Peoria Pundit

Pat Nichting has always been a little bit of a mystery to me.  I have met him casually at a few ”Night out against Crime” Socials.  He is always extremely polite but seems a little on the serious side.  That  changed last Saturday evening when we were randomly assigned a dinner table with him at the Republican Women Lincoln Day Dinner.  OK, so he will never dance on a table with a lamp shade on his head but Patrick can let his hair down and he politely agreed to sit down with me yesterday for this interview. Enjoy!

Diane: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Patrick.  My biggest curiosity is what the heck does the city treasurer do?

Nichting:  The office of the Treasurer collects fees, fines and taxes. It acts as a depository of money prior to the funds getting transferred to the City Financing Department.  The treasurers office provides a system of checks and balances between the citizens and the government. The position is an elected position because the City Treasurer’s role is to represent the taxpayer.

Diane:  Hmmm, city treasurer.  With all due respect, it sounds a little boring. What has inspired you to run for this position?

Nichting: With Reg Willis, the current city treasurer retiring, the Mayor and Reg asked me to run so that I can serve the citizens of Peoria in a greater capacity.  As Treasurer, I will serve the entire city instead of just the 5th district. During these challenging economic times, having a grasp of the issues that the council faces, having someone with the knowledge of the revenue sources and political experience becomes vitally important. The Treasurers office is more statute oriented and not so policy oriented. It must provide a monthly report of revenue streams and the council relies on the integrity and reliability  of the treasurers report as a basis to make their decisions. It is in this capacity I feel I can best serve the citizens of Peoria and their elected representatives.

Diane:  Are you sure you’re not out for some giant retirement package as some (ah-hem!) may suggest?

Nichting: You know, Diane,  if my motive was money, I would never have chosen to serve on the city council. You know that as a self-employed person time is money.  The City council position required a great deal of my time, time that I could have devoted to my business, but instead I chose to serve my district. As far as the pension is concerned, my opponent would be entitled to the exact same benefits, so in fairness, you must levy the same charges against him.

Diane:  So what have you done to prepare yourself for this race, and if elected, prepare yourself for this position?

Nichting: I have had at least a half dozen meetings with the current city treasurer, Reg Willis, and met with all of the staff. They are the ones that are on the front lines and perform the tasks every day. It is important to hear and understand their perspectives, their concerns, and their suggestions. In my capacity as a council representative I have worked with the Office of the Treasurer and I am familiar with the people and I know the department. I feel certain that I have earned their confidence as well because I have received the endorsement of the current city treasurer Reg Willis, the former city treasurer Mary Allrich, and the current county treasurer Tripp O’Connor.  I have also received the endorsement of Mayor Jim Ardis and our Congressman Aaron Schock.

Diane: Very impressive. So I guess I should ask you a little bit about yourself. Are you married? Kids?

Nichting: Yes,  I have been married to Dawn for 22 years and we have 3 daughters and a son. I have an MBA in Business Administration and have owned and operated a  restaurant equipment corporation for 26 years.

Diane: Wow. A lot of estrogen in your home. Good luck with that. So Patrick, you have always seemed so serious to me. Do you ever let your hair down?

Nichting: (laughing) My wife says that too. I’ll work on that. I guess it comes with all my years in public service. Citizens and taxpayers want to know that you are serious about their concerns and it is important that when you are representing the city of Peoria to always maintain a professional demeanor. But yes, I do let my hair down so to speak. Our family has a little cabin on the river  in Woodford County that I have been re-habbing, and we spend some time swimming, fishing and relaxing. No internet or TV though, Diane.

Diane:  Huh. Pfft, sounds like a blast (sarcasm intended).  You know, Patrick, along those lines, can you give me an idea as to your professional demeanor.  For instance, how would you handle an unhappy or irate citizen?

Nichting:  In my capacity as council representative, I have had to deal with all different personality types and have handled more than my share of citizen complaints. The most important thing one must do is to listen patiently.  Allow that person an opportunity to express their concerns and frustrations.  I would then discuss options of resolving the issue. Often what makes the difference between success and failure is your ability to bridge the differences between factions, explore compromise between opposing viewpoints and find solutions. Sometimes there is no resolution that the citizen would be satisfied with, but clearly listening to them and offering a sympathetic ear can go a long way towards diffusing a troubling situation. It is vitally important that when a citizen does business with or comes into contact with the city of Peoria, they walk away feeling that they were treated fairly and courteously.  How that person is treated by me is not only a reflection on my office but of the entire city of Peoria.

Diane:  Are there any improvements that you would like to bring to the City Treasurers office?

Nichting:  There are some newer technologies out there that I would like to investigate. I have also been reading up on the “Best Practices” that city treasurers across the country have been utilizing and would like to start incorporating some of those. The office is run very well already so I would be looking at how we can take it from good to better.

Diane:  So, do you read the blogs, and if so, who is your favorite blogger?

Nichting: (guffawing) Uh, yeah, I do occasionally. Haven’t lately though because I’ve been busy.  And of course I have a favorite blogger (giant grin).

Diane: Uh huh, I noticed you didn’t answer the question.  Final question: Is there anything important that you would like to add that perhaps I missed?

Nichting: I would like to mention that I think the Peoria Treasurers office has historically done an outstanding  job. For at least the past 30  years there has never been a cloud or question come over their work, and their  level of integrity has been beyond reproach. They will be a tough act to follow but I feel I am perfectly qualified, both from an experience and integrity standpoint to continue the good work of the Office of the Treasurer on behalf of the citizens of Peoria.

In a follow-up conversation, Patrick mentioned to me that he has just finished negotiating the final stages of a new Schnucks grocery store in his district located between Alta and Wilhelm Road by St. Judes. This project has been in the works for over a year and a half  and he has brought it to his district with no public funding. I perceive this to be a great neighborhood amenity for all the new residential development out there, and Patrick’s efforts in that regard are notable. Thanks to Mr. Nichting for the interview and for lunch. I highly recommend the veggie sandwich and cream of chicken and wild rice soup at Panera’s on North Knoxville, Peoria.

This entry was posted on March 25, 2009 at 10:07 am and is filed under Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed Both comments and pings are currently closed.