Politics & Government

About Arthur J. Lemke

Biographical data and questions and answers from St. Charles aldermanic candidate Arthur J. Lemke.

Name: Arthur J. Lemke

Position sought: Alderman St. Charles Ward 2

Campaign contact information:

Find out what's happening in St. Charleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Daytime phone 312-968-1010;

Email address STCALRR@yahoo

Find out what's happening in St. Charleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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

My most important initiative will be to push for a strong ethics ordinance. City officials and staff member should not directly benefit from rezoning efforts, nor should their businesses be subcontractors or suppliers to developers who directly benefit from rezoning.

Home address: Ward 2, St. Charles, IL 60174

Family members: Jean Lemke, wife

Andrew Lemke, son 32

Education: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; 1970; BS Degree

Northern Illinois University, DeKalb; 1984; MBA  

Certified Public Accountant; Illinois

Current occupation and employer: Information Systems Auditor, Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

Political party affiliation: Independent

Why Are You Seeking Office?

The City Council needs more people who are committed to maintaining the balance of commercial, industrial and residential development. The council needs more people who will fight to maintain our retail mass.  When I left office 8 years ago, Charlestown Mall was approximately 80 percent occupied.  In recent years the city’s relationship with Charlestown Mall and occupancy have both deteriorated.  In the 1990s, I personally worked with the mall and others to identify and work on traffic building ideas.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Initially, I served on the task force that developed a voluntary Historic Preservation Ordinance, and subsequently helped my church stabilize and restore a historic building. As a supporter of the performing arts, I served on the Norris Cultural Arts Commission. Mostly, I bring 12 years of City Council experience, and I am the only candidate with an active CPA license and experience in government auditing.

Issue 1: What is your ecomonic development strategy for the city of St. Charles?

To sustain and strengthen the retail mass in our key markets, we need to improve our share of the Randall road retail corridor.  We need to make the east side market attractive for multi-stop shopping with a greater variety of shops. Charlestown Mall is within 5 to 10 minutes drive time for half our residents. Converting any of the Mall to residential units removes critical mass while adding only a small increment of retail shoppers.

Issue 2: In light of the anger over the Lexington Club controversy, what steps would you take to restore trust in city government? To increase transparency?

A strong ethics ordinance is needed to improve trust in City Government. In the case of Lexington Club some of the residents have heard that Lexington increased its demand for incentives to improve their profitability.  A freedom of information request should not have been required to show that Lexington knew of environmental problems. The developer would not have been surprised about the feelings of City Council had there been more open discussions.

Issue 3: What steps would you take to help resolve the complaints of alcohol-related problems in the downtown area?

St. Charles needs to use its enforcement power when those with liquor licenses are unable to control their own patrons.  Arbitrary actions, such as forcing earlier closing hours for every business could hurt those who abide by our ordinances. City Council should periodically review the frequency of incidents to monitor self-regulation efforts   If the city determines that an establishment has repeatedly violated city ordinances, the liquor commissioner should be encouraged levy sanctions.

Please add any other information pertinent to your campaign.

N/A


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here