Eight candidates are running for Rolling Meadows City Council in a total of three contested aldermanic races.

The Ward 3 candidates on the April 2 ballot are: incumbent Laura Majikes, who has been alderman since 2013; Kevin O’Brien, the park board president and a member of the city’s planning and zoning commission; and Deborah Banach, who retired from the police department last year after 18 years.

The Ward 5 candidates are: Glenn Adams, who was alderman from 1997 to 2011; Jon Bisesi, chairman of the planning and zoning commission; and Joe Szafran, who works in building maintenance for the park district.

The Ward 7 candidates are: Alderman Rob Williams, who was appointed to the position by Mayor Len Prejna last July; and Lara Sanoica, a member of the city’s environmental committee.

The Daily Herald asked candidates to respond to a questionnaire about local issues. Some of their responses are below. For complete election coverage, visit dailyherald.com.

Q. What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?

Banach: The revitalization of our downtown area without the focus on housing. I feel our citizens deserve a downtown where we can gather, shop, socialize and support each other. There needs to be accountability to the decisions being made on behalf of the citizens.

Majikes: While the issue of pensions is important, the city is committed to being fully funded by 2033 — eight years earlier than the state mandates. I also feel it is important that we have a council that will communicate with one another and put the needs of the city and residents first.

O’Brien: I have heard from residents that they do not feel their voices and opinions matter. Customer service is at the essence of my professional role and something I would bring to the alderman position. The residents of Rolling Meadows would be my customers, and out of respect to them I would have a strict policy of returning all communications within 24 hours, often much sooner.

While I cannot guarantee every resident will get what they want, as there are many different perspectives in our ward, I can ensure that I will listen to each resident interested in sharing their views.

One of the things I love about Rolling Meadows is our diversity, which means we will not agree on everything, but I can promise that I will be open to hearing all voices and look forward to discussing concerns.

Should I be elected, “my vote” at the city council would not be mine, but what the residents want. Another concern I have heard about is the lack of family entertainment/restaurant options. While there has been a slow increase in the availability of places for families to dine, I would be a strong advocate for bringing more to the Kirchoff corridor.

Adams: Economic development is the most important issue facing the city. This is a challenge due to the financial problems with the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago giving incentives for businesses to relocate to downtown Chicago.

I am a member of the City of Rolling Meadows Economic Development Committee. Between this committee and city council we have taken steps to create a positive business environment.

A focus has been placed on making sure we keep existing businesses in Rolling Meadows. The economic development committee also recommended the city participate in Next Level Northwest, which is an organization that helps evaluate small businesses and assist them with business plans to help them grow into larger companies that we hope will eventually move into larger facilities in our city and create additional jobs.

We have worked with businesses on available incentives from Cook County. We are having discussions on other incentives the city may be able to offer businesses looking to move to our city.

The other major issue is the former shopping center that is now vacant property. It’s a challenge of finding the right development that makes a project financially feasible and pleasing to the neighborhood.

Bisesi: I believe there are well-intentioned aldermen on the council that are not hearing the members of the community. I also believe the council is getting too political. There is arguing and inflated egos and not enough listening and compromise.

Some aldermen seem to be entrenched. They don’t appear to be listening to each other or the residents. I believe we need fresh voices and perspectives on the council in order to resolve these issues. Aldermen also need to do a better job of communicating the facts that support their positions regarding their vote, even if they stated them in a prior meeting.

This issue is affecting the way the city is perceived by business and the residents of this city.

The new firehouses are a big issue. I fear there will be more significant cost overruns in this project if something is

not done to get better oversight and accountability concerning this project and its contractors.

In order to achieve this goal, there needs to be an independent project manager with experience in municipal construction projects. The fire chief should not be pulling double duty by running the department and managing this project at the same time.

Szafran: The community lacks trust in the current council along with being upset with runaway finances. Residents I have talked to feel individual aldermen are not representing the residents in matters that directly affect them. It will be a difficult challenge to rebuild trust, integrity and communication throughout the community, but I feel it can be done.

With open communication I would attempt to keep my ward residents aware of issues to get their feedback and use this to guide decisions. I would also encourage my ward to contact me so they can understand issues and hear discussions. Too often residents learn about issues after the council has made its decisions or from reading about it in the newspapers. I want to listen to their concerns.

My ward needs to know who their alderman is and who is representing them.

Sanoica: From my own experiences and the experiences of my neighbors in Ward 7, Rolling Meadows is heavily affected by improper stormwater retention. I joined the Rolling Meadows Environmental Committee to voice these concerns and incorporate stormwater infrastructure in development plans, but these issues need an advocate on city council to move forward.

Protecting our homes from the elements is a fundamental concern to maintain affordable, quality housing and attract new business. In addition to these development issues, many of my neighbors expressed a desire for Rolling Meadows to be more inclusive of diversity. We feel that while many residents are welcoming and value different backgrounds, city council does not reflect the diversity of our community.

As alderman, I fully intend to communicate the issues we are facing with residents, in both English and Spanish, and solicit their feedback. I want all residents to know that they are heard and their participation is necessary for Rolling Meadows to succeed.

Williams: Infrastructure maintenance and replacement and construction of two fire stations without doing damage to the city’s credit rating and placing an unreasonable burden on the taxpayers. The city enjoys an excellent rating at present, and through service on the capital improvement committee I intend to do my best to keep the city on track with its borrowing and balancing of priorities to get the best “bang for the buck” it can get.

Q. What makes you the best candidate for the job?

Banach: My overall experience working for and living in the city. I can see both sides of the issues from the council to the citizen. Working for the city for nearly 18 years with the police department, in various positions, I saw the inner working of how our city operates. I believe this knowledge allows me to hit the ground running and focus on the issues that are important to the 3rd Ward.

Majikes: With my learning curve behind me, I know how important it is to be involved in all aspects of the city. I pride myself on being a good listener to residents and being available to them. I feel it is important to listen to all sides of situations and then evaluate it from there.

O’Brien: My desire to hear from residents and unwavering commitment to making sure “my voice/vote” at the city council represents the residents is what makes me the best candidate for 3rd Ward alderman. We have raised our family in Rolling Meadows.

I have had many conversations with other residents and I feel fortunate that residents appear to see me as a trusted sounding board for community issues. Through my current involvement as the president of the park district board and a commissioner on the planning and zoning commission, residents have talked with me about their concerns and I always raise them at the applicable board/commission meeting.

I am dedicated to making sure Rolling Meadows takes positive strides in moving our city forward for the future benefit of all residents in a fiscally responsible way.

Adams: I served as the 5th Ward alderman from 1997 to 2011, so I have the experience of serving the residents in this area. During this time, we faced a major recession that led to unfortunate circumstances for the city and tough financial decisions. I and other members of city council learned some valuable lessons that we applied to city finances for the duration of the recession.

With an uncertain global economic future, I can take the lessons learned from the past and apply them, if we see another economic downturn. In addition to this experience, I have volunteered with the city’s economic committee. I currently serve as chairman.

I was also a resident representative years back on an ad hoc committee that was looking into the issue of keeping city garbage collection or outsourcing the service to try and save residents’ money. On a lighter note, I served as the chairman of the city’s 50th anniversary committee and volunteered with the city’s 60th anniversary celebration.

Bisesi: I am a person with extreme integrity and a love for this city. I have been a resident and volunteer within this city for 28 years, including 20 in the 5th Ward. I am not a political person.

I am running for office to give the residents of the 5th Ward representation that will solicit community feedback prior to voting for things that will significantly impact their way of living and/or pocketbook. Whether I agree with that feedback or not, I believe my vote should reflect the views of the majority of residents in the 5th Ward.

As for experience, I have been the chairman of the planning and zoning Commission since 2017 and a member of the planning commission for 14 years prior to that.

As a Jaycee I worked with various departments in the city in order to coordinate events such as several of the 4th of July parades. This has given me the opportunity to learn about the structure and processes used in this city.

I believe the combination of my experience, education and heart have prepared me to be a solid advocate for the residents in the 5th Ward and the city of Rolling Meadows.

Szafran: I’m aware of the candidates running against me in Ward 5 and feel both are respected individuals in the community. Both have served well in the past in other Rolling Meadows committees. However, I don’t feel for the long time they’ve served anything memorable can be attributed to their individual efforts worthy to serve Ward 5 at this time. They had their time but little changes happened on their watch.

We need to move forward with new people serving who might have new ideas and insights. I feel I’m a new voice to represent my ward and have no affiliations or connections to other community groups. I’m totally independent willing to represent my ward.

Furthermore, I’m a lifetime resident. I remember a community where we had fun things to do and great local places to shop. Our city boasted of so many innovative new achievements. We were acclaimed nationwide for many unique firsts of its kind. It was a time of great leadership and a council with foresight that made wise decisions and our financial situation was strong because of major corporations that settled in Rolling Meadows.

I would hope my participation as an alderman could help regain some of that notoriety once again.

Sanoica: I am hardworking, analytical and passionate, which are three essential qualities to being an effective alderman. Most importantly, I continuously engage with my community and strive to make city council an accessible resource to residents. I grew up in Rolling Meadows. It’s my home and I want to see this city thrive.

Williams: Not that there is a “best candidate,” but my many years of experience in the financial field with Dun & Bradstreet and owning my own business should help me to be of value to the city in its efforts to take care of the taxpayers without breaking the bank.