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DAILY HERALD CANDIDATE GIUDE TOP 20 LOCAL ELECTIONS

Bio: MATT HARRINGTON
City: Aurora
Website: http://www.webackmatt.blogspot.com
Office sought: Aurora City council
Age: 48
Family: Two daughters 19 and 25 years of age.
Occupation: Business, Political and Reality Television Consultant My firm advises in
many areas of Real Estate development and Investment from apartments from low
income families to luxury condo development, along with boutique Hotel and Casino
development.
Education: 1998 - 2003
SUFFIELD UNIVERSITY
*Master Degree program: Political Sciences
*Bachelors Degree program: Business Administration
*Associate Degree program: Political Sciences
1995 – 1997
NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Associate Degree program:C
Civic involvement: *2003-2010
CAN-TV SHOW:
Co-Host and Ex-Producer of Community Matters:
A live weekly Television show promoting the community mined leaders. Of the
Business, Politics, Sports Celebrities discussing the Top topic of the day, to inform and
educate and entertain an audience of 20,000 weekly viewers. CAN-TV, channels are
show in over 1 Million Chicago-land households daily.
*2005 – 2007
Vice President
Illinois Cook County Board Ancient Order of Hibernians:
The A.O.H. is one of the largest Irish Catholic Non-Profit organizations in the United
States. . Originally founded in Ireland in the early 1600’s, its primary efforts are to raise
money for national and local organizations. For example Misericordia, the Special
Olympics, as well as local food pantries and homeless shelters.
*2003, 2004 & 2005
Vice Chairman for the 23rd Police District: Officer Appreciation Day:
This is a local community and business base event sets aside a day for the local police
district and their Officers to show the neighborhood great appreciation for their hard
work and dedication that officers provide every day in their community.
*2002, 2003 & 2005
Uptown Community Executive Director for the Chicago Mayor’s
Safe Night Event.
This is a campaign soliciting local business, large and small within the area for products
and funds to hold an alternative event for families and the communities to celebrate the
Holiday & New Year session without the danger of drugs, alcohol or the fear of violence
and interference from gangs.
Elected offices held: None
Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NO
Candidate's Key Issues

Key Issue 1
* Help for Jobs & Economic Development:
I will work hard, for our city to bring in new big and small businesses and encourage
growth in our downtown, business and metra districts. I believe we must target and assist
small to medium size businesses to open and relocate to our city in order to create new
opportunities and jobs as well as increased tax revenues. By utilizing existing state and
federal grants, we can develop and improve Aroura’s infrastructure.
In addition, I will encourage our city, township, and chamber of commerce to find better
ways to work in partnership with the community and their Development Corporation so
that we can revitalize our Riverfront area.
* Help for our Cities Budgets Crisis:
I will work, to fix the mismanagement of our resources and cut out the fat and inter-
department waste of voter’s funds from our city’s budget. The answer to the state of
Illinois’ and our city budget crisis is not just smaller government. We need smaller more
efficient government. I will be a tireless advocate, and work for the revamping of
mismanaged and bloated state and city departments. I believe this is a necessary first step
towards lowering property taxes, increasing programs and improving services for the
citizens. We need not add to the hardships that higher property taxes would create for
people already struggling to make ends meet.
* Help in bring about change Inter Governmental Partnerships
I will bring the change we need to our city and reduce the redundancy of a bureaucratic
and inefficient city government, in order to bring forth a better way to provide youth and
senior service programs to the people of Aurora.
Helping Our Schools & Parks:
I will partner with the elected schools boards, because the people on these boards know
what their needs are and how best to utilize the funds for their district. Children learn best
when there is a close collaboration between school districts, parents and cities. We must
all make sure the lines of communication are open and that our children’s education and
safety are always a priority.
Key Issue 2
*Better ways to registration and tracking of Convicted Child Sex Offenders: We will
work, to seek out with local county and state authorities for the funding to upgrade our
efforts in addition, infrastructure. To allow our police department to have the technical
ability to install GPS Tracking of convicted Child Sex offenders. This will help in
monitoring the whereabouts of these felons 24/7. In addition, over time lead to better
control of the registration of sex offenders, lower the threat to our children, and keep the
cost down to police department. We need a better way, and that way starts today.
*Help end Gang and gun Violence:
We will work, with all state officials on the behalf of passing legislation, for a
requirement of ballistics fingerprinting registration That will help keep, the guns out
gangs members hands and lower the chances of are children being involved in a drive by
or random shooting.
* Help Bring about better securities at all are schools:
We will work, to increase the safety for children. By correcting the distribution of our
police and security officers to patrol the school, playgrounds and parks, this will keep the
gang valance and sexual predators away from our children and our community.
Help Bring Back Grip Funds:
I will work on getting more back in regards to the1505 Federal drug forfeiture Funds we
will regain the hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars lost to our state and it
cities these past few years. Moreover, bring back these key funds to our community
schools; help add other new programs for our youths and seniors, these funds will also
help keep our taxes from rising.
Key Issue 3
*Help bring in Expert Services
We will work on obtaining the proficient and skillful services of a professional grant
writer to help increase the amount of federal and state dollars we can receive though the
many government grants programs that are available, so we may elevate services to all of
our community, upgrades equipment, and rebuild our States infrastructure.
I won’t forget who I work for:
Too often it seems that our political leaders put their party or reelection needs ahead of
the citizens they represent. I have always been an independent thinker, and if elected I
will never forget that I work for you.

Questions & Answers

What makes you the best candidate for the job?
My ability to look outside the box and ask why not, along with the ability to come up
with new creative ideas to benefit business and our community at large.

Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing
local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of
local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.
To High, people are going outside of the community and the state to buy items, which
causes our local business to close and people to loss their jobs. Which bring about a more
homes Foreclosed on and the heart and soul of a community ripped apart.
Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest
public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how
you think it should be addressed.
Gun and Gang violence, the increase of newly released sex offenders that have move into
Aurora and the lack of technology and the ability to properly monitoring them.
""Refer to the above replies"". In Question to Previous Issue Answered.

In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized.

Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely,
are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?

I WOULD CUT: Paid lobbyist and newly formed paid Committees of

Development and reform with our most respected business, community and elected
officials to help bring about real reform out our spending habits. So that we make help
cut taxes for all home and business owners.

What’s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is
talking about yet?
Here is my 4-steps plan:

1) Eliminate the Parking Meters from Aurora's downtown and revamp the layout of the
downtown street parking to be angled in order to increase the number of spaces. This
convenience from the increased parking spaces will entice visitors to visit Aurora’s
downtown business districts and help promote our local establishments.

2) Work with the business owners along the Riverfront, so that the docks can be placed
at their businesses to allow and promote small motorized and non-motorized water-crafts
to dock along the river and increase patronages to these businesses. This will also
generate more interests to the area, which will re-energize our downtown economy and
create more jobs.
These docks will be paid in partnership by the business owners and advertisement
sponsors. And, with additional grants by the city’s, state and county business
development grant funds.
3) Also, I recommend an additional source to bring in needed revenues to our city by
implementing a regular City sticker and an E-City sticker that has the ability to sell
advertisement on its reverse side.
By offering two choices in City stickers, using the I-Pass model, we can offer an E-City
sticker that contains a double-sided LCD screen: the front will have the current sticker
logo which can be downloaded annually at half the cost of a regular window sticker. The
reverse side of the E-City sticker will show advertisement. The traditional sticker will
have only a permanent ad for the duration of the sticker’s effective year, while the E-City
sticker can have a multiple advertising function, along with an emergency alert fascist.
Our E-City sticker can also offer anti-theft and car location services, for the customers at
a small monthly cost. In turn this would help the drivers to lower their yearly car
insurance cost as well as peace of mind to the auto and E-City sticker owner.
These city stickers alone can help boost 3 to 5 million dollars of new revenues annually
for the city, while the Riverfront docks can also bring in another 2 to 3 million dollars per
year to our city.

4) Work with our State elected leaders and gaming commission to bring about a real
change in gaming revenues I believe Illinois does not need more casinos.
We need to introduce a new market to our state. We should look at allowing a sport
booking license which will be owned by the cities in which the casinos resides. Then, this
license can be leased out for an upfront payment and with an ongoing percentage from
the revenues.
This can bring in multi-millions of dollars, not just to the state, but to our city. Overall, it
will increase jobs in the local community and help with lowering taxes and adding
funding for Schools, Police & Fire as well as other civic and senior programs.