For historical information, see: Tom Weisner
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Crime in Aurora has seen a huge drop under the Weisner administration. On the heels of a 30-year low in crime, violent crimes were down more than 15% in the first half of 2008.
The Weisner administration has worked to keep the department at full strength and, through additional hiring and innovative management practices, there are many more Aurora police officers on the street than ever before. To provide the best possible tools and technology for our officers to do their work, a badly needed new public safety facility is now under construction, thanks to Tom Weisner's strong leadership.
Video: http://www.weisnerformayor.com/dnn/OnTheIssues/PublicSafetyandFightingCrime/tabid/394/Default.aspx
Tom Weisner is focused on a long-term vision for strengthening Aurora's economy and job market. By fostering and encouraging commercial and industrial development in Aurora, we can create new jobs, increase property values, and lower the residential tax burden.
Mayor Weisner is taking the steps necessary to invest in critical infrastructure and revitalize our downtown and riverfront as a new economic engine for our city. Simply drive through Aurora to see the progress; you can feel the excitement. Money Magazine cited Aurora's economy and jobs as its #1 asset when it named us as one of America's best small cities.
Video: http://www.weisnerformayor.com/dnn/OnTheIssues/TheEconomyJobs/tabid/396/Default.aspx
Tom Weisner is committed to keeping our neighborhoods strong, clean and safe for our families. Tom believes that a strong neighborhood is the result of committed partners who work together to improve our community. That is why as Mayor, Tom Weisner has worked hard to provide the resources and assistance to community groups and city departments that focus on improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
The drastic reduction in crime has made neighborhoods safer. A record level of sanitary sewer de-combination is gradually removing the threat of basement flooding in older neighborhoods. Spending on street repairs and repaving will be up more than 50% in 2009-2010. And thanks to a number of new initiatives, illegal apartments and unsafe, unsightly houses are being prosecuted as never before.
Video: http://www.weisnerformayor.com/dnn/OnTheIssues/StrongNeighborhoods/tabid/397/Default.aspx
Tom Weisner believes it is his job to make decisions that affect not only today’s families but also those of future generations. It is their environment we must protect. That is why Mayor Tom Weisner implemented the Clean City, Green City initiative challenging every city department to look for ways to become more responsibility to our environment and future generations.
Since that time, Aurora was awarded the highest possible air quality designation, the Platinum Clean Air Counts Award. As the city moves forward on major building projects, including the new Police Headquarters, it is incorporating environment-friendly and cost-efficient building practices. By adhering to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, Aurora can ensure that new public buildings meet the highest standards of sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
This year, Aurora was chosen to host the second annual Green Town Conference, a two-day event designed to help create eco-effective communities. In conjunction with the Green Town Conference, the city announced the creation of a city sustainability advisory committee, or, “Green Team” to ensure cross-departmental participation in the creation of environmentally sustainable initiatives.
Video: http://www.weisnerformayor.com/dnn/OnTheIssues/EnergytheEnvironment/tabid/395/Default.aspx
Mayor Weisner understands that Aurora's youth are its future. And he knows that a well-educated work force is key to Aurora's success. That is why he and his wife, Marilyn (a former teacher) have been involved in our schools for more than two decades. Weisner founded the Aurora East Educational foundation and led the Aurora Cares effort to bring important services into our schools. Under Mayor Weisner, the City is partnering with Aurora University, Communities In Schools and many others to provide positive role models and after school activities for at-risk adolescents. He also created USA Leaders to build future leaders from all segments of Aurora's high school ranks.
Mayor Weisner reorganized city government in order to make it more efficient and responsive to residents and businesses with greater emphasis on public safety, neighborhood quality of life and economic development. He also formed a groundbreaking public/private partnership with the world-renown Franklin Covey organization in order to set measurable goals to ensure success. Through this partnership, Aurora sought to identify the community’s greatest needs, articulate meaningful goals and work toward dramatically improving the quality of life here in Aurora.
While many people doubted that government could change; there has been real cultural shift of interdepartmental collaboration and cooperation that has led to increased service levels in every city division. Today, the results speak for themselves. The 2008 citizen survey revealed that citizens’ level of satisfaction has increased in each and EVERY comparable area since the last survey in 2002.
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services further confirmed we are on the right track when it raised the city’s general obligation bond rating from AA to AA+ an elite status shared by only ten cities in Illinois. In their independent analysis they noted that the higher rating is a reflection of Aurora’s “strong tax base growth, consistently strong financial performance, and strong financial management.”
Video: http://www.weisnerformayor.com/dnn/OnTheIssues/BetterGovernment/tabid/398/Default.aspx
Message from Mayor Tom Weisner Shortly after we married in 1972, my wife Marilyn and I returned to Aurora where we had attended high school. Spending five years with the Peace Corps in remote villages of the Solomon Islands, we learned that each person can make a difference. When we returned home to Aurora, I became involved in several community organizations, founding East Aurora Education Foundation and Aurora Cares, plus volunteering with Family Counseling Services, Boy Scouts, Study Circles and Fox Valley United Way. Working beside the many citizens who dedicate their time and talents to serving our community, I witnessed the heart and soul of Aurora. Inspired by their commitment, I ran for mayor in 2005.
On April 7, 2009, Aurorans will, once again, head to the voting booths to choose a Mayor. With more than 20 years experience in providing innovative and efficient government, I have a proven record of success and the right plan to move Aurora forward. I ask for your vote and the opportunity to serve you for another four years.
Thank you for your time and support. I hope to see you soon.
Sincerely,
Mayor Tom Weisner
After serving the community for nearly 20 years, Tom Weisner was elected Mayor of Aurora, Illinois with 60% of the vote. Since then, Mayor Weisner has committed himself to rejuvenating Aurora by making it a 21st century city. To do this, the Mayor has concentrated on economic development and public safety as his top two priorities.
Since taking office in 2005, Mayor Weisner has consolidated city government to make it more responsive to the needs of both residents and businesses of Aurora. By stopping crime at its source, this effort has led to the lowest crime rates in Aurora in over 20 years. In a 2008 survey citizens of Aurora believed that the quality of life improved in every major category since the last survey in 2002.
Mayor Weisner has also committed himself to improving the economy of Aurora. Working with private agencies Mayor Weisner helped change vacant lots and trash dumps into prosperous economic developments. The Mayor also worked with the Governor’s office to provide tax incentives for brownfield redevelopment along the Fox River. This led to a revitalization of Aurora’s downtown with plans for major residential and commercial developments.
Before becoming Mayor of Aurora, Tom and his wife Marilyn spent five years in the Solomon Islands working to improve the quality of life there. He then served the city of Aurora by overseeing city operations such as, emergency management, public properties and organizational development.
As Mayor, Tom has worked hard to achieve great results for Aurora. Here are just a few of the many successes that Aurora has experienced during Tom’s first term in office.
http://familiesagainstplannedparenthood.org/blog/2009/0319/debate/
Moderator: “In what ways does your faith form your opinion of Planned Parenthood?”
Tom Weisner: “Yeah, the question was how has my faith informed my … [Moderator interjects: “informed your opinion of Planned Parenthood”] Well, I think opinion is one thing, but to say that if faith informed my actions in this case I might very well be violating my oath of office that I took … under the constitution to follow the law.
… and however, I took the unprecedented step of having the entire development process reviewed by two separate attorneys in a civil sense, and by a United States attorney in a criminal sense. No criminal conduct was found and there was no legal basis for me to instruct Building and Permits to withhold the permit. So according to the law, a permit was issued.
And as mayor, I do take an oath to uphold the laws governing our city. And I do not, and should not, have the authority to ignore or disregard laws of our land, regardless of my personal beliefs. And that is the extent to which I can address that issue at this point because we are in litigation on this matter.”
Posted by Eric Scheidler on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007
Linens delivered 9/19/07At the September 11 City Council meeting, the citizens of Aurora were assured that Planned Parenthood's temporary occupancy permit would expire on September 17, and no permanent occupancy permit would be issued until the City's independent investigation had concluded.
Yet today, the Aurora Beacon reports that the City has chosen to “maintain the status quo” and allow PP to occupy the building.
The “status quo” was that PP had a temporary occupancy permit. That status quo ended when the permit expired.
What the City has effectively done is to extend PP's temporary occupancy permit, in direct contradiction to Mayor Weisner and Alderman Irvin's assurances to us that the permit would expire if the investigation had not concluded.
Planned Parenthood staff continue to go in and out of the building. Last night, they held a “meet and greet” event (some photos shown above), and today a vendor dropped off linens. I personally observed several employees going in and out of the back door of the building. For all intents and purposes, Planned Parenthood's temporary occupancy permit has been extended.
We need to insist that the City abide by the promises made to us citizens on September 11—especially since today we were once again told that we can't have signs or memorial crosses out at the Vigil site. We've had a constant battle going on about signage, despite an August 40 agreement between our attorneys and the city's on this matter.
…with Protection of Children, Parental Notification, Progress and Parking Lots http://openline.blogspot.com/2008/03/aurora-mayor-tom-weisner-plays-games.html
Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner hasn't done much in the last week or so as he's been AWOL at taxpayer expense again, but somehow found the time to try and pull the Parental Notification Ordinance off the agenda for the Government Operations Committee meeting scheduled on Tuesday.
After two years of dropping the ball on the parking lots the city must provide for the booming River Street Plaza development in downtown Aurora, Weisner and his so-called corporation counsel, Alayne Weingartz, have also continued to play games instead of just getting things done.
WEISNER vs. PARENTS/CHILDREN
A source close to the mayor confirmed Weisner is concerned that due to the recent federal court ruling by U.S. District Court David Coar preventing the enforcement of the law passed by the State of Illinois, it gives even greater importance to the Parental Notification Ordinance co-sponsored by Alderman Rick Lawrence, Alderman Chris Beykirch and Alderman Richard Irvin.
WEISNER vs. PROGRESS
Despite the obstacles by the Weisner administration, lack of cooperation and slow real estate market everywhere else, River Street Plaza has continued to blaze ahead with completion of the construction of Building 2 and unveiling plans for the even bigger Building 3.
The development agreement requires the city to provide parking within a certain distance of the properties, but Weisner has failed to take any steps toward the city's obligations.
Perhaps he was too busy throwing millions into the hole in the ground (aka “Shodeen project”) or rewarding his cronies with the Aurora Police Palace.
Instead of jumping at an interim solution offered by the developer involving leasing the former Beconfused building's parking lot, the Weisner administration and its agents have dragged out the process, argued about paying the fair value, debated whether they are obligated to provide an agreement or just the parking and come up with Clinton-like definitions of what the word “is” is, so the developer has withdrawn his offer for the parking lot lease.
Now, the city must provide the parking as originally promised or the city will be in DEFAULT, but then Weisner will have to buy a property “coincidentally” owned by Raghuveer Nayak, who is “coincidentally” one of his chief cronies and “coincidentally” was caught in a special investigation standing with Weisner and his boytoy, Gerry Galloway, looking to purchase the property that would “coincidentally” be part of a future development.
Mr. Nayak “coincidentally” was also the secret purchaser of the old Copley Hospital site in a deal involving Weisner's cronies and buddies.
We urge the Aurora City Council to “coincidentally” and unanimously rebuke Tom Weisner for his tactics against protecting children and progress.