Richard A. Brogan: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: StreamwoodWebsite: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/home.php?sk=group_183003568385074ap=1Office sought: Streamwood Village boardAge: 54Family: My family and I are 19 year residents of Streamwood. My wife Kim and I have been committed to giving back to our community along with surrounding communities. We have four children Dan, Shannon, Brett and Jordan.Occupation: May, 1985 to present Village of Itasca Police Department Police Officer/Crime Prevention Officer/Special Events Coordinator/Public Relations. Responsible for community police partnerships with other governmental agencies, residents and local business.Education: Bachelor of Science, Western Illinois University B.S. Criminal Justice Degree College of DuPage Lake Park High SchoolCook County Police Cook County Corrections Academy Fox Valley College: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design SpecialistCivic involvement: Coaching/Managing/Member of Streamwood Falcon Football, Streamwood Little League Baseball, Streamwood Youth Basketball Association. Participated on the Streamwood Park District Foundation committee, Streamwood Paint a Park, Special Olympics Torch Run Committee member, Hanover Township Public Health Safety Committee, Hanover Township Emergency Management and Streamwood Booster Club, Food Pantry, Itasca Elder Services Unit, Assisting Inner City Schools, Chicago Bulls Charitabulls, What is Addiction Interactive Exhibit, Special Events Committee, Safe Community America Committee, Hotel Tax Committee, National Night Out Committee, Oktoberfest Committee, Halloween committee, Go Green Committee, Highland Games, A Night With Santa Committee, 4th of July Committee and 10-42 Committee. Elected offices held: Streamwood Park District CommissionerHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NOCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Spending Capital improvements: Streamwood has an annual budget of $40 million dollars with only a $5 million dollar ""Rainy Day Fund"". I would not support using the ""Rainy Day Fund"" unless absolutely necessary because it could be gone in a blink of an eye. The board needs to prioritize its spending and capital improvement program. These improvements should be posted on the Village#146;s website and posted in the newsletter. Finding the most cost effective way to achieve these improvements without burdening the tax payers with a rate hike is of paramount importance. Too often people want to talk in an open forum and the Village Board meetings are not conducive to open dialogue. Host a Village open forum where staff, business and residents can address all taxing bodies (elected officials). ""Shape of the Streamwood#148; can offer ideas and possible solutions that can better serve the residents. Providing a vehicle for communications between all elected officials, residents, Village Staff, and the Village Board will build trust and rapport with our community, which in turn will make our Village a more efficient and more customer focused. Key Issue 2 People are tired of voting against someone so now is the chance to vote for someone! I want to be part of a winning team. If elected I am only an extension of the residents and businesses. The future of the Village and the Village Board is to not live in the past when discussing previous mistakes, but to rather work together to create solutions that better serve our residents.Therefore one of my key goals is quickly establish a working relationship based on mutual respect with the rest of Village Trustees.Key Issue 3 Community Pride: Streamwood is a terrific place to live, work and play. If you show pride in ownership the winner will be the community. Strengthen the Village ties to the residents and business it serves. I will work to foster better relationships with all the various ethnic, age groups, religious and businessmen in Streamwood. Its only through working together as a Village with open lines of communication that we can successfully meet the challenges that the Village of Streamwood face such as Lower revenues, strained State finances and an overall weekend economy. Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I have 25 years of experience working with residents, businesses, governmental agencies and giving back to our community as a community servant. As a Park District Commissioner, in working with staff we have established a 5 Year Master Plan. We are purchasing more while spending less money on infrastructure and cutting waste without sacrificing jobs. We have changed job descriptions where everyone works as a team. We have placed more emphasis on identifying services/programs that have the greatest impact and eliminating those that fail to reach our strategic goals.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Tapping into the Village's ""Rainy Day Fund"" is a last ditch effort because when its gone taxes will be raised. People are tired of being taxed and we should evaluate how village money is being spent. Due to a poor economy many people in the private sector have been fired, laid off or made concessions to keep their job. My house taxes has gone up and the value of my property has gone down. Once again we need to identify services/programs that have the greatest impact and eliminate those that fail to reach our strategic goal.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.Partner with our surrounding jurisdictions for immediate mutual response with police and fire because manpower is at an all time low. We need to make sure that our emergency response has sufficient assistance when responding to emergency calls. Streamwood residents believe that Streamwood should strictly enforce code violations. Work with code enforcement officer to maintain property values. Public Safety Commission: Establish a non-partisan commission to study Streamwood safety needs. What are the staffing levels that are sufficient to maintain a save community. Free from political influence with representative from both bargaining units.In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Partnerships: Inter-governmental agreements allow all taxing bodies to work cooperatively, be more efficient, share resources and save money for the taxpayers. I have been able to accomplish paying for projects with partnerships in the community without burdening the taxpayers. If you create positive partnerships in the community they can help fund your capital improvements. I would not support a tax hike until the economy sustains a substantial growth or we cut programs that do not meet the residents needs.What#146;s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?The Village of Streamwood needs a 5 Year Master Plan. This plan can be reevaluated each year to update the plan. Each Department must complete a year end annual report to see if they are meeting the villages goals and objectives. ""Shape of Streamwood"" Thursday under the big tent during Summer Celebration. Residents talking to all taxing bodies and staff. We could explore joint purchasing with other units of local government, co-op programs with other agencies, place a greater emphasis on identifying available grant opportunities and involve the community in the development to work with the Villages long range master plan. Each department provides a year end annual report, evaluation and development goals. Creating a volunteer program where residents can participate in volunteering their time.