Jamie Saam Candidate Profile

Name: Jamie Saam

Position sought: Alderman, Ward 4

Campaign contact information—

·       Website:

·       E-mail address:  jamiesaam@yahoo.com

·       Phone: 630-440-1676

·       Address: 222 Columbia St. Batavia

Home address (only the town will be published): Batavia

Age: 27

Family (name, relationship and age): Husband, Douglas, 36; Stepson, Dexter, 6; Sons, Tucker, 3; Maximilian, 1

Education (degree and school): Waubonsee Community College; University of Illinois at Chicago, Sociology and Communications 

Occupation: Restaurant Manager

Political party affiliation, If any: Bipartisan

Previous elected offices: no political offices; Elected Board Secretary for the Batavia Arts Council

Applicable experience qualifying you for the position:  

I am a 17 year Batavia resident that has volunteered with many community organizations. Committee Chair for the MainStreet Gala on the Fox, Food and Hospitality chair for Art in Your Eye fine arts festival, food and hospitality coordinator for Water Street Studios, creator of the “Dine & Donate” program at The RendezVu Restaurant which is a monthly event created to raise awareness and funds for local charities and community organizations. I currently manage a downtown Batavia restaurant and know firsthand the ups and downs of having a business in downtown.

Please limit answers to 75 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, grammar, spelling and length.

·       What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

I chose to run for city council to become more involved in an important facet of our community. I want to bring a new viewpoint and voice to the fourth ward of Batavia while making sure that the opinions of my fellow community members are heard also. I hope that others my age will be inspired to step up and get involved and keep themselves informed about our community.

·       What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?

Making sure that my fellow ward members know who and what their Alderman does and how to get into contact with myself and Jim Volk is a priority for me. I want people to know that their opinions and questions will be received (and responded to) and used in the decision making process. Since choosing to run for city council, I have had numerous people state that they don’t even know who their Alderman is or what an Alderman does.  I want to focus on changing that.

·       What sets you apart from the other candidates, if contested?

I think that my experience in a downtown business gives me an edge that my running mates do not have. With downtown development a major concern, knowing what it takes to survive and thrive in not only this economy but our downtown could prove to be a benefit for other perspective businesses looking to locate in the area.

·       How long have you lived in the town?

I have lived in Batavia for 17 years. We moved here before the start of fifth grade, where I attended JB Nelson. I lived in Chicago for the time I attended school at UIC, but my family remained here in Batavia. When my husband and I decided to buy a house, it was an easy decision to choose Batavia to raise our family.

·       What's your favorite thing about the town?

I love the people and the heart that people in Batavia have for the community. Batavians are very focused on volunteering, charity and family. People here really care about each other and want the best for the whole town’s future.

·       What is the biggest problem in the town?

Lack of attraction to the downtown area seems to be the biggest issue in Batavia. We have such a wonderful attribute in the Fox River and the parks surrounding it, but people don’t have much else to draw them into this area yet. I know long time members of our community who have only recently discovered Clark Island!

• What is your long-term vision for Batavia’s downtown? In other words, what does your ideal downtown Batavia look like? My ideal downtown Batavia would be storefronts filled with wonderful local shops, restaurants and art galleries. I would like to see a small hotel or Inn with reception space along the downtown area of the river.  

• What initiatives and partnerships will help contribute to your vision of downtown?

The façade grant programs as well as creative use of TIF funds are helping to make this vision a reality. I am very excited to see new developments coming from the Streetscape committee to help attract people into downtown. There is also a low-interest loan program and other grant money available for downtown businesses and building owners.

• Where do you stand on backyard chickens? Explain your case. 
• I am in support of the backyard chickens. I do feel there needs to be regulations on the size of the coop, number of coops, number of chickens and upkeep of the chickens to prevent and issues that the city experienced years ago. There has been extensive research into any negative and positive ramifications of allowing chickens to be raised in our community, and I feel that the positive outweighs the negative. It is just another step in the sustainable movement that helps to make Batavia an environmentally conscious community.

• Where do you stand on the Mooseheart annexation and the potential development of that land? Explain your case. 
• The annexation of Mooseheart is a logical step for the city to make.  The city is closely involved in the development plans for the area in question. I think this will help to increase housing for retirement age community members, which seems to be an issue that is on the minds of many right now as well.