Who Are These Guys? Where Joe Faso and David Gonzalez Stand on the Issues

With the second highest early voting turnout in Cook County, Heights residents have proven their unwavering interest in this year's City elections.

At the top of the list of concerns is the mayoral race.

Despite an decrease in decision-making power for the next mayor of the Heights, most of the recent comments on our site have been in regards to who can best lead this city.

Here are Joseph Faso and David Gonzalez's positions on three issues in this election.

On Crime

Gonzalez mentions gang violence, drugs and crime frequently in campaign mailers. Responding to a questionnaire Chicago Heights Patch sent out early in the election Gonzalez named crime as the biggest issue in the Heights.

"Gangs, drug dealers and other crimes are the biggest problems we face," Gonzalez said in his response. "Our families need to be safe in their homes, neighborhoods and their schools."

Gonzalez then outlined his proposed solutions to those problems.

"We need to expand our after school and mentoring program for our kids," Gonzalez said. "We need to create a Gang Prevention Program that prevents our children from being recruited into these gangs. Gangs and drug dealers are domestic terrorist that need to be eliminated in our City."

Faso takes a different approach on crime, focusing more on the law-enforcement side of things.

"I am confident if we re-deploy our police force from a traffic-centric emphasis to a crime fighting (and prevention) emphasis, we can get a better handle on the gangs and the drug sales that taint our reputation," Faso said, in response to a Southtown Star questionnaire.

In his statement Faso promoted cohesion between the Chicago Heights Police Department and federal law enforcement agencies.

"Under my administration, we will work closely with all the law enforcement agencies to fight corruption, gangs and drugs and I will remove all the impediments that have seen federal agencies like the FBI and DEA freeze out the Chicago Heights Police Department from some of their sweeps and busts in Chicago Heights," Faso added. "And we will be very aggressive about ending the sale of drugs (and other illegal activities) on our streets."

On City Spending

In regards to the spending of taxpayer dollars, Faso said he wants to get "a real handle on where our tax dollars are going," suggesting the City's budget and expenses be audited by someone who is not from Chicago Heights and has "no history with our city."

Faso also said he would like to draw spending comparisons to cities that are similar to Chicago Heights to "see how they are spending their money and where they’ve found efficiencies."

Faso has also expressed concerns about no-bid contracts he said some businesses have with the City of Chicago Heights.

"We need to get the most bang for our buck here," Faso said. "We can’t afford some of these contracts and we need to treat the taxpayer’s dollar as a scarce resource, not something to be wasted."

Gonzalez has cited his career as an indication of his ability to better assess the City's spending.

"I’m a Certified Public Accountant specializing in municipal finance – I know how to cut waste and create a government that is more fiscally responsible and accountable, Gonzalez said. "I’m offering new ideas to attract and save businesses – that will not only create new jobs, but also provide an enhanced commercial tax base so we can reduce the tax burden on homeowners."

On Creating Jobs

Gonzalez addressed the task of creating jobs in Chicago Heights in response to a Southtown Star questionnaire.

"I will push for a law the requires banks who receive city revenue to reinvest in local businesses, providing low interest loans and credit for startups and expansion, Gonzalez said. "I will also propose to the City Council 'the Chicago Heights Job Creation Incentive' for businesses. For every new full time job created and filled with a Chicago Heights resident the City will rebate a portion of the Utility tax or retail sales tax (depending on what type of business) paid by the employer . It is a win-win situation for all.

Faso highlighted ways that he thought solving other problems would lead to more jobs.

"By ending the corruption, patronage and no-bid contracts, I will improve Chicago Heights’ reputation, something that has prevented some businesses in the area from moving here," Faso said. "I will aggressively be 'selling' the New Chicago Heights as a business-friendly, corruption-free place where people can do business. By attacking the gangs, pimps and drug-dealers that work our streets, I will further improve our appeal to companies to get started or expand here."

These are just a few of the issues the mayoral candidates say they plan to address, if elected.

To see more of their responses, as well as the responses of other candidates, visit our page and the Southtown Star's Questionnaires page.

Make an informed decision as you head to the polls today.