Election 2011 Candidate Profile: Jotham Stein for 5th Ward Alderman

Name: Jotham Stein

Position sought: Alderman, 5th Ward, St. Charles.

Campaign contact information:
• E-mail address: jothamstein@comcast.net
• Phone: 630-584-0275

Age: 49

Family: Wife, Victoria Stein and son, Gershon Stein, age 9

Education: Princeton University, A.B.; Stanford Law School, J.D.

Occupation: Attorney

Political party affiliation, If any: Non-partisan office

Previous elected offices: None

Applicable experience qualifying you for the position:

If elected, I will be the only attorney on the City Council. I will bring my significant analytical and negotiating skills, my people skills, and my deep knowledge of the law to the City Council and will use them to benefit all of us in the 5th Ward and St. Charles. I am also very involved in our community, and as a result, I am well-versed in the issues which affect our neighborhood.

• What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

I am running because I am very involved in our community and will work hard to make our 5th Ward and St. Charles a better place for all of us. I am a local area attorney and parent of a Davis third grader. I coach St. Charles Boys Baseball and sponsor Tri-Cities Soccer and the Scarecrow Festival. I vigorously opposed the Shodeen mega-project which was unreasonable and would have flooded our schools.

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

Lowering property taxes, ensuring fiscal responsibility and restoring City services such as Spring Clean-up are my top priorities. At recent public hearings, I spoke out against the City Council’s decision to raise our property taxes to pay $1.7 million for a consulting company to study the Red Gate Bridge project. I believe City Council should not get paid until the budget is in order and services like Spring Clean-up are restored.

• What sets you apart from the other candidates, if contested?

I don’t have anything negative to say about the other candidates. I hope voters concentrate on my strengths: I’m an attorney with significant analytical and negotiating skills, and an intimate knowledge of the law, all of which I will use to benefit our ward. I regularly speak out for our community. For example, I vigorously opposed the Shodeen mega-project and spoke against the City Council’s decision to spend $1.7 million to study the Red Gate Bridge.

• How long have you lived in St. Charles?

Six years.

• What's your favorite thing about St. Charles?

The people.

• What is the biggest problem in St. Charles?

High property taxes, fiscally irresponsible spending, and the City’s decision to eliminate city services like Spring Clean-up.