2017 Election Questionnaire: Michael Olesen, Geneva Alderman 1st Ward

Name: Michael D. Olesen

Age: 54

Town of residence: Geneva

Position Sought: Alderman - Ward 1

Party Affiliation: N/A

Family: Brittni L. Olesen - 24 yrs
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: Brittni Olesen - City Planner for Dacula, Georgia

Education:B/A Economics - University of Illinoi

Occupation: Owner: Geneva Investment Group - 26 years

Owner: Stockholm's Restaurant/Brewery - 15 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it:

The most pressing issue facing Geneva is how to maintain the quality of our City with the limited resources we have available. Simply put, our City has more needs than dollars. And with the current situation in Springfield, this in balance may become critical. The needs of Geneva include the many infrastructure/capital improvements and maintaining a quality City workforce. As a small business owner, I am constantly faced with the choice of where to allocate my limited resources. The City of Geneva is no different. I would use my business experience to help guide the City in the difficult choice of where to allocate the residents tax dollars to benefit the City the most.

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

I believe that such a question invites negativism. And I do not wish to go down that path. It is my promise to represent the residents and businesses of the 1st Ward. I will be their voice, their advocate. Whether that be facilitating the discussion on issues facing Geneva, promoting their ideas for how to improve Geneva, or protecting their rights from unintended consequences of Geneva's ordinances.

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

As with the previous question, I believes this invites negativism. Mr. Bruno is very capable of explaining the reason for his decisions as he represented the residents of the 1st Ward.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

In addition to faithfully representing the residents and businesses of the 1st Ward, I would seek their involvement to find the best solutions to the challenges we face as a City. We have a wonderful and largely untapped resource in Geneva, our citizens. We have leaders in business, from small local shops to large multinational corporations, educators, healthcare providers and many more, all of whom have expertise in their fields. Lets consult with our local experts as we work through the decisions which need to be made here. Geneva is a great community. By working together, we can make Geneva even better. I also support Reasonable Historic Preservation. One of the undeniable charms of Geneva is our treasure trove of historical buildings. And these should be preserved. However, within the Historical District (the downtown area) there is significant difference in the quality and importance of individual properties. We need a reasonable approach to preservation. To allow property owners the right to improve their buildings while maintaining the overall integrity of our Historic District. Third, fiscal discipline is the key to thew long-term success of Geneva. We need to ensure the taxpayers dollars are spent wisely.

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

I would consider my term in office a success if I were able to get our residents more involved in local government. Democracy works best when concerned citizens become involved. When ideas are fully vetted, the best choices can be made from an informed position.

Please share with voters a story about wisdom gained from a mistake you made in your life or career.

I learned as a child that sometimes you only have one chance in life. So I have tried to make the best choices I could based on the information available to me at the time. In doing so, one may not always make the very best choices, but you will make good choices.

Why should voters trust you?

I am fully vested in Geneva. I live in an historic home in the downtown. I have two (2) successful businesses in the downtown, Geneva Investment Group (26 yrs) and Stockholm's (15 yrs) as well as rental property. I spend every day walking in the downtown speaking with our residents and City workers. In short, if Geneva as a whole is successful, I will be successful. Conversely, if Geneva were to fail, I would loose everything. I will work to make Geneva the best place it can be for all of ours success.

Share a quote that defines your philosophy:

"Never Never Never Quit" (Winston Churchill)

What questions should be asked of current government employees accountable to your board?

What have you done today to help resolve a problem or concern of a resident or business?

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board)?

Fiscal discipline is an absolute necessity to preserve the quality of Geneva. Resources (taxpayer dollars) are limited. We need to spend those dollars as efficiently as possible as we balance the capital needs (infrastructure) of our City with the human resources we have (our great workforce). The long-term success and growth of Geneva can only happen if both of these needs are considered when addressing the issues we face.

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

As a small business owner I am constantly faced with challenges. Sometime that is with personnel. As evidence that I am able to handle the challenge of managing people, I would look to my success at Stockholm's. The restaurant industry is know for having high turnover rates in staff. Yet at Stockholm's, I am very proud of our long tenured staff. The core of my kitchen has been with me since I opened 15 years ago. Most of our front of the house staff (bartenders and servers) have nearly a decade of service to Stockholm's. For this reason I believe I can work with Geneva's city employees for the betterment of our community. As a small business owner I am also faced with challenges such as the breakdowns in equipment. And it always seems to happen at an inopportune moment. You learn to quickly identify the problem and implement the immediate course of actions to resolve it. And when multiple issues arise, you learn to prioritize. My experience in the financial industry has tow benefits. First, I am able to understand the complex nature of budgets and balance sheets. Secondly from an investment point of view, I am able to understand the future potential of decisions made today. To weigh the probability of success or failure as a result of those choices.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

To live life without regret.

I look forward to working with each and every resident and city employee to make Geneva even better than the great community it is today.