Public safety is a number one priority, and Naperville was again named one of the Safest Cities in America! Naperville's Fire Department is on the cutting edge. Allison attended the Citizen Fire Academy and learned first-hand how fortunate we are to have innovative (and persuasive!) leaders in the Naperville Fire Department. Not satisfied with a 9% survival rate for heart attack calls (that’s a 91% failure rate), they invested in new equipment and protocols and improved the survival rate to 21%. Naperville FD has 11 AutoPulse Resuscitation machines that give automated CPR. If you’ve ever done CPR, you know it’s hard work! This gives patients a much better chance of survival.

Naperville leads on racial inclusion by continuing to focus on smart 21st Century policing. Our police department has a robust continuing education program. Officers attend over 80 hours of training each year, with emphasis on de-escalation techniques and crisis intervention. She participated in the Citizen Police Academy and saw how dedicated they are. Their training philosophy is one from Archilochus (Greek Soldier in 650 BC): "We don't rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training." As the retired Chief Marshall said, "The Naperville Police Department is setting the bar, not reaching for it." Allison is committed to working with the Naperville Police Department to strengthen their relationship with the community, ensuring equitable treatment for all. 

Stormwater management continues to be an issue in many neighborhoods and modernizing the system should be a priority. New subdivisions have planned water runoff systems (e.g. retention basins, adequate pipes) but the older parts of town don’t. Allison wants the city to be responsive to residents who are experiencing flooding and to require that any new home review its impact on neighboring properties. After living through the watermain upgrade project in Park Addition, she looks forward to seeing unflooded streets.

Allison is a supporter of the city developing a Traffic Calming Toolkit, which is a way to achieve balance between vehicles and pedestrians. “Calming” tools could be planters, bike lanes, or sidewalk extensions which improve traffic flow in residential neighborhoods without adding a lot of stop signs.