For Immediate Release
March 7, 2017
AREAS OF FOCUS
Economic Development: Kwasneski will look to aggressively explore economic development opportunities for the Village of Lemont. He pledges to help enhance policies at the Village level to make sure the businesses in town succeed and new businesses are attracted to the Village. Kwasneski wants to explore ways to encourage and attract start-up businesses, speciality businesses, additional restaurants, and retail stores to open up within the Village. He will look to explore incentive packages to help attract these types of business to the Village. Kwasneski will work with brokers, developers, and shopping center owners to promote vacant commercial properties and vacant retail spaces.
Kwasneski will also push for the Village of Lemont to hire a full time Economic Development Coordinator to welcome businesses and help provide assistance. In collaboration with this Economic Development Coordinator, Kwasneski would like to work specifically with the existing shopping center owners to develop strategies for filling the empty storefronts throughout town. In the interim, he highly encourages the Village to hire a consultant like The Retail Coach. The Retail Coach is a national retail consulting, market research and development firm that combines strategy, technology and creative expertise to develop and deliver high-impact retail recruitment and development strategies to local governments. It is essential that all of the businesses and shopping centers feel they have a partner in the Village and have the resources they need to succeed.
Communication & Transparency: Communication and Transparency are the most important aspects to successful government. Kwasneski looks to improve communications and transparency with the citizens of the Village of Lemont and the local taxing bodies. He wants to provide factual information to the citizens of Lemont on items such as existing/future developments as well as any major decisions that will affect the Village. Through the use of social media and other means, Kwasneski plans to actively encourage citizen involvement by conducting and promoting open meetings and keeping citizens completely informed about the Village Board’s plans for the future of Lemont. He wants to make sure the citizens of Lemont feel welcome to share their opinions and participate on Village issues.
Revitalization of Downtown Lemont: One of the main things that makes the Village of Lemont unique is the historic downtown. Kwasneski understands the importance of downtown Lemont and wants to continue the revitalization of the downtown area. He wants to promote existing downtown properties for other Transit Orientated Developments. Providing these types of development opportunities and continual support for additional trains will make the downtown area more attractive for people who are looking to commute. Kwasneski will also look to collaborate with the Lemont Chamber of Commerce on new programs that will assist existing businesses in the downtown area. He wants to aggressively explore and encourage new businesses, including start-ups, to fill storefronts.
Fiscal Responsibility: Kwasneski strongly emphasizes that practicing fiscal responsibility is essential for the overall success of the Village of Lemont. The Village must live within its means. He will encourage the Village to control expenses and consistently evaluate personnel. In addition, Kwasneski believes the Village needs to actively look beyond the normal sources of revenue (grants, developer contributions, etc.) to fund future projects and help lower the Village tax rate.
Smart Growth: Preserving the “small town” atmosphere is essential for the growth of the Village. Everyone within town loves the “small town” atmosphere of Lemont and the way to preserve it is through smart growth. Kwasneski will aid in the review of future requests for new developments to make sure they are developed in the correct areas of town. He will also help review the effects of potential new developments on the existing Village services and current infrastructure. Smart growth will provide a balance with the community’s need to grow and the assurance of quality developments. It’s important to keep the unique aesthetics of the Village of Lemont, for both commercial and residential developments.
Open Space & Natural Resources: Kwasneski looks to promote the open space and natural resources within the Village of Lemont. By effectively promoting the open space and natural resources, including holding more Village events, residents and out of town visitors will have an opportunity to experience some of Lemont’s true hidden gems.
Biography: Kwasneski is a lifelong resident of the Village of Lemont and has been a Planning & Zoning Commissioner for over five years. He graduated from Lemont High School and Illinois State University with a degree in marketing and political science. Kwasneski has also served as a board member for Bethany Lutheran Church. He currently works as a member of the leadership team at Launch Digital Marketing, a digital marketing agency in Naperville, IL. Kwasneski plans to use this experience to raise the profile of the Village of Lemont, support existing businesses and encourage further economic development.
If you are interested in a Citizens For Ryan Kwasneski Sign, please email me at ryankwasneski@gmail.com.
