Darien Leaders List Pros, Cons Of City

DARIEN, IL – Darien officials identified the city's strengths and weaknesses as part of a consultant's development of a long-term plan for the community.

The report on the consultant's interviews with city leaders and key staff was released late last week.

In the interviews, officials viewed Darien's strengths as having a low crime rate and sense of safety, being a great place to raise a family, and being a well-run community.

They considered the drawbacks as the lack of a downtown or centralized gathering place, "tired" strip malls, lack of amenities for families, and lack of land to develop and broaden the tax base.

What they perceive as threats are naysayers with not-in-my-backyard sentiments, distrust of the state and federal governments bleeding down to the local level, a misunderstanding and frustration with property taxes, and the lack of a succession plan for city employees.

The city officials taking part included City Administrator Bryon Vana, Municipal Services Director Dan Gombac, Police Chief Greg Thomas, Treasurer Michael Coren, city building employee Mary Belmonte, Mayor Joseph Marchese and all seven aldermen.

The report included a list of specific weaknesses. They were not attributed to the views of any particular officials.

One of the identified weaknesses was that the number of local school districts "challenges a sense of community cohesion." Some districts are more costly than others, with their curriculum offerings differing, the report said.

Five school systems – three elementary districts and two high school districts – cover parts of Darien. Talk of merging districts surfaced a couple of years ago when Center Cass School District 66 asked voters for a steep tax hike.

Another listed weakness involved the local park district, with officials believing it suffered from a lack of amenities and facilities in "poor shape."

Officials also pointed to the situation between Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central high schools. South residents have noted their high school offers a smaller selection of courses.

The officials said Darien was vulnerable to sales tax fluctuations. If Walmart or Home Depot left, that would mean a "precarious" financial situation for Darien.

Other concerns include "negative social media chatter," the possible knowledge loss when key city employees retire, and the lack of restaurants, a local newspaper and walkability in town.

The city-hired consultant is GovHR USA/MGT.