Interview with a candidate: Bruce Hanson

Bruce Hanson is one of Naperville’s city council candidates. Although it would be his first elected positions, he explains that he has a combined 16 years of experience in varying local government positions.

He was chosen for his previous position by mayoral appointment and approved by the Naperville city council members at the time. Hanson says he has served on Naperville’s Financial Advisory Board, the Special Events and Cultural Amenities Program (SECA), the Board of Trustees for the Naperville Public Libraries, and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

In addition to his experience in local government, Hanson believes that his volunteer work through local organizations like KidsMatter and his experience running his own business provide him with a well-rounded understanding of the community. He says he’s “had a broad view of how [the] city works, from the finance side, commerce side, cultural side, and from the development side.”

Hanson wants to “make [Naperville] a great place for young people to want to move back to and stay in.” One issue he wants to address is “responsible development,” saying the city needs to develop in “a way that’s responsible to the neighbors… but is also good for the community.” He believes that the city needs “a tax base and tax structure that is sustainable for a whole community that grows.” He explains that the economy has ups and downs and in order to account for that, Naperville needs to have tax revenue coming from a variety of sources. He says that if a majority of revenue is coming from property taxes, for example, it “really [puts] a lot of pressure on residents when the economy turns down.” He also cites mental health as an issue facing Naperville, explaining that “we live in a stress-filled society,” and saying he wants to figure out “the next step in mental health awareness.”

Hanson believes the most important ability of a city council member is the ability to “listen and take in a lot of information from lots of different sources and figure out what’s best for everybody.” He says, “the loudest voice in the room isn’t always the most right,” and city council members need to be able to “resolve” issues facing individual residents without losing “the big picture as a whole.”

Hanson says voters can find out more about him at his campaign website, hansonfornaperville.com, which also has his contact information for the campaign.