Matthew Brolley: Candidate Profile

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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: Sugar GroveWebsite: https://brolley4congress.com/Twitter: @MattBrolleyIL14Facebook: @BrolleyforCongressOffice sought: 14th District U.S. Representative Age: 36Family: Rosa Brolley, Wife, Mother, Teacher Beckham, son 8 years old Delilah, daughter 6 years oldOccupation: Civil EngineerEducation: Bachelors Degrees in Civil Engineering (UIC) and Physics (North Central College)Civic involvement: Chicago Climate Charter Member - 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers - Citizen Engineer of the Year - 2017 President, Metro West Council of Government (serving Kendall, Kane and Dekalb Counties) Engineer's without Borders - Water Project, Village of Armenta, Honduras Junior Achievement Volunteer Board Member - Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) Ãcirc;#144; Representing Kane and Kendall Counties Delegate to Northern Ireland - American Council of Young Political Leaders Montgomery Foundation Ãcirc;#144; Founding Board Member (2015 - present) Montgomery Economic Development Corporation Ãcirc;#144; Executive Board Member (2012 - present) Greater Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (2009-2011)Elected offices held: Village President of Montgomery (currently serving in 2nd four year term) Village Trustee of Montgomery Chairman of Village of Montgomery Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.Questions Answers What do you think is the government's responsibility in assuring that citizens have health care? To what extent does the Affordable Care Act address this responsibility? What, if any, changes are needed in the act.I think the government's responsibility is guaranteeing that Americans are able to exercise their human right to health care. The Affordable Care Act began to address healthcare concerns by slowing the growth of healthcare costs, decreasing medical bankruptcies, and allowing over 20 million Americans to acquire health coverage for the first time including almost 40,000 residents of the 14th district. But costs are still too high and too many people are left uncovered. Worse yet, President Trump and Congressional Republicans are taking actions that will raise costs higher and leave more people uninsured. The best way we can improve beyond the ACA is to enact a Medicare buy-in and a low-cost public option. With a Medicare buy-in, Americans near retirement age will get assistance just as their healthcare costs start to go up and their incomes often start to decline. Allowing these Americans to secure Medicare coverage early also makes the Medicare pool younger, healthier, and more cost effective. A low-cost public option will also force the private market to compete, lowering costs for all consumers making health care truly accessible to many Americans for the first time.What immigration policies do you support? Where, if at all, do you see room for compromise to produce an effective policy on immigration? What, if any, responsibility does the government have toward immigrants referred to as Dreamers who were brought to the United States illegally as children and are now adults? How will these policies affect your district?I support a clean DREAM Act. DREAMers know no other home and they are some of the best and brightest America has to offer. Deporting DREAMers to foreign and often dangerous countries is inhumane. Our government has the responsibility to ensure DREAMers are allowed to remain here in America and prosper, just like all our ancestors did. That people from around the world are willing to leave everything they have and know behind to immigrate to America for a better life is one of the most special qualities about this country. DREAMers are the literal poster children for this special American quality and we need to protect them.What military or diplomatic roles should the United States play to promote peace and stability in the Mideast? Under what circumstances should we have military forces actively operating?In the Middle East, the United States has an indispensable role to play to promote peace and stability. But since September 11th, so much of our foreign policy has been focused on military solutions without much in the way of diplomacy. This year, the United States will enter its 17th year of combat in Afghanistan and 15th year in Iraq. Next year, children born after September 11th will enlist and fight in wars that predate their lives. War is supposed to be our last resort, but we don't seem to act that way. To our peril, this often leads us to act unilaterally without support from allies. We need to be making less war and more peace by refocusing our efforts and resources on diplomacy. We already spend more money on our Defense budget than the next eight countries combined. Despite this, President Trump has called for an increase in Defense spending while cutting the State Department's budget by 30 percent. This moves us in the wrong direction. We should only have military forces actively operating when every diplomatic option has been exhausted and we can count on military support from our allies. If elected to Congress, I'll be an advocate for peace by encouraging our leaders to seek diplomatic successes like the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Agreement before considering how they can put our troops into harm's way.What should the United States be doing to reduce the threat of potential nuclear conflict from North Korea?Every military leader I've heard speak about North Korea says the same thing: there are no good options. Military options put tens of millions of people at risk from South Korean citizens to American soldiers. If we're going to solve this nuclear crisis without massive loss of life, the President needs to stop antagonizing Kim Jong-un on Twitter and start working with our allies to negotiate nuclear weaponry away from North Korea.How would you describe the effectiveness of Congress today? If you think Congress needs to be more effective, what would you do to promote that?I think we can all agree that Congress is broken. And when they have gotten things done, it seems to only help a wealthy few. Just in the last year, Congressional Republicans have enacting a broadly unpopular agenda that raises taxes on the middle class and takes health care from working families to pay for tax cuts for the rich and big corporations. Congress needs to work for the middle class and working families. I would promote that because that's where I'm from and all I've ever known. I grew up in a working family in Boulder Hill and I live in the middle class in Montgomery today. Congress could also use more consensus-builders. As Mayor of Montgomery, I've led by seeking consensus with Democrats, Republicans, and independents on our village board and I'm proud of the job we've done by working together. Montgomery is a better community to live, work, and play in because its elected representatives choose to work together.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?When this election is over, there will be nothing more important than solving the healthcare crisis. The status quo is unacceptable and it's an issue I take most seriously. Ensuring the 14th district has good-paying jobs is always a priority. Like many communities across the country, many families here in the 14th district still worry about job security and low wages. I think there are solutions popular among Democrats and Republicans that will make a meaningful difference in the district. Chief among these solutions is an infrastructure plan to rebuild and expand our roads, bridges, railways, and waterways. These are good-paying jobs that can't be outsourced. Protecting the environment is an issue I've cared about long before I ran for public office. Before I was Mayor of Montgomery, I worked with the village zoning board to change our laws so residents could install solar panels and wind turbines on their property. When President Trump announced the United States's exit from the Paris Climate Agreement, I signed on as a Climate Mayor by promising that Montgomery will continue to live up to the climate goals of the agreement. In December, I also joined 50 mayors from around the world when I signed the Chicago Climate Charter. Protecting the environment has always been a priority for me because it's a root issue that, if left uncared for, can negatively affect other issues like health care, infrastructure, and agriculture. I plan to make protecting our environment a priority in Congress too.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Senator Dick Durbin. He's stood up for the DREAMers. It's been inspiring to watch such a decent man stand up for such a vulnerable population.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Always do the hard work first.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I took my parents to tour our old family home.Our wonderful memories were soured by a home in disrepair (which highlights the middle class declineWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math! Just like Jordan, I was cut from the freshman basketball team so instead of practicing my jump shot, I practiced algebra.The rest is history.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Always do the right thing, even when no one is looking.