Emily Bastedo, Elmhurst Ward 6 Candidate

ELMHURST, IL — Emily Bastedo is one of four candidates for the Ward 6 seat on the Elmhurst City Council. Here are her responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Emily Bastedo

Age (as of Election Day)

42

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor of Arts from University of Notre Dame; JD from DePaul University College of Law

Occupation

I currently do Government Relations and Public Affairs for a non-profit tech association (2 years); Before that, I was a municipal finance attorney, an attorney for the State of Illinois, Chief of Staff to Illinois' First Lady, and Senior Advisor to the Illinois Governor.

Campaign website

www.EmilyForElmhurst.com. Facebook and Instagram handle: @EmilyForElmhurst

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Elmhurst D205 School Board Member, 2013-2017

The single most pressing issue facing our city, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Recovering from the pandemic and its lasting effects is our most pressing issue. The City must continue to support local businesses that are continually adjusting to challenges. Specifically, we should work to use whatever tools are available to help support Elmhurst businesses as they are the heart of what makes our community great. Some of our small businesses will never fully recover and it hurts to know that members of our community are suffering. That is why I will strongly represent the Sixth Ward business districts which include York/Butterfield and York/Vallette.
The pandemic has also affected the finances of our residents, so fiscal responsibility is key - it's important that the City not raise taxes unnecessarily. We have to figure out how to do more with less - delay nonessential projects and figure out what’s nice versus what’s necessary. We need leaders who are willing to make difficult decisions and who understand how those decisions impact the many different stakeholders within the broader Elmhurst Community. I know how to make tough decisions because I have leadership experience and have had to make those tough decisions in the past.
It’s never been more critical that we have experienced leaders with track records of getting things done. That is why I’m running to represent the Sixth Ward and all of Elmhurst. I have worked with the City and Schools in Elmhurst for years and have municipal finance expertise. I spend time with business owners and neighbors impacted by the pandemic. Only one Sixth Ward candidate has the knowledge, relationships, and experience to help Elmhurst be even better than we were pre- pandemic. I will help Elmhurst continue to be a safe, welcoming, growing, and thriving community.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

I absolutely believe that Black lives matter. All Americans, especially African Americans, have a right to be outraged when a Black person is unjustly killed by law enforcement. At the same time, I also support our law enforcement, a vast majority of whom go into public service to protect and defend. They put their lives on the line every day. Fortunately, Elmhurst was a place where support for both was recently on display. Elmhurst had several peaceful protests this past year supporting BLM and law enforcement. I supported the display of free speech and appreciated the way our local law enforcement and City also supported the community’s rights to peacefully protest.

There are several ways the City has taken the opportunity to continue this discussion. The City’s Public Affairs and Safety Committee has reviewed the City’s hiring practices and is also reviewing policies to make sure they meet the needs of a diverse population and reach a wide audience. It’s an effort to make sure services are delivered equitably. This work is ongoing and I hope to be a part of it. The City’s Commission on Youth does programming and uses their forum to address many racial justice issues.

Even our public library has joined the discussion by forming a Social Justice Learning group. Our award-winning library continues to serve our community well and has taken steps to make sure collections and programming are diverse.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

I think the events of 2020 in particular have opened up communication about racial equity, but we could always use more. As I mentioned above, the City’s Public Affairs and Safety Committee has reviewed the City’s hiring practices and is also reviewing policies to make sure they meet the needs of a diverse population and reach a wide audience. It’s an effort to make sure services are delivered equitably and I applaud the city’s efforts to date. I was also pleased to learn that Elmhurst police officers have completed extra training and receive high marks for training compared to other municipal police departments. Their extra training covered a wide variety of topics including cultural competency, non-violent interventions, and mental health. On September 29th City leadership held a police forum where they presented the following information: in almost 42,000 interactions with citizens, only 14 times was there a use of force. That means that 99.9% of the time our police were able to diffuse a situation without resorting to use of force. I also learned that there is a 4 tier review process for police reports when force is used. Of course, there is always more that can be done and I will look for opportunities to continue to address this issue.

What are your thoughts on the national and local coronavirus response? Do you favor measures such as limiting operation of non-essential businesses and restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a local mask mandate?

The City must do what it can to protect citizens while supporting businesses during a very difficult time. Yes, non-essential activities should be limited during a pandemic to help keep our most vulnerable residents protected. Yes, I support a local mask mandates in line with CDC recommendations. I was happy to see that our city worked with local businesses to create expanded outdoor dining space and enable us all to conduct business in the safest way possible. Our local banks also reached out to and assisted local businesses with PPP loans. As for the federal response, I think it could have been better coordinated. One positive is that the federal CARES Act provided $2.4 to the City of Elmhurst which helped fill some budget holes. I would encourage the IDPH and DuPage County health departments to continue to prioritize effective vaccine distribution as soon as possible. I know that evolving guidelines from all levels of government have been challenging for our residents and small business owners to manage.

What are your thoughts on the state and local coronavirus vaccine distribution, and how do you think local governments should work together to handle vaccine rollout?

This isn’t entirely a local question. It’s up to our state and county. The City of Elmhurst can help disseminate information, which they have done. If directed by the State to do so, the City should and will assist in the distribution of the vaccine. I would certainly support utilizing public spaces in Elmhurst to facilitate vaccine distribution for our residents.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Our experience. I have been actively working to make our City a better place to live for 13 years. That’s what separates us the most. I have worked with the City of Elmhurst on stormwater issues and helped negotiate a project that successfully affected 41 homes in the Sixth Ward. I have public finance experience which means I have worked with city budgets and I understand how TIFs impact the City’s ability to make financial decisions. I also bring knowledge of our community from my time on the school board and from working closely with local businesses during the pandemic. When 2020 presented unprecedented challenges to our community, I jumped in. I am extremely proud that I helped local families struggling with food insecurity while simultaneously supporting local Elmhurst restaurants. I allocated $10,000 donated by generous citizens to the Elmhurst Community Response Fund to purchase meals from Riley’s, HB Jones, Nu Crepes, Elmhurst Brewing Company, Courageous Bakery, Guac N Tacos, Rainbow Cafe, and other local restaurants to feed our community’s neediest families. I arranged for their delivery to a local school and organized volunteers to distribute the meals. That work continues and I have formed an official grassroots entity with another Elmhurst community member called We Pop Up. Essentially, We Pop Up goes where the community needs us to be. We deliver food, clothing, and furniture to area families in need. Independently of that, I organized two mobile food pantries where over 400 boxes of food were distributed from the Churchville parking lot. I have a track record of bringing my professional experience to the table, rolling up my sleeves and getting important work done in Elmhurst.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I have valuable leadership experience, I have been very involved in the community for 13 years, and I am fiscally responsible. I plan to use my municipal finance knowledge and my cross-taxing body experience that I gained from 4 years on the school board to benefit taxpayers. I’ve held office in Elmhurst before, where I successfully saved taxpayers $11 million through debt restructuring and collaborated with the City to complete a stormwater project that helped Sixth Ward residents. When the City and Schools work together, or fail to work together, we are all affected. I think city officials will agree that when I was on the school board I worked hard to compromise and collaborate in a way that benefited Elmhurst. It’s also important to me that Sixth Ward voters know about my leadership experience and community involvement. Both will make me a good alderman and will help me make the Elmhurst we love even better.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As mentioned above, I spearheaded Elmhurst stormwater projects from the school district side and worked to find a compromise between the City and Schools. Projects I worked on affected 41 homes in the Sixth Ward. I have served 4 years on the school board where I was a member of the finance committee that realized $11 million in savings for Elmhurst taxpayers through debt restructuring. I also worked for the State of Illinois for 4 years where I gained valuable leadership and government experience that will benefit Elmhurst.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

I would consider my term a success if the stormwater projects that the City started (in order to provide 100-year level protection to houses in Elmhurst) are completed on time and on budget. Many homes in the Sixth Ward will benefit from those projects. While stormwater projects are a top priority, I also want to make sure our City is safe and that our tax dollars are working for us. Maintaining or improving city services at the same or better cost for our residents would also be a great success. I want to support local businesses and community development. A place where there is room for improvement is the intergovernmental relationship with the school district. Improving that relationship is important to me and I think I began that work while on the school board.

Why should voters trust you?

Sixth Ward residents should trust me because I am an active, involved member in our community and they have seen me serve our city effectively as a school board member. I have lived in the Sixth Ward for 13 years and been active at Visitation, Jackson, and Bryan. I was elected to the school board in 2013 where I worked for 4 years to make our great schools even better. Then in 2018, I organized a community effort to replace old schools and increase security at every building. During that time I spent months knocking on doors and presenting all over town to make sure our community had the information it needed to make decisions about the projects. I was recognized for my community involvement in Elmhurst when I was nominated for and received the State’s Those Who Excel Award in the category “Community Volunteer.” During the pandemic I partnered with the 205 Foundation to direct over $10,000 in community donations to local businesses.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the use of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

Elected officials are entrusted with taxpayer dollars and must be good stewards. As I mentioned above, I want to make sure our tax dollars and our City are working for us. Maintaining or improving city services at the same or better cost for our residents is important, especially during financially challenging years. As a former municipal finance attorney and school finance committee member, I have the experience and knowledge to manage taxpayer money responsibly. While on the school finance committee I saved Elmhurst taxpayers $11 million through debt restructuring. The community effort I led to get voter approval for safety improvements at schools was structured in a way that taxpayer dollars would be stretched as far as they could go. The City has always followed the actuarial calculations to properly fund pensions and I intend to support that fiscally responsible practice.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No

The best advice ever shared with me was:

I am very close to my 85 year old dad and he is always a source of good advice. The first thing that comes to my mind is something he told me over and over as a child and young adult: to those that much is given, much is expected.
More recently I heard something that resonated with me: God does not call us to save the world. He calls us to do our part.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

If you are a Sixth Ward resident or business owner, please visit my website to get in touch with me directly! I would love to hear from you. EmilyForElmhurst.com
I am an active Visitation parishioner and my husband Brian and I have two middle school boys. Charlie is an 8th grader at Visitation School and Elliott is a 6th grader at Bryan Middle School.