2025 Election Questionnaire: Paul Lencioni, St. Charles City Council, Third Ward

Name:

Paul Lencioni

What office are you seeking?

St. Charles Ward 3 Alderperson

What is your political party?

non-partisan

What is your current age?

50

Occupation and employer:

Insurance Broker, Liberty Company Insurance Brokers, LLC

What offices, if any, have you previously held?

Ward 3 Alderperson - Incumbent

Chair, St Charles Planning and Development Committee

St Charles Township Trustee

St Charles Planning Commission, Vice-chair

City:

St. Charles

Campaign Website:

Candidate did not respond.

Education:

BS Accountancy, Northern Illinois University

Community Involvement:

Chicago Rush Soccer Coach

Marital status/Immediate family:

Wife, Dr Melissa Sharp; Daughter, Raine Lencioni St Charles North Soph

Questions:

How important is sustainability/eco friendly energy? Major factors in decision to renew IMEA contract?

The importance of eco-friendly energy in St. Charles is directly tied to our local decision on where we purchase our energy supply. Because of this, my position on the renewal of our IMEA energy contract is key to the discussion.

I believe we must carefully evaluate all available options before making a commitment. Our decision should balance environmental responsibility with the need for affordable, reliable, and predictable energy. Increasing our reliance on renewable energy sources is a priority, but we must also ensure that the decisions on how to address our future energy supply are realistic, viable and meets all of our city's needs.

Before considering renewal, we must have clear insights into potential alternatives, their feasibility, and how they compare to IMEA in terms of cost, reliability, and sustainability as well as ensuring we have an accurate understanding of IMEA's goals for growing their portfolio of renewal energy sources. It's important for St Charles to make a thoughtful, forward-looking decision that aligns with both our responsibility to the residents and businesses in St Charles and our commitment to a cleaner energy future.

Is keeping the dam important to you? Why?

I strongly believe that keeping the St. Charles dam intact is essential to our community and aligns with responsible environmental management.

First, the dam is in excellent condition, and the cost of ownership is low. While safety improvements should be considered, they are not the central issue in this discussion. More importantly, removing the dam would cause significant harm—impacting property values, livelihoods, and the way of life for residents and businesses along the river. The economic and social consequences of removal are simply too severe to justify.

Second, the current ecosystem is thriving. The dam has supported a healthy, well-established biosphere, and removing it would cause unnecessary harm destroying the current flora and fauna. There is no compelling reason to disrupt an environment that is already healthy, stable and flourishing.

The Fox River is an invaluable asset to St. Charles—offering unique recreational opportunities, driving economic activity, and enriching our community's social and cultural life. Generations of families have grown up enjoying the river, and it remains a vital part of our city's identity.

We are incredibly fortunate to have the Fox River running through our town—and it is our responsibility to protect and preserve it for the future.

Are there any businesses you would not accept campaign donations from?

I would never put myself in an ethically compromised position due to campaign donations. I associate with a community of people who put the best interests of our community above special interests or personal goals.

Should local law enforcement cooperate with ICE to identify and deport immigrants who do not have legal status to be in the United States?

I do not support local law enforcement breaking any Illinois state laws in regard to recent news related to this issue.

I support our local law enforcement in working to reasonably manage their relationships with any federal agencies entrusted with upholding the laws of our country. Additionally, not conversely, I strongly believe in liberty and the fundamental principles of freedom—and I do not accept any abridgment of human rights as framed in our Constitution.

There is no single, blanket answer to this question without considering specific circumstances. The balance between citizens' rights, inalienable human rights and the rule of law is complex, and I trust our courts to help navigate these challenges.

That said, I will always stand up against injustice, wherever it is found, and work to ensure that our community operates with fairness, accountability, and respect for individual freedoms.

What are your top three priorities for our city, and how do you plan to address them?

The three most important priorities for St. Charles are all financial:

* Funding infrastructure capacity growth and infrastructure rehabilitation – We must find a responsible way to fund necessary capacity expansions, such as the planned east side trunk sewer main, while also rehabilitating our aging infrastructure.

* Reducing debt while planning for costly state mandates – We must strategically manage our finances to reduce our debt load while preparing for costly state mandates, including the requirement to fund public pensions at 90% by 2040 and replace all lead service lines within the next 10 years.

* Maintaining a balanced, responsible approach to taxation – We cannot overburden today's residents with excessive taxes to compensate for past financial missteps or to overfund projects which provide benefit to future generations. Instead, we must find a measured, strategic balance to address these financial challenges.

To manage these priorities effectively, we must ensure strong city systems that support sound and responsible financial management. This includes requiring quarterly finance presentations from the Director of Finance and staff to promote open, ongoing discussions about capital projects, funding requirements, tax growth, and long-term budgeting policies.

In the past, a lack of City Council engagement in fiscal policy left citizens uninformed and financial policy under managed contributing to rising debt and a weakened financial position. We cannot allow that to happen again.

Additionally, we must increase our ability to be a "net tax importer"—attracting people from surrounding communities to dine, work, and open businesses in St. Charles. Encouraging commercial activity brings outside investment into our city, strengthening our economy and increasing tax revenue.

To drive this goal forward, we must support pro-business initiatives and cultivate a positive, welcoming leadership approach that fosters a thriving, inviting community. St. Charles must be a city—and have positive leaders—who actively embrace and promote the vibrant culture that makes our community great.

How do you intend to balance economic development with environmental sustainability in the community?

Environmental sustainability is an integral part of development in St Charles. We included solar panels in the completion of the First St Plaza. We have a new solar farm up and running in St Charles. We are a current city seeking to develop in ways that makes sense and that includes environmental responsibility.

What are your plans for enhancing public transportation and infrastructure in the city?

We have put a new bike and pedestrian plan in place to help enhance sharing the roadways and make St Charles a better and safer way to bike. Additionally, we continue to improve our city's walkability which provides better access to public transportation for those who need it.

What role should the city council play in supporting local businesses and economic growth?

City council sets the tone for business in St Charles. We are town leaders. We need to be welcoming to businesses looking to move to St Charles and responsive to the businesses who are already thriving here. We need to make sure that Planning and Development is an reasonable process in our City which we have done a very good job of under my administration as Chair of the Planning and Development Committee. We have to make sure our infrastructure supports growth. We have to be a well run and professional city which helps markets see we are a great place to do business. That must be our culture and our brand. That is the role of council council.

What are your top public safety concerns for our community and how would you propose addressing them?

St. Charles is a great home for families and raising kids. We are a safe community where neighbors feel like their voice matters. As a community built on family life and active lifestyles we have to make sure that we are maintaining roads (which we improved dramatically in the past 4 years), responding to neighborhoods who are asking us to look into traffic concerns, that we stay committed to making sure we are a safe city where bikes and cars can share the roads as seamlessly as can be (which we have addressed with our current bike and pedestrian plan). As far as community policing, I voted to fund our force to be equipped with the body cameras which we now have so we have better ability to support our policing efforts and to protect both our citizens and our officers.

How will you ensure that city policies promote inclusion for all residents?

I supported the creation of the new St. Charles Equity and Inclusion Commission. They are doing great work seeking out ways to improve our understanding and policy to be the best city for all resident's of St Charles. Additionally, we are working on improving walkability is an issue brought up through our heightened awareness of making sure our city's offerings and services are accessible for all of our community members. We are a great city with great neighbors. Let's listen to all of them.

Do you support requiring government officials to publicly disclose potential conflicts of interest, and how would you enforce this?

Yes I do. That said, I believe our current methods of providing statement of economic interest and publicly recusing ourselves from discussion of matters where we have conflicts is sufficient in St Charles. We are a town of locals. We do business in public, and we are aware of what goes on with each other within our community. We do a good job of policing ourselves and I believe if there were ever the need to address a matter of conflict we would handle the responsibility.

How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?

Bob Gehm and I began hosting the first ever quarterly town hall meetings for the third ward. My cell phone is listed everywhere you find my name at the city. I think it is very easy to find me and many residents do. Additionally, I will continue to encourage other community members to get involved and take responsibility to help "row the boat" in our community. I find that most people don't know how to get engaged or have never had someone tell them that they were important to the community. I try to change that as often as possible.