2013 Election Profile: Alvin P. “Phil” Smith

Address: 600 block of Vista Drive, Oswego

Education: Northern Illinois University, 2008, B.S. Accountancy; DePaul University College of Law, 2011, Juris Doctor

Why are you seeking office?

I want to serve the taxpayers by limiting the tax burden the Park District places on its residents.

What set you apart from other candidates?

I will vote to lower the Park District's tax levy by 20%. I don't see any other candidate promising to accomplish that goal. This is the only way to ensure that homeowners will continue to reside in Oswego. Property taxes need to come down in Oswego, but this is a problem the current board refuses to address. This board's message is simply to raise the property tax rate.

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?

Lowering the crushing property tax burden on our park district's taxpayers. Over the last three years we have seen massive drops in home equity, while your Park District Board has raised your property tax rate each year. Can you afford to pay more in taxes as the value of your home declines?

What do you consider to be the main issues facing the Oswgoland Park District today?

Property tax burden. The tax rate continues to increase year after year. We cannot continue to ask more of our homeowners. The taxpayers deserve some property tax relief, not another year of crushing property tax increases.

What can the Park District do to cut expenses? Are there any expenses that you feel are very necessary or unnecessary presently?

Stop buying land unnecessarily. The park district should sell all houses that it has purchased.

What do you consider to be the Park District's most important program? What would you suggest to improve it?

The park district should put more focus on charging prices that will allow those programs to be cost neutral. This will shift the park district to a user-paid model instead of taxpayers subsidizing the park district programs. The current model is not sustainable, especially since the property tax rates continue to skyrocket.