Michael Barbier For Wheaton City Council, East District: Patch Candidate Profile

Name: Michael Barbier

Age: 32

Position Sought: Councilman - City of Wheaton East District

Family: Younger Sister, who is an Elementary School Teacher, and Mother & Father who have been proud Wheaton residents for over 30 years.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No politicians in the family and no family member works at the City of Wheaton.

Education: Wheaton Warrenville South High School;Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering - Purdue University; Master of Science in Civil Engineering - Purdue University; Master of Business Administration (MBA) - University of Chicago [Booth School of Business]

Occupation: Civil Engineer: Nearly a decade of Public and Private sector experience.

Why are you running?

I believe that each member of the City Council should bring a unique skill set that helps The City of Wheaton to provide for the Health, Safety, and Welfare of our Community.
I am running for Councilman because we need someone with a skill set in Public Infrastructure.
We have kicked the can down the road on much of our public infrastructure. I strongly believe this is due to past City Councils not completely understanding these problems, let alone their solutions.
As a City, if we truly want safe roadways, working sewer systems, and an improved Downtown Wheaton, we need an Engineer on our City Council.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None

Campaign Website: VoteBarbier.com

What do you hope to accomplish in office?

I will address our Public Infrastructure problems and make Wheaton a better place to live, work, and play.

How would you hold local government employees accountable?

I view municipal employees as assets, not as liabilities that need another layer of bureaucracy masquerading as "accountability". The vast majority of them are good, hard working people that take pride in serving their community. When a private company has trouble balancing their books, the blame goes to the CEO & the board of directors. When public agencies face a budget crisis, somehow the blame goes to the guy (or gal) driving the snowplow. I believe the people at the top need more accountability than the workers on the front lines.

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board)?

The fact of the matter is: It is really easy to spend other people's money.I believe we need more structure around our spending process. We need to look at each line item and ask the right questions. My first two questions of all City spending would to be:1) Is this a Public Good (or can this be accomplished without the government)?2) Is the benefit greater than the cost?We need to focus on core services and those that add the most value to our taxpayers & our City as a whole.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In order to "handle" this job, I think most important qualities a Councilman can have are:- Applicable Professional Experience - Personable & Approachable - Leadership Ability- Common Sense. I have nearly a decade of experience in Civil Engineering. If you look at the majority of issues facing Wheaton, most are in the realm of Civil Engineering (Flooding, Sewer Systems, Traffic Safety, etc.). I can not only "handle" this portion of the job, but could lead the Council as I would be the only Council member with any experience in this field. As a volunteer in various organizations, I have received 3 leadership awards. However, these other aspects required don't always lend themselves to 'accomplishments', but rather who you are as a person.

What else would you like voters to know about you and your positions?

The residents in the East District will take issues to City Hall and we are told nothing can be done because "that's how we've always done it". In my mind, there is no reason to continue the mistakes of our past into Wheaton's future. We need a fresh perspective and someone who will stand up for the citizens. I will evaluate each issue on the basis of sound judgement and common sense.

Photograph provided by Mike Barbier