Interview with a candidate: Michele Clemen

Michele Clemen is a first-time candidate for city council. She has not previously run for an elected position, but she has experience in local government working for Naperville’s Housing Advisory Commission the past six years.

She also works as a salesperson and believes that her experiences with leadership in her company make her qualified to be a member of the city council. Many of her her jobs have centered around senior living communities and she feels this gives her a unique perspective on what “the aging population of Naperville,” needs.

She believes Naperville needs to focus on sustaining financial security and “keeping [its] AAA rating.” According to Investopedia, The current rating indicates that Naperville is a safe community to invest in. She says that Naperville is “a bright spot,” in the state of Illinois financially and believes the community should have preparations in place to handle a recession, as some economic sources like Forbes have warned might be coming. She also believes that maintaining a connection between residents is important, and cited her work with senior citizens as one way of accomplishing it.

Clemen says the most important thing for a city council member is “hearing from the community.” She believes that the role of a local representative is to address community concerns and needs. In order to accomplish that, she believes they need to listen to residents to understand what those needs and concerns are. She says she’s heard some people interested in a newer representative who can bring fresh ideas to the table and believes she can fulfill that role.

She says that voters with questions and concerns can learn more about her from her website, https://www.michelehilgerclemenfornaperville.com/, or reach her through her campaign email, [email protected].