Brian Prigge: 2023 candidate for Barrington village board

Bio

Town: Barrington

Age on Election Day: 34

Occupation: Chief Technology Officer

Employer: Carepoint Healthcare

Previous offices held: none

Q&A

Q: What is the most serious issue your community will face in the coming years and how should the city council or village board respond to it?

A: Inflation and a potential economic downturn will have an impact on Barrington for years to come. The village board should closely monitor the situation along with any potential relief the board is able to provide residents. Additionally, the board should be focused on attracting a variety of businesses to set up shop in Barrington. As we have seen throughout the pandemic and in other economic downturns, not all businesses are impacted equally. Being home to a variety of businesses will allow the village to retain both revenue and local jobs in the event of a downturn that disproportionately affects a subset of the market.

Q: How would you describe the state of your community's finances?

A: The Village of Barrington, like most municipalities, is generally underfunded. This results from a wide variety of problems, including unfunded mandates coming from Springfield. On the whole, though, the Village of Barrington is managing its finances well. There is an added funding source coming in July of the incremental 1% sales tax that was put in place after the home rule referendum was passed in November. That tax should help shore up the gaps in funding.

Q: What should be the three top priorities for spending in your community during the next four years?

A: The priorities for spending over the next four years should closely resemble the justification that was put out during the Home Rule campaign. They fit into the broad categories of infrastructure, beautification, and other quality-of-life improvements. Barrington's infrastructure is aging. The roads, water system, and more all need improvement. The Public Works building is sixty years old and unsuitable for modern public works equipment and operations.Barrington's downtown area is ripe for development. With the appropriate investment, our downtown could be an open, inviting, accessible space for our residents and residents of surrounding communities to shop, eat, and generally support our local businesses.Finally, the other improvement bucket entails everything from legislative changes that are now possible due to home rule status to safety updates throughout the village. These would focus on how we can make living, working, and relaxing in the village more enjoyable.

Q: Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed? If so, what are they?

A: All budget areas should be scrutinized to ensure we make the most efficient use of each dollar. This is especially true now that we are a home rule community and have greater contracting power to secure better pricing through multi-year agreements. There is not, however, an area of the budget that has undue spending at this point.

Q: What do you see as the most important infrastructure project the community must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what project(s) can be put on the back burner?

A: The roads and water systems are a top priority. Road conditions have a huge impact on safety, accessibility, and public perception of the village and cannot be neglected. Given that Barrington operates its own wells and wastewater treatment plant, maintaining clean, high-quality water for our residents is paramount. These two priorities also go hand-in-hand as much of the water infrastructure runs under the roads, so improving them simultaneously carries certain cost benefits.The village has undertaken many road and water projects recently, including replacing sidewalk ramps to make them ADA-compliant. However, with over 50 center line miles of road under Barrington's control, much work remains to be done.

Q: Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach agreement and manage local government? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your village board or city council.

A: I have worked in multiple board settings previously, as well as working in IT consulting and software product management. In each of these situations, the most important part of the process is hearing the balanced voices of all of the stakeholders. So often in government, there are decisions made that much of the community was not aware were taking place until after the fact. Transparency in government is not enough. Promoting better communication so that there is a proactive approach to transparency is key. Whether we are making use of the Village's social media more effectively, reaching out directly to community members, or hosting town hall events for the public, I'd like to work more in collaboration with our community journalists, neighbors, and leaders to not only be receptive to feedback but to broadcast the issues we are contemplating and solicit input at every possible juncture.

Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?

A: Having been raised in Palatine, living in various states throughout the country, and now living in Barrington for years, I bring a Midwestern work ethic and a broad perspective. Barrington is a vibrant community with a rich history and strong identity. The challenges our community will face over the next four years can be solved in distinctly Barrington ways that respect our community heritage while drawing on the experience of other municipalities.

Additionally, as a technology professional, I have a background in self-service and automation technology, both of which are areas that are sorely lacking in municipal governments across the country. I would seek to enhance these for the residents' benefit and the cost savings these technologies can provide. Finally, perhaps most importantly, I don't come into this role with an agenda. I don't have special interest groups behind me. I am ready to listen to residents and business owners and work collaboratively to solve their challenges.

Q: What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?

A: When someone is struggling with financial hardship, drug addiction, mental illness, or anything else, resources are available to help them. Between police/fire/EMT interactions, utility billing, etc., the village has an early indicator that someone may be struggling and is uniquely capable of providing this type of service. As with most things, the earlier you address a problem, the higher the success rate.

I have personally experienced the downturn of a business. My own business was not immune to the pressures the pandemic put on the economy. It took a great deal of research and seeking out experts to find the resources to get the business and our family through. I want to help our residents through that process when they need it. Barrington has some established public/private sector partnerships to creatively and collaboratively respond to issues facing our community. I want to strengthen these partnerships and create better access to community resources centrally and online.