If you are a candidate for the April election, and would like to answer our Patch candidate questionnaire, email lisa.farver@patch.com.

Greg Hose

Age (as of Election Day)

39

Town/City of Residence

Downers Grove

Office Sought

Village board or city council

Party Affiliation (if a partisan race)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA — Michigan State University; JD — The George Washington University Law School

Occupation

Attorney, 14

Campaign website

www.greghose.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Downers Grove Village Council

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

Like every municipal government, the ongoing pandemic has completely blown up our budget. With falling receipts, we’ve tried every measure to save, slashing more than $2M out of our current operating budget, including holding open non-public safety positions. I have worked hard with partners in village government to maintain essential services so residents don’t lose anything.

Now the challenge is to build both sustainable budgets and the necessary reserves for long-term resiliency so we will be financially prepared for both the current emergency and whatever the next one brings. I am also committed to specifically getting our public safety departments back to full staffing in 2021.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

How can you not? I was born a generation after finally achieving legal successes like the Civil Rights Act, and yet we have never really come to terms with many of the underlying problems that persist in American society. That we are still struggling with just talking about so many issues is an indictment itself. You can never make progress against trouble you won’t even admit exists.

I participated in the Downers Grove demonstration in June, but I also know that just being an ally isn’t enough anymore. We also need to be honest. Demonstrations and marches can be a powerful voice for change, but using people exercising their First Amendment rights to express pain and frustration as cover for blind lawlessness just distracts and dilutes what should be a powerful call for progress we can all believe in.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

As mentioned before, I want to continue and expand mandatory diversity and inclusion training for all village staff in every department. I also want to include the village board and management in the program. We need visibility into these issues as much as anybody. Being caught up in the day-to-day operations of the village just doesn’t normally drive serious introspection on important societal issues facing our broader community.

The bright harsh light of the past year has brought that into focus. We should not let the opportunity to examine all of our own practices pass by. Plus, I’m not going to tell our village staff to do something that I’m not going to do myself. I also believe that ensuring public input and guidance on these issues will be critical to evolving a community culture we can all be proud of.

What are your thoughts on the national and local coronavirus response? Do you favor measures such as limiting operation of non-essential businesses and restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a local mask mandate?

This is a world-wide health emergency. We needed a response at every level that was cohesive, comprehensive, and far less controversial and confused. We can see from others’ experiences that an appropriate strong and timely response could have meant curbing the need for shut-downs and could have significantly reduced both infection rates and catastrophic economic impact. However, we are where we are now.

To get out of what promises to be a longer-term health and economic emergency, we need to pull together and just do what we need to fight the disease and its associated problems and stop fighting each other. We need much more federal and state support for small businesses. The retail and hospitality industries in particular may take years to recover and will lose a large number of businesses without significant intervention.

At the local level, we need to follow all federal, state, and county health guidance based on the best available science. The state and county need to provide clear and uniform instructions for reasonable capacity restrictions, spacing and social distancing, and mask requirements. We should also encourage our representatives in Springfield and Washington to support the proposed programs to subsidize or otherwise promote investing in necessary ventilation improvements for bars, restaurants, schools, and other public buildings.

What are your thoughts on the state and local coronavirus vaccine distribution, and how do you think local governments should work together to handle vaccine rollout?

We really need to push DuPage County to do better. Mostly everyone’s been left on their own to fend for themselves with regard to vaccine distribution. We have been partnering with other municipalities to help push the county health department through the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference to provide a better organized response.

The village should offer information resources where we can as good, verifiable information concerning critical issues like vaccine roll-out become available. As an example, we can publish weekly updates on vaccine availability if nearby mass sites or local drugstores come on line. We can also publish pertinent COVID information in insideDG, the village newsletter.

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

With my extensive experience in the small details of Downers Grove village government, I know the issues facing us can’t be reduced to simple campaign sound bites. I was the one who was elected as the outsider who was going to shake-up the Council. I still challenge the status quo, pushing the council forward to make our town better while protecting its special character, but now I know all the reality of it. If anything, I’m even more passionately committed to that work than ever. But it IS work. Real work.

Many people on the outside looking in are not fully informed of the complexities. Sometimes people running for office are removed from thinking about the impact of decisions. Any government activity can have a domino effect of unintended consequences. I freely admit I’m a government and public policy nerd. I LOVE minutiae, but without getting lost in the weeds too. I always try to maintain a balanced focus on the big picture – what the point is – what we’re trying to do for Downers Grove. I’m always committed to driving the details in the right direction to get the best results possible.

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

While I am not a challenger, I do always try to push the council forward, to think out of the box, to tackle issues or grab opportunities that are too often missed in the day-to-day operations of the village. Local governments constantly need to think and act creatively.

As an example, I want us to hire a social worker to help residents, seniors, and homeowners access existing federal, state, and county programs that they qualify for and may not even know exist. This one role could help our people by simplifying often complex processes that are hard to navigate to bring them benefits they deserve.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

• Continue and expand mandatory diversity and inclusion training for all village staff in every department, invite public input to help focus future training programs on issues identified and promoted by residents;
• Fully fund body cams for the Downers Grove Police, access existing federal and state resources to maintain the program, develop appropriate policy and training for our officers, and explore additional ways to strengthen police-community relations;
• Not let up on investing in critical village infrastructure to improve streets; build and maintain new sidewalks; improve and enhance energy efficient lighting; and make every neighborhood safer, more walkable, and more bike friendly for residents and students on school routes;
• Use the knowledge and experience I’ve gained working on stormwater management issues to help create a new comprehensive long-term plan that will force us to build and fund integrated stormwater systems to a set timeline to control runoff into streets, yards, and homes in EVERY neighborhood; create even stronger enforcement for new development; and better coordinate with other government units that impact the village and surrounding municipalities to finally solve this problem for everyone;
• Stop talking and actually tackle the village’s never-ending facilities problems. The police building has not physically been able to meet the needs of a modern law enforcement unit for years and the other village offices are housed in a 100-year-old factory that was converted for “temporary” use more than half a century ago. Co-locating different units of government in an innovative environmentally and fiscally responsible new building will save taxpayer money, end our spiraling maintenance costs, and give us a village center we can be proud of;
• Partner with the Economic Development Corporation and Downtown Management Corporation along with a new task force of residents and a broad coalition of businesses from across Downers Grove to find help and resources for local establishments that will be struggling with the effects of the pandemic for years. Closely coordinate with our own county, state, and federal officials to ensure we secure every form of aid and support available for the small family places that are the heart of our community.

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

• Returned full funding to Meals on Wheels – a critical program many more seniors depend on today not just for healthful hot meals, but regular wellness checks and basic personal contact to break the isolation many face due to the pandemic;
• Invested millions in stormwater infrastructure and strengthened regulations to improve flooding problems for thousands of residents across the village ;
• Organized our neighboring municipalities to re-start the Peer Jury program ended by Downers Grove Township to help keep first-time non-violent juvenile offenders out of the regular criminal justice system while still having them account for their actions;
• Improved our historic preservation program to help owners actively protect and affordably restore more properties in order to preserve the unique character of one of the oldest towns in DuPage County;
• Revised our zoning code and comprehensive plan to protect the hometown feel of Downtown Downers Grove and encourage responsible redevelopment that maintains and enhances our historic town center. This one action has driven the village to preserve the core of the Downtown area while preventing large-scale development from creeping into the surrounding residential neighborhoods;
• Help expand our sales tax base and reduce the village’s dependence on property taxes by opening the town to investment by new reputable marijuana related businesses

We also need to finally fix our village facilities problem. A practical, affordable solution has eluded us for 15 years. The roof leaks at police department. Witnesses and victims need secure private interview rooms. What’s available in the current building is completely inadequate, with some people being forced to stay out in public places like the lobby. The physical plant for both the village hall and the police station have been inadequate to supporting basic operations for decades, while the maintenance costs for our aging buildings are completely out of hand.

Since I’ve been elected, I’ve become a leading advocate for continuing and expanding our investments in comprehensive stormwater management. I’ll never forget a commitment. I, along with other village officials, was roundly criticized over the development of the Marquis on Maple property in 2015. As an attorney, I knew the rules prevented us from stopping the owner from developing the property for an approved use no matter what we wanted. We were stuck because the law was the law.

So, I committed to fix the problem for the future. I led the council to change the appropriate zoning. I worked to stop hard-impact development from creeping out of the central business district into the surrounding historic residential neighborhoods. At the same time, I helped us make the necessary changes to protect the core of downtown. We also took additional steps to make historic preservation easier for property owners. Even when people are upset with me or the village, I’ll always work towards finding common ground and the best possible solution.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

When I was in college I told a family friend and local prosecutor that I had decided I was going to go to law school and I was considering being a prosecutor. “Go to medical school” was his deadpanned, joking response. It is the best advice I ever completely ignored.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

We moved to Downers Grove because of its distinctive character, which sets our village apart from the surrounding suburbs. We wanted to raise our family in a place that felt like home. From the time I first ran, I have wanted to protect that character and enhance it for an uncertain, ever changing future.

An essential part of that character is pushing for positive change. Talking with people around town the last eight years, Downers Grove residents expect their village government to be efficient, effective, and a force for good. I still believe that government, especially local government, should be an instrument for the common good and I intend to make that my central focus for the next four years.