

Education: A.A. Mortuary Administration, Worsham College - 1974

A.A. Law Enforcement, Joliet Junior College - 1983

A.A. Arts & Science, Joliet Junior College - 1984

Community involvement: I’ve been a member of the Joliet Exchange Club for 27 years. Our Vision: A strong America, safe communities, and unified people. Our Mission: Exchange, inspiring communities to become better places to live. Locally we support efforts to prevent child abuse, and support American ideals. If you ever attended July 4th fireworks at Joliet Memorial Stadium and received an American flag, that was the Exchange Club. Police Officer and Firefighter of the Year Awards? That’s also Exchange.

Also, I’ve volunteered for every Light Up The Holidays Parade in downtown Joliet.

Marital status/Immediate family: daughter, Rachel

Why are you running for office?

As a lifelong Joliet resident I’ve always cared about my community and now have the opportunity to give back in a meaningful way. I believe that the quality of life in District 4 has declined in recent years due to a decrease in public safety, a decrease in truck traffic safety, and a decrease in opportunities for good jobs. While other areas of Joliet have prospered, District 4 has suffered from a lack of attention. I want to work with the City Council to encourage the development of business, from small mom-and-pops to high tech industries that will bring living wage careers to Joliet. Development will allow the city to update aging infrastructure so that people can again be proud to call Joliet home.

What makes you qualified for the office you’re seeking?

I’ve worked in several different levels of government which allowed me to gain insight into how the wheels turn, and how to work collectively to accomplish goals. As Director of the Will County Emergency Management Agency, I learned the importance of planning for routine and emergency events, and that being available is one of the most important elements to success. As a member of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force and Co-Chair of the Emergency Management Work Group I participated in and developed programs that benefited diverse communities across the entire State of Illinois.

I’m a firm believer in balanced budgets and responsible spending, which would benefit the citizens of Joliet now and into the future.

What is your position on the Illinois weapons ban that took effect in January 2023?

I believe that law abiding citizens have the right to own weapons for protection and hunting. While the new law is currently under consideration in the courts I encourage everyone to follow the decided law, not what they think the law should be.

Is crime a problem in your community and, if so, what would you do to curb it?

Even with Joliet’s ranking as the 8th safest cities in America every one of our neighborhoods has experienced crime. Bringing the police closer to our community through the N.O.P.T. (Neighborhood Oriented Policing Team ) program would let citizens know the police that patrol their neighborhoods and provide a sense of community so that when they “see something, say something.” We need more N.O.P.T officers. Additionally, I believe that the police department’s Traffic Unit should be supplemented with additional members to monitor truck traffic to keep semi-tractor trucks out of neighborhoods they have no good reason to be driving through. Providing good jobs for all of our citizens by promoting business development is another way to help curb crime.

What is your assessment of how the COVID-19 pandemic was handled locally?

Unfortunately, politics devastatingly entered our public health system at all levels of government and the repercussions are still being felt today. Fortunately, Will County has an excellent public health department that serves all local municipalities. At the beginning of the pandemic, the local response was bumpy at best. But it was the same nationwide due to COVID being new and so virulent. Will County first responders, public health personnel, medical community, and government leaders responded accordingly with the best information and resources that they were provided early on. As time progressed, the response progressed to a smooth and seamless operation as did the flow of information and resources. The Joliet Fire Department and many other first responder, emergency, and medical personnel agencies worked together and did a first-rate job of making sure our residents had access to vaccines as supplies became available. They also created an excellent flow of information to keep our residents continually informed. The information provided allowed each resident the resources needed to voluntarily determine the course of intervention that they felt best suited their needs. It has been three years since the pandemic was officially declared and since then, Will County has proudly administered 1,371,571 vaccines to our residents with 73.10% receiving at least one dose and 67.59% being fully vaccinated. Those are good numbers! With over 50,000 new Covid-19 cases every day we still need to be vigilant.

What did you learn from the pandemic?

The pandemic taught us that information, communication, and cooperation, along with planning, are the important elements in working through problems. This is applicable in business as well as in governmental operations. And even though there were some initial missteps, relying on the experts to communicate the results of the scientific research and the knowledge attained is invaluable for the public and government officials to assist in making the necessary decisions for the appropriate response to the situation.

How would you spur economic development in your community?

Joliet District 4 includes the North third of the downtown area in addition to all the former steel works and oldJoliet prison sites, all of which are being redeveloped or have plans for redevelopment being proposed. The city recently announced that a new recycling facility is planned for the old U.S. Steel site, but there are dozens of acres of land on both sides of the river North of the downtown area which can still be part of a master development plan that has yet to be created, but needs to be created, for the next 100 years. I want to make sure this land is used for the best and highest use for creating businesses and living wage jobs that will actively solicit, recruit and hire Joliet residents.

For any development that occurs in Joliet, a key issue for me is that the use of economic incentives for economic growth be collateralized and tied to performance. If we build infrastructure for a specific company or development, they need to meet specific job creation goals, wage and benefit goals, and tax revenue generating goals or else they need to reimburse the taxpayers of the City of Joliet for the money we laid out to help them succeed. Banks require guarantees and collateral as a normal business practice and so should taxpayers. These new requirements would prevent the current trend of the recent past where projects our government and tax dollars helped has created too many low-wage warehouse jobs and put a strain on the existing roadways and traffic safety.

Finally, and not the least important, is the potential gem running through the heart of Joliet. Other than Bicentennial Park, the riverfront has been ignored for its’ potential uses, including recreational use for our citizens as well as our regional neighbors.

Would/can/should local governments do anything to help reduce the tax burden on residents?

Significant economic growth could certainly reduce the probability for a need for future tax increases and could potentially spur a reduction in property taxes. For example, when riverboat gaming came to town the vehicle registration sticker tax was eliminated. Potentially, new development could reduce gasoline, sales, or even property taxes but I am not in favor of any increase in any taxes.

Do you support recreational marijuana being sold in your community to help lower residents’ tax burden?

Medicinal and recreational marijuana sales, like liquor sales and gaming, are the law of the land and here to stay for the foreseeable future. It’s governments responsibility to manage the sales process to the extent possible so that negative impacts to the community are minimized or eliminated. The cost of those impacts should not become a burden on our citizens and should be covered by an appropriate user tax.

What projects or infrastructure would you look to address in your community and how would you do it?

With the upgrade of the old water mains, which are mostly in the older neighborhoods like those found in District 4, the street patching being done after the upgrade will most likely require repaving of the streets. Lighting is a recognized deterrent to crime so I would work to make sure that adequate lighting is provided and maintained in those areas that may currently lack this basic element. The city budget appropriates funds for infrastructure improvements, so it becomes a matter of allocating funds through the established budgeting process. Broken sidewalks can be a real hazard and must attended to as soon as possible. Those are basic issues that don’t begin to scratch the surface of starting to improve our older neighborhoods. Promoting economic development is the linchpin to improving our community.

Will you accept the voters’ decision in your race on Election Day?

I absolutely will accept the certified election results.

What is your position on open, transparent government?

I am in favor of an open, transparent government that helps to empower the citizens to make informed decisions and to better engage with government for the decisions that affect their day-to-day lives.

Do you support the Freedom of Information Act and citizens’ ability to freely access government records?

I certainly do support FOIA. There are times, such as in criminal investigations and in regard to the bidding and letting of contracts, that delays in the release of information are necessary to ensure the integrity of the process, and I stand with those delays until it’s appropriate to release the requested information.

Would you sign a nondisclosure agreement with a prospective company that would limit your ability to communicate with your community?

I absolutely would not sign a nondisclosure agreement when elected to the Joliet City Council.