Name: Dustin Good
Position for which you are a candidate: Elgin City Council
Why are you seeking this position?
After this unprecedented year we are going to need leaders who not only know the ins & outs of Elgin, and how to grow our tax base, but we are going to need people who are experts in empathy and compassion. In the last year, my wife and I lost three jobs over the course of one weekend. I unfortunately came face to face with COVID-19 last June and have yet to fully recover. I know firsthand the struggles of working class and immigrant families, I know the frustration of delaying education due to the skyrocketing cost of tuition, I know what it’s like to view homeownership as a distant reality, I know what it’s like to take time off work so I can attend public meetings, and I know the current way of doing things is clearly flawed.
For too long our government has been viewed as inaccessible, or worse, a barrier. Our institutions should help us through struggle, not add to it. I intend to change this, however I need your help to ensure this goal becomes a lasting reality here in Elgin. We need leaders who understand what building for the next generation means. We need leaders who understand that attracting high quality partnerships and investments means building modern infrastructure alongside climate and equity goals. Growth for the sake of growth is no longer a viable plan. We need smart growth which benefits all of our community. Ultimately I want to help build a more resilient Elgin for your family and mine.
What experience and background do you have which qualifies you for this position?
Since 2011 I have been active in the Elgin Community. Starting with my time at ECC where I became a member of the Student orientation team, meeting thousands of students and helping them get acclimated to our campus. Some of my proudest moments include being elected Student Trustee, fighting for students’ access to scholarship funds, and starting the Student Organization of Sustainability. These experiences ultimately gave me the confidence to apply for our Strategic Plan Advisory Committee.
From 2012-2017 I served with some of our brightest residents to review, inform, and communicate the strategic goals of our city. Throughout this time I saw the impact of our Great Recession in real time, I witnessed problems caused by Illinois’s budget impasse, and I met department heads, staff members, residents, and other Elgin stakeholders who show up everyday to get the work done. After my time on SPAC I became a board member with the Downtown Neighborhood Association.
In this role I took a leadership position on the Farmer’s Market committee where we moved the market from Thursday morning to Friday evening, allowing working class residents a chance to visit. I’m proud to say our market continues to grow financially and we consistently bring 1,000 much needed people downtown every Friday evening. I also serve on our new EPD community advisory board, and work with local advocates who believe in bringing a housing first model to Elgin.
What will be your highest priorities if elected?
Over the course of these next four years we will be faced with difficult decisions and I want to ensure residents are meaningfully involved in these choices. Whether directly or indirectly through their elected officials, I believe we need higher levels of trust in each other, and our city leadership if we are to respond efficiently to the various crises facing our residents. My main objective is to grow trust by re-imagining community engagement and helping as many residents as possible connect with each other over shared community projects. Residents who connect, end up caring about each other. Residents who care, are invested in their neighborhoods, strengthening the bedrock of our community. To grow back stronger, we need to empower residents, we need to constantly convene, and we need to build with them, not for them.
We also need a robust economic development plan to capitalize on the shifting trends in our workforce, which means investing in our digital infrastructure. Elgin needs to ensure our residents have access to affordable high speed internet connections. This pandemic has shown our digital infrastructure is a utility and should be treated as such. There is no way to secure a future of sustained prosperity without stable access to virtual learning, remote working, and telemedicine. We also need to ensure people have access to housing which is why I continue advocating for a housing first initiative in Elgin. We are only as strong as our most vulnerable.
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