Top Priorities

Fighting Crime
To fight crime in our neighborhoods we need experienced leadership.

Pete plans to:
• Increase the number of police on our streets
• Embrace community policing in our neighborhood business districts
• Get tough on gangs, illegal guns and graffiti
• Attack the root causes of crime by providing education, jobs and hope in all parts of our city


Holding the Line on Taxes
"These are tough economic times for families and businesses. We need experienced leadership that will hold the line on taxes. I know how to manage budgets, limit city spending and form the partnerships needed to get things done." - Pete Festersen

To hold the line on taxes we must
• Limit city spending
• Resolve police and fire pension shortfalls
• Restore our AAA bond rating
• Carefully manage capital expenditures and the city’s debt burden


Job Creation
District One is blessed with unique neighborhood business districts that have maintained their own identity. Even in tough economic times, opportunities exist to drive retail development and job creation into our neighborhoods.

To create jobs in our neighborhood business districts, we must:
• Follow through on community development plans in Benson, Dundee, and Florence
• Ensure the success of the Crossroads and Westroads areas as commercial anchors
• Make the public infrastructure investment necessary to drive private development
• Partner with the private sector, philanthropy and the development community to make it happen