Village Of Tinley Park Trustee Candidate William Brennan: Election '23

Patch is providing candidate profiles for several races in the area. If you are a candidate seeking an opportunity to complete our profile form, please email lauren.traut@patch.com. Please note your position sought.

Name: William Brennan

Age as of Election Day: 37

Town/City of Residence: Tinley Park

Office sought: Village Board

Party Affiliation (if a partisan race): One Tinley Park

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Education: South Suburban Community College (Ingalls Hospital Paramedic Program)

Occupation: Insurance and Financial Services 17 Years. State Farm Insurance Agent/Owner Operator, Rocket Mortgage Loan Originator

Campaign Website: Onetinleypark.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: Village Trustee

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them. While the work to move our Village forward is never done, I believe residents deserve to live in a safe community with a strong local economy and careful use of the taxpayers’ dollars. As Chair of the Public Safety Committee, I intend to continue building on our past success of recruiting a record amount of police officers. We have added to our police force over 25+ officers, two highly experienced Deputy Chiefs, two K9 officer teams, and many task force officers. We have accomplished all of this while growing the tax base and protecting the taxpayers by successfully utilizing grants to fund many of these initiatives.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? I believe I bring a unique skill set to the Village. I am a former Paramedic and have worked alongside many of our public safety professionals in town but, I also own a business and have many years in the insurance and financial services industry. In addition to the financial industry experience I have served as Mayor Pro-Tem and Chairman of the Committee of the Whole. I think this experience gives me a good perspective on not only the financial impacts but also how village services and resources are used to make sure we are getting the best value for our constituents tax dollars.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform. As a member of the One Tinley Park team, I recognize that it takes a dedicated team to run a Village successfully. Though we may not always agree on the route to get somewhere, we can come to a consensus on the destination, and compromise when necessary. I will always prioritize the concerns and key issues of our residents and business owners, and believe it is essential to invest in our public safety teams with proper training and equipment. Additionally, I recognize that it is equally important to remain a business-friendly community to encourage economic development and attract new businesses to grow the tax base. Finally I will continue to encourage and leverage technology as a pillar to our success, we have greatly expanded the Village's IT department and more is on the way to help us modernize not only Village staff resources but also resources to help us improve resident engagement.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? In addition to all of our accomplishments with public safety as I noted above, looking back at the past 4 years we have truly accomplished much even while battling worldwide pandemic that kicked off my first year in office. We have remained a shining example of what fiscal responsibility looks like. We have done more with less and have weathered the storm and came out of the pandemic in an excellent financial position. We also delivered on 159th and Harlem corridor which was a goal in our first campaign. We are still seeing much development with the addition of the Pete's Fresh Market and Chik-Fil-A that will also reside on Harlem. Another one of our first initiatives in office was to acquire the properties necessary for the completion of Harmony Square and with the recent announcement we will be partnering with a developer to complete that project is something I am really proud of as I believe it will truly be a gem of the Southside and something that will benefit future generations of Tinley Park residents for years to come.

Why should voters trust you? I want to first say it has been an honor and a privilege that the voters trusted me four years ago. I am proud of my record as Village Trustee for the past four years and I want to say thank you for trusting me then. Additionally I was born and raised here in Tinley Park and have always called it my home. I have a deep commitment to our community, I volunteer my time with our local Bulldogs sports organizations and I volunteer on a board for St. Colettas which is an organization for kids and adults with developmental disabilities which is also based here in Tinley Park. I love our community and am raising my kid's here because we are a tightknit community with strong roots and history. I am also passionate about transparency and accountability, I would be remiss if I didn't mention our positive track record with each and every audit and budget conducted while we have been in office. We have kept our word and have kept Village of Tinley Park taxes low.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success? Ultimately I will look back and view my term as a success if we can keep taxes low, continue our track record of public safety, increase public engagement, and continue to grow the tax base. I am proud of my first term and would consider it a success. I would also consider this term as a success by resident satisfaction and engagement. People will continue to be proud to call Tinley Park home.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking? I think the most important aspect of this position as a Village Trustee is carefully weighing every cost benefit for all Village expenses. We have a fiduciary duty to the taxpayers and that is something that I don't take lightly. It is of the utmost importance to carefully examine every expenditure to make certain there is value in each and every expense while also maintaining a balanced budget with a healthy rainy day fund. I have and will continue to be very conscientious of all taxpayer funds.

Do you support the Illinois assault weapons ban, and would you support a local assault weapons ban in this community? No answer provided.

Do you support Black Lives Matter, and do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality? If not, what specifically should be done to do so? No answer provided.

Do you support the SAFE-T Act? Why or why not? No answer provided.

What are your thoughts on the crime rate in your community, and what more can be done to combat crime — especially violent crime — in town? No answer provided.

What is your view of the city's/village's approach to commercial and residential development? No answer provided.

When it comes to development, what are some key areas for improvement or additions you feel are most wanted by residents? What will need to be done to make this happen? No answer provided.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family? No.

The best advice ever shared with me was: Anything worth doing is worth doing well. I apply this to everything in my life and give my all without taking shortcuts. As a Trustee I am never shortsighted and make sure I am making decisions that benefit all of our residents and business not just presently but also for the long term. Professionally I am trusted with customers' largest investments and I don't take that for granted and I go the extra distance to make sure they are comfortable with all the products they trust me with.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions? Ultimately I think the voters want someone they can trust to make decisions no matter how difficult or popular they may be. They trusted me 4 years ago and I am honored to be running again with a great team in One Tinley Park. I think the most important skill we as elected officials can possess is the ability to listen. I think I have done that over the last four years and have heard the residents and what is important to them. We have delivered on many new projects like the 159th and Harlem corridor which comprises of Floor & Decor, Amazon Fresh, Burlington Coat Factory. We have also began revitalizing the downtown area with developments like The Boulevard, Banging Gavel, and now the recently announced Harmony Square Plaza. We have also begun developing the furthest west corridor in our village at 179th and La Grange with the rapidly rising Loyola project to anchor that part of town. In addition we have bolstered our Police department and public safety departments to levels never seen before. We have successfully done all this of while being fiscally responsible and keeping a balanced budget despite all the uncertainty while being elected shortly before the Covid-19 Pandemic. I would be so honored to have your vote and trust again to keep serving you as your Village Trustee. If elected, you can expect more servant leadership with the utmost integrity and unwavering dedication to the community you expect from your elected officials.