Brian Inzerello: 2023 candidate for Des Plaines City Council, Ward 6
Bio
Town: Des Plaines
Age on Election Day: 44
Occupation: Project engineer
Employer: Lindahl Brothers
Previous offices held: District 62 School Board
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: Safety. We need to continue to support those we rely on the most (police, fire) by financially budgeting enough to allow the job to get done, while also maintaining inclusive policy to try to negate crime before it happens.
Q: How would you describe the state of your community's finances?
A: Des Plaines is a fiscally responsible city.
Q: What should be the three top priorities for spending in your community during the next four years?
A: All spending should have the following ideals as a priority: Inclusion, safety, and technology. We need to make sure that dollars spent benefit our city as a whole and do not alienate our residents. We need to make sure that safety is at the forefront of all decisions, and we need to implement technologies that drive involvement with our residents.
Q: What do you think is the right way to revitalize Metropolitan Square? Should it be funded privately or publicly or not at all?
A: We need to look at a public-private partnership. Tax incentives and/or public land from the local government, while private organizations provide capital investment, job creation, and development expertise.
Q: Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed? If so, what are they?
A: Yes. One example is alderman and mayoral salaries and health benefits.
Q: Is city hall doing enough to retain businesses in town and lure new ones? If not, what should be done?
A: No, I think we need to look at other options such as actively scouring business registries and regulatory databases to be proactive about reaching out, and possibly looking into enterprise zoning.
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 most important projects are to continue the stormwater, street, sidewalk and sewer improvements. It is easy to get distracted with the next big opportunity, but it is imperative that this city stays strong starting at the ground level. While hindsight is 20/20, an example of something that should of taken the back burner was the casino expansion. With a history of increasing calls to the police and concerns before the expansion, safety took a back seat to that decision.
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 experience through the school board and current employment with setting policy. The thing that would separate my style in comparison to others, is that I am against status quo. I am a big believer that the idea of "it's always been done that way" is the worst type of self-sabotage.
Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?
A: I have strong experience in the engineering field, and a desire to volunteer within my community.
Q: What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
A: The role of alderman should be on a volunteer basis. I will not be accepting any insurance offered by the city and any salary provided to me by the city will be donated to the local food pantry in its entirety.