Name: Dustin Good
POSITION FOR WHICH YOU ARE A CANDIDATE:
Elgin City Council
Why are you seeking this position?
Over the last decade I have spent my time serving Elgin in a variety of roles which have equipped me with the tools and experiences needed to continue serving our City. It is my opinion our city is best served by people who are already up to speed with the various issues facing Elgin. As someone who; helped craft the strategic plan, advised the 2017 citizen survey process, lives downtown, works downtown, serves as downtown neighborhood association board member, and already has a collaborative relationship with city staff and council I believe I offer a unique set of attributes well suited for furthering the growth of Elgin. Lastly I don’t see enough young people running for office and I want to be the change I wish to see in the world.
What experience and background do you have which qualifies you for this position?
I served on Elgin’s strategic plan advisory commission from 2012 to 2017 and currently sit as a board member with the revamped Downtown Neighborhood Association. Within the DNA I serve on our farmer market sub-committee and I’m very proud to be part of the team which shifted market times affording working people the opportunity to attend. I’m also a K-12 U-46 graduate and was elected Student Trustee while attending Elgin Community College. During my time as Trustee I focused on policy which sought to reduce campus energy consumption across the state, I fought to open our merit based scholarships to all students, and I became a founding member of our student group which focused on many similar issues laid out in the Green New Deal.
What will be your greatest challenge if elected?
The greatest challenge to any council person in Elgin is actually representing our City. Did you know our elected city council is at-large? This means each representative is responsible for representing all 38 square miles of our city. That also means we could have nine people from the same apartment building as our entire city council. Furthermore our elected leadership is part-time. What this all adds up to is historically underrepresented groups and neighborhoods. I believe it’s time we start the discussion around moving towards full-time representation and / or transitioning to a ward system of representation. Full-time representation leads to more accountability and a larger pool of talent for Elgin voters to select from.
Will you attend the March 9th Elgin Candidate Forum? Yes, I will attend the forum
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