Holy crap! Susan (Sarkauskas) and Jim (Fuller), how the bleep do you do it? Aside from a doctor’s appointment, a meeting with one of my many attorneys, and my son’s violin lesson, I’ve literally been writing all day. Please note that I’m equal to the task, but it’s only 3:30 and I’m already hitting the tequila.
I suppose I should take solace in the fact that I didn’t have to attend any governmental meetings that might put you into a lengthy coma like most reporters do.
But I digress. Continuing our biographical journey through the Anna Moeller Elgin City Council potential replacement hopefuls, in alphabetical order, here are the final seven:
15. Fred Moulton
And we come to yet another west side retiree! Fred toiled for AT&T, he’s lived on the west side of Elgin for almost 40 years, and he’s been involved in several neighborhood organizations like CURE (Clean-up and Restore Elgin).
Citing no particular political affiliation, Fred wants to expand his, “scope to serve the citizens of Elgin as a member of the Council.” His passions are maintaining neighborhoods, code enforcement and infrastructure.
16. Franklin Ramirez
Back to the east side! Franklin is a newcomer, arriving in Elgin in 2012. He works as the liquor department manager of the Cary Jewel-Osco. He ran for alderman in Park Ridge and, having been a 16-year volunteer for the Park Ridge/Des Plaines Peer Jury Partnership, he is passionate about keeping young adults “out of trouble and on the right path.”
He wants to bring that kind of program to Elgin.
Franklin believes his work and volunteer experiences and educational background in organizational leadership “would quickly prove to be a valuable asset to the city of Elgin.” Again, we have another truly impressive resume here.
17. Michael J. Robins
Here’s another name you might know because Michael has previously run for city council and he served on the Elgin Civil Service Commission.
Michael hails from the east side and has been employed by the Cook County Court system for 25 years.
In Michael’s own words, “I have spent a great deal of time on two previous city council campaigns and
received a solid voter base due to my input on city matters. At the same time, I learned a great deal talking to residents in the process of canvasing door-to- door.”
I’m sure he did! He may not finish in upper half of this class, but that’s only because of some really stiff competition.
18. Julie Ann Schmidt
A member of Elgin OCTAVE, League of Women Voters, and the Elgin Township Republicans (precinct committeeman). Julie has lived on the west side of Elgin since 1991 and she works for Everyware, an Elgin Tech company.
As you might imagine, she’s very active politically and serves on the board of the Women in Management of the Fox Valley.
Julie wrote, “I believe my years of professional experience; proven team building and relational management skills with a diversity of people and ideas; strong oral and written communication skills along with a fmancial degree, offer the City a well-rounded, capable individual who can grasp complex information quickly and collaborate with others to enhance the quality of life for all of Elgin’ s residents.”
19. Aaron Sellers
Aaron runs a west side home-based business called Comprehensive Training Solutions and he touts that business background in his city council question. He’s also on the board of Community Contacts and the Ecker Center.
Aaron wants to help bring Elgin “to the next level.”
20. Kevin Sherman
Another tech guy! Kevin is the webmaster at Benedictine University and he volunteers with Verity Dance Company, Side Street Art Studio, and does photography for other non-profits.
In his own west side words, “I have long had a strong desire to serve in local government. Especially with two young children, I want Elgin to continue to grow and develop into a great community they love as much as my wife and I do.”
21. John Walters
And last, but certainly not least, you may recall that John was an Elgin city councilman from 1987 to 2009 as well as a KC circuit court judge. Of course, that means our west side denizen is an attorney who’s practiced law for 36 years.
His community involvement includes the Kiwanis, United Way, Renz Center and the First Presbyterian Church.
But my favorite part of John’s application is his “ability to listen” and “make unpopular decisions in a hostile area.” The latter part sounds just like my life!
And that’s it. If I can get my fingers to stop cramping up and manage to avoid the tequila bottle, I’ll offer an overall analysis of the candidates later tonight!
Thanks for tuning in!
