Peter Ahern, Elmhurst Ward 6 candidate

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

Peter Ahern

Age (as of Election Day)

45

Education

Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University

Occupation

Police Officer - 17 Years

Campaign website

peterwahern.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Police Pension Board

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

The single most pressing issue facing our City Council is the Covid-19 Pandemic, especially with regards to the many lives lost and attempting to protect the residents of Elmhurst. The City Council faces the great challenge of balancing the physical health and wellness of its residents with the damage also done to the economy, education system, and all its resident's mental and emotional health. I foresee this as a long uphill battle that certainly will not be easy. I would be in full support of measures and policies that would help protect those residents who are considered high risk while keeping our schools and businesses open. I believe this can be accomplished and needs to be accomplished in order for this city to continue to thrive. I would be in support of measures that would allow businesses and schools to upgrade their buildings in order to prevent or reduce the spread of the virus including new air ventilation systems, plastic barriers, and any other supplies or equipment that would help such as masks, hand sanitizers, and thermometers. I think an emphasis should be made on protecting those who are high risk such as those in nursing homes, the elderly, and anyone with a high risk medical condition. This can be achieved by focusing on protecting their homes from people that may be likely to bring the virus home to them and by providing support to those families with a high risk individual living with them. There are many options that can be used to protect people from this virus and the development of these new vaccines should make the options even easier to implement.

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 support anyone who opposes racism and police brutality. There is no place for anyone in law enforcement who is racist or prefers to exert excessive and unjustified force on any of the people they are sworn to protect. Any officer who abuses his or her power through physical abuse or excessive force should receive the proper consequences whether it is losing their job or criminal prosecution. I think what happened to George Floyd was simply awful and was probably the most disgraceful and atrocious thing that has been committed by a police officer during my lifetime. I fully support anyone who wishes to protest the deaths of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake, and fully support everyone's right to do so in any instance. Discrimination and racism have been a terrible problem in our country and it is a part our country's history that I am ashamed of. I do think there have been improvements since the Civil Rights Act was put in place, but there is still much more to improve on, and I do feel hope when I think that one day all of the people of this country will judge others based on the quality their character rather than their skin color.

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 believe the current board has done a good job of supporting racial equality. I always think more can be done by reaching out to minority residents in Elmhurst and the surrounding towns to encourage participation in part of our government or city functions. I would also encourage our City Council to invite our neighbors in the surrounding towns to any of the events we have in our city and also to coordinate new events with these towns to build better relationships and show more support for racial equality as many of these towns are more diverse than Elmhurst.

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?

I believe that the national and local coronavirus response has been as good as what can be expected considering the fact they have been dealing with a new virus and are still learning about how it works, how it spreads, and what can be done to stop the spread of it. At this point I am in favor of opening everything up, but focusing our efforts to protect those who are most vulnerable. I do favor people wearing masks and continuing to social distance. I do not favor any mask mandate that would require people wearing masks everywhere they go, but I would still be in favor of either a mask mandate for businesses, schools, or any indoor public place, or leaving it up to that business to decide whether they want to continue their mask mandate or not. I think the government can certainly do more to protect the vulnerable since there are plenty of services that they can utilize in this age of new technology from online ordering to home delivery of groceries, and by encouraging other family members from visiting them without either being tested or vaccinated first. For those who have high risk family members living with them then priorities should be made to help them either by supporting their decision not to send their children to in-person schooling and allowing some form of e-learning to continue to be an option. I also believe we can help them by providing government assistance and support to those who live with high risk family members, but have to leave their homes to go to their place of employment by supporting them in working from home or taking leaves of absence and holding their jobs, so they are not in danger of bringing the virus home with them. I also feel that with the current vaccines out, this will all be temporary as we can get them distributed right away to those who are most vulnerable.

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?

I think the state and local vaccine distribution has been good thus far, and I believe it will get better as more of the vaccines are made available. I think the best way to handle this rollout is through very good communication between state, local, and federal officials involved in this rollout, and through the sharing of resources that are available between these different levels to make sure everything moves smoothly.

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

The critical difference between me and the other candidates is that I have experience in the civilian world and the law enforcement world. I have a unique view and perspective on the issue of police and community relationships, and I feel that I can use this view to help establish a better and more trustworthy relationship between the police and the communities they serve. I also have a background in Finance and have continued to learn and use my education for my own personal finances. I believe the combination of these two areas would make me a very good person to make decisions as an Alderman for Elmhurst.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

I am running for the 6th Ward Alderman Seat that is being left open as the current Alderman is not seeking re-election. I believe that our current City Council has done a fine job in addressing the needs and issues of this city and its residents, and I would like to do my part in continuing their work. I aim to help maintain Elmhurst as a great place to live and to help improve in areas that need it. I am confident that I can be a great help in doing so.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

My campaign motto is Common Ground and I picked this due to the great divisive nature of our current political system and the views of people within it. I think that many of us have lost sight of the goal of compromise and finding things we agree on rather than focusing on those things we don't. I feel the key to resolving this is to actually listen and have open dialogue with each other about all topics and issues. The focus is to try to understand why people believe what they do and how to come to some compromise in the areas of disagreement, which is I know is possible. Through open discussion, I feel that these compromises can be reached and issues can then be resolved without this great anger and animosity that has been slowly dividing us. Everyone has their own biases and views, but I believe most people view things the way they do because they feel this is the best way for our community to thrive and for everyone in it to do the same. We need to remember that those who disagree with us are also people who live in our neighborhoods, go to our schools, have family and children, and want what is best for them and everyone who lives here. Sitting down and really listening to each other is the way to really find out how to come to this common ground .
Another focus of my campaign is our economy. The pandemic has thrown us into a strange new economic cycle and recession that we basically created ourselves. It is not a natural business cycle like those of past recessions, so we find ourselves in a unique period of time for this. Will the Federal government be able to sustain these Covid relief plans and keep the economy afloat until unemployment goes down again? How will Elmhurst's economy fair from the fallout of local businesses being forced to either completely shut down or being only opened to support the very minimum amount of customers? I think there is a good reason to worry that the consequences for last year's economic and pandemic policies have not really hit yet and we need to be very prepared for when they do. I would favor keeping our taxes as low as possible while incentivizing new businesses to move to Elmhurst and also incentivizing current businesses to remain and thrive here. I also would look into incentivizing residents through possible tax deductions when they spend their money at our local businesses. There are many ways to help our local economy to stay strong throughout all of this and I plan to do everything I can to keep it that way while attempting to keep the burden off of our residents.
And finally, I believe that I can assist a great deal in bringing the community and police together and to build trust between them. I feel what I have learned through my time as a police officer can bring a unique perspective on how to accomplish this. There is much needed work to be done to repair the damage caused to the reputation of policing as a whole by officers that have committed unforgiveable acts, but I feel the tear in the trust between the community and police can and will be mended.

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

My career as a police officer has constantly put me in a positions where I have needed to make good decisions with regards to the wide variety of problems that have presented themselves. I have had 17 years of working with the people in the community resolving issues between them, taking control during emergency situations, properly instructing those who look to me in those high stress situations, and also providing numerous amounts of advice and resources to families who are in need of it.
I have concentrated heavily in the area of accident investigation in my career and have become the main Liaison Officer for our department during any fatal or significant injury crashes. During this process, I take control of the crash scenes and instruct other officers on their duties they need to perform in order to investigate the scene properly. I then coordinate everything between my department, the Major Crash Assistance Team of which I am also a member, and the Lake County State's Attorney's Office. Depending on the crash, I also complete a full reconstruction of it using all the information collected during the investigation and then presenting it to the State's Attorney's Office for possible charges.
I have proven that I am able to perform under stress, manage my time appropriately, and work with different agencies in order to complete and resolve investigations. I think these skills will help me tremendously as an Alderman in Elmhurst.

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

What I would definitely view as a successful term in office would be if I could be a part of the decision making involved in a successful plan to keep our businesses, schools, and economy open and running smoothly while keeping everyone as safe as we can from the Covid-19 virus. I know this is possible and I feel that if I were to be elected and obtain this outcome then it would be considered a tremendous success during an extremely difficult time.

Why should voters trust you?

The voters should trust me because I firmly believe integrity and honesty are the most important characteristics that someone can have. I hold the view that a person is only as good as their word. I've always tried to live my life by upholding this value and through telling the honest truth even when it is most difficult to do so. I will remain honest and tell people the hard truths, even when they do not want to hear them.

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

I believe this is a very important issue and one of the main things I will be concentrating on. I am in favor of low taxes, as I believe are most residents, and doing everything the City can do to spend wisely and not waste the taxpayers money. I think great care needs to be taken when deciding on and analyzing any new expenditures, improvements, or projects and what the burden will be on our residents.

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

No, I would definitely do everything possible to ensure my full term is served.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The best advice I ever received was from a very close friend of mine who told me never give advice to people who don't ask for it. Of course I rarely listen to this good advice.

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

I would just like my fellow neighbors in the 6th Ward to know that I would do everything I can to fulfill the needs of our ward and although I have my own personal biases, I would put these aside to do my very best to represent the needs and wants of our residents. I view the alderman position as a representation of the people within the Ward and therefore that Alderman should be the voice for that Ward at the Council Meetings, not a voice for themselves.