Jeffrey Braiman: Candidate Profile

Back to Buffalo Grove Village president

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:BioQA Bio City: Buffalo GroveWebsite: www.braiman4bg.comOffice sought: Buffalo Grove Village president Age: 62Family: Married to Susan, a Special Education Teacher in Aptakisic Tripp School District #102, Children: Nina, a Project Manager with Truven Health Analytics married to Alon Stein, an attorney, Michael, the Assistant Village Manager in Wilmette, Illinois married to Jessica (Gomberg) a 3rd grade teacher at Willowbrook School in Glenview, and Mara an activities assistant at the Claremont in Buffalo GroveOccupation: AttorneyEducation: John Marshall Law School J.D.19777 Drake University B.A. 1974Civic involvement: Aptakisic Tripp School District #102 Long Range Committee Congregation Beth Am Long Range Committee BGRA Coach Buffalo Grove Basketball and Softball CoachElected offices held: Village President 2011- present Village Trustee 1991-2011 Buffalo Grove Liquor Commissioner 2011- present Plan Commissioner 1988-1991 BG Zoning Board of Appeals 1986-1988 BG Transportation Commission 1985-1986 Vice President Northwest Municipal Conference 2014- present Northwest Municipal Conference Executive Board 202014- present Chairman Northwest Municipal Conference Transportation Committee 2013-2014 Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) 2011- present Lake County Municipal League Executive Board 2013- present Route 53-120 Blue Ribbon Commission member 2013- present Route 53/120 Blue Ribbon Commission Finance Committee 2014- present Metropolitan Mayors Caucus 2011- presentQuestions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?My experience and leadership qualities make me the best candidate for the office of President of Buffalo Grove. Over the past 30 years I have dedicated myself to the improvement of our community, in which I live and love. Having served the Village on numerous committees prior to serving on the Board has given me a wide range of experiences and a unique perspective. I served on the Transportation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Plan Commission 20 years as a Village Trustee and 4 years as the Village President. As Trustee and President I have proposed, promoted and encouraged various changes to the Village's ordinances and procedures that have served to strengthen the Village as a whole, particularly its financial condition. Through my leadership over the past 25 years, the Village has accomplished much. We have been named one of the best places to live several times, cited as the 2nd safest city in Illinois and 23rd safest in the country, obtained and retained a AAA Bond rating from both financial rating institutions, our Police, Fire and Public Works Departments have achieved national accreditation, and our Art Festival and Farmer's Market have been rated as being in the top ten in the country. Over my years of service I have instituted policies that will serve to sustain our core services and financial stability. I believe I am best prepared and able to lead the Village through the critical issues we will face in the future.Should the Buffalo Grove golf course and municipal campus ever be re-developed? Now that the downtown proposal is dead, tell us what is your vision for that property going forward.The review process relative to the former downtown proposal was informative on many different levels. Through the investigation process the Village was able to determine how much and what part of the golf course could possibly be developed. Engineering studies, development costs and resident feedback has told us that the golf course will never be redeveloped. As economic development is critical to reducing the tax burden on our residents, we need to complete a comprehensive study of our Lake Cook, Milwaukee Road and Dundee Road corridors as well as the entire Village to determine opportunities for development and re-development. I was a participant in the first and subsequent Comprehensive Plan Reviews and have suggested a renewed effort at the planning process throughout the Village which would include input from all stakeholders, including but not limited to our residents, Park District, School Districts, Village staff, Plan and Zoning Commission, Village Board and outside consultants all of whom would be responsible to shape the future of the Village. The golf course will remain in operation and it will be necessary to evaluate the management structure of the course to insure that tax payers will not continue to subsidize its operation.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The Village has worked hard at containing costs and maximizing revenues over the past years. While we are not constrained by the Illinois tax cap, we have been able to minimize our dependency on the real estate tax and have over the past 3 years passed budgets which called for an average of circ;frac12; of 1% increase in the real estate levy tax. As the result of unfunded mandates and other requirements imposed by the State, as well as contractual obligations to our Police and Fire Unions, and other employees, there are not many areas that would significantly reduce the budget. The vast majority of our corporate budget is dedicated to wages and personnel benefits. However, there are mechanism we have and can continue to effectuate that can contain costs. I have supported and promoted efforts to outsource or privatize services which have reduced salary and benefit costs such as pension and insurance payments. Additionally, I have supported partnering with other municipalities to gain economy of scale. In the past I proposed policies to reduce the cost of health insurance for our employees which has saved the Village millions of dollars over the past several years. As to areas where additional funds could be identified, I would place additional emphasis on our capital reserve funds to insure that money is available for replacement of assets and capital projects to avoid or reduce the need of borrowing funds and the cost of paying that debt in the future.According to the village engineer, Buffalo Grove faces enormous street reconstruction costs due to faulty road materials used in the 1970s and 1980s. How important is this for the village, where should Buffalo Grove find the money and how urgent is it to fix the roads?Providing a safe roadway system is an important component to a safe community. It is imperative to maintain our infrastructure as it has a direct result on quality of life and property values. Over the past several years, as the result of numerous factors, primarily resulting from the reduction of motor fuel tax funds received from the State, the repair and reconstruction of some of the more critical roads were delayed. Over the past 3 years the Village implemented a plan to repave the largest amount of roads in the Village's history. Unfortunately, resulting from the poor base materials used decades ago, the need to fully reconstruct a large number of streets will be necessary. While our Public Works and Engineering Departments have identified the general condition, additional efforts will be necessary to plan and program their replacement. It is anticipated that the failure of the roads will not occur simultaneously and efforts will be needed to create a comprehensive plan to address the problem over a number of years to reduce the cost and disruption to our residents. A balanced approach to the funding of the reconstruction must be undertaken. The burden of the payments cannot come from real estate taxes alone. The use of capital reserve funds, the use of motor fuel tax funds, grants and debt service must be examined. All efforts to minimize the burden on our residents need to be explored while providing a safe environment to our citizens.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?In the past, each entity serving the village citizens, be it the Village, Park District, Townships and various school districts have worked separately to satisfy their respective goals of providing the residents of Buffalo Grove with their respective services. It would my goal to begin to partner with the various entities serving our citizens not only to share services, but to coordinate activities beneficial to our mutual residents. There are numerous functions of government that overlap and could be coordinated to make them more efficient and responsive to community needs. These efficiencies and sharing of resources would also have an economic benefit to all of the taxing bodies and therefore to our residents. Recently, I promoted a community mobile app for smart phones which, in part, offered information and a calendar for several of our stakeholders. It is imperative that we look at the Village as an entire community rather than a group of separate entities. There is an incredible amount of talent and resources available throughout the Village and by tapping into those resources we can make Buffalo Grove an even better place to live.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The most important issue to me is how to ensure that we maintain and enhance quality of life within the Village to ensure that Buffalo Grove excels as one of the best cities to live and raise a family. To do this, we need to focus on 4 core areas: 1) Maintain and enhance Village services; 2) Continue our fiscal discipline 3) Encourage sensible economic development; and, 4) Make common sense decisions. My experience and leadership has been critical in taking Buffalo Grove from a quiet farm community in the 1980s to the destination that it is today for young families and professionals. I will continue to utilize my 30 years of reasoned, sensible leadership experience to keep Buffalo Grove moving forward.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Having witnessed the devastation resulting from ALS, I am inspired by Stephen Hawking, who overcame his disease to become a leader of the scientific community.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My parents taught us that when you stop learning you start dying - learning from life experiences as well as formal education.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I feel fortunate for what I have. I would prefer to look forward rather than re-live the past.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I was involved in music classes, primarily Band and Orchestra which taught me discipline and the ability to work collaboratively.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Live your life with a passion and be honest to yourself and others.