Peter Breen: Candidate Profile

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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: LombardWebsite: http://www.votebreen.comOffice sought: Lombard Board, District 4Age: 34Family: Married to Margie Manczko Breen.Occupation: Public Interest Attorney.Education: Juris Doctor, University of Notre Dame, 2000.Bachelor of Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, 1997 (earned in 3 years).Civic involvement: middot;Active member RCIA volunteer, Sacred Heart Church.middot;York Township Precinct Committeeman.middot;Executive Director Legal Counsel, Thomas More Society, a national public interest law firm headquartered in Chicago, IL.middot;Founder, Project Gabriel, a network of area churches united to help pregnant women in need and their children. You may have seen one of Project Gabriel's thousands of black and yellow ""Pregnant? Need Help?"" bumper stickers and magnets while you are driving.middot;Founder, Woman's Choice Services, a charitable organization of pregnancy help centers, providing practical assistance to pregnant women in need and their children and supported wholly by private donations, Lombard Downers Grove, IL.middot;Founder, BanRedCams.com, a Lombard-based grass-roots coalition that fought to end abusive red-light cameras at area intersections.middot;Eagle Scout.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Because of the difficult times we find ourselves in, my number one campaign focus is economic issues. Our Village's prudent fiscal policies need to be maintained and enhanced, in particular by continuing our current efforts at containing spending. Having managed various nonprofit organizations, I would bring to the Board a fresh perspective on finding and implementing cost efficiencies. The Village Board manages an over $80 million budget #8211; the sheer size of that number indicates to me that we can and must keep finding ways to save money for the taxpayers of Lombard. I'm also very attuned to the public pension crisis at the state and local level, and I intend to be in the middle of our efforts to find solutions to this crisis, called by some a #8220;ticking time bomb.#8221;Key Issue 2 District 4 has experienced an inordinate number of power outages. My wife, Margie, and I have experienced flooding multiple times due to power issues. After the first time, we purchased a backup sump pump, thinking that would keep us from having to go through the same experience again. After the second flooding problem, we purchased a gas-powered generator. Some of our neighbors have now installed permanent generators, and at this point, my wife and I are saving up for one of these permanent generators, too. Clearly our infrastructure is lacking. We can't live like this. Through the village and other means, we need to demand upgrades in our electricity supply and reliability to reduce or eliminate the power outages. They aren't just frequent, they are lengthy. Let's face it, no one who invests in a home and maintains their property should be held hostage every time a storm cloud appears. There are severe storms that will disrupt service, but the current condition in District 4 is more severe than elsewhere. That indicates to me that our service can improve dramatically, and I'll work vigorously toward that result.Key Issue 3 Hand in hand with the electrical issues are the flooding problems that our area has experienced. I've seen first hand that there are plenty of options to abate the problem. We have to look at options small and large to offer relief to residents who repeatedly flood. Some are even fearful to leave town for a few days. Count me as one of them. We need someone who doesn't mind being the ""squeaky wheel,"" and I've proven that I can be the kind of passionate advocate that District 4 needs on this and other issues.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?I've met both of my opponents and they're both fine men. However, this position requires someone with the proven ability to bring new energy and new ideas to a situation #8211; someone who is not afraid to buck the status quo. Back when some were just talking about red light cameras, I stood up and did something about it, organizing the first anti-red light camera rally right here in Lombard. My stance wasn't popular with some folks then, but today, Lombard is free of red light cameras. Before that, when I was asked by a local pastor to start a pregnancy help center in Lombard, plenty of folks said it couldn't be done, particularly not with the meager funds we had available to us. But, because of the generosity and hard work of fine Lombardians and folks from neighboring communities, I successfully led that effort, and we opened that center. And, we were so successful that a second center, in Downers Grove, was opened shortly thereafter. These experiences and others have uniquely suited me to serve as a Village Trustee.For instance, having started that pregnancy help center in downtown Lombard, I know the challenges of starting and running a new enterprise in the Village, including everything from navigating our Village permitting process to figuring out how to make payroll at the end of a tough month. Through my training as an electrical engineer, I know what it means to optimize and bring best practices to an organization, and I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves and crunch budget numbers to help our Village live within its means. As a public interest attorney, I will have an immediate understanding of the legal issues that face our Village and how we can address those issues through new and amended ordinances. And, as a York Township Committeeman, I have already had regular contact with residents and a strong awareness of the issues and priorities of my area and the Village as a whole.We can't rest our community's laurels. We need to protect home values in Lombard, and the only way to do that is to be aggressive about containing the property tax, promoting economic development, supporting critical infrastructure and services, and not taking our success for granted. I'm the best candidate to accomplish these objectives.Given the delicate balance between the need for revenue and over-taxing local businesses, what is your opinion of your community's present level of local sales taxes? Is the tax just right, too low or too high? Explain.Everyone would like to see lower sales taxes. Compared to our market area, we are probably in the right place. I would never describe it as ""just right"". We're competitive and below many of our neighbors. Sales taxes make up a very significant portion of the budget for the Village of Lombard. Yorktown is a huge economic engine. Our corridors of North Ave., St. Charles Rd., Roosevelt Rd., Main St. combine to add even more revenue. Our downtown has greater potential and currently underperforms. That means there is more potential. I will focus on increasing revenue by helping our businesses prosper - not by raising our sales tax. In fact, when things improve enough, I hope to revisit the idea of lowering our sales tax.Talking with your friends and neighbors, what seems to be their biggest public safety concern? Explain the concern as you see it, and discuss how you think it should be addressed.I've already stated that in my particular area the unreliable electrical service is a big concern. The railroad crossing at Grace and St. Charles at the south end of District 4 has been a concern. Neighbors seem more frustrated with it for its inconvenience than its safety, but speaking as someone whose back yard leans up against the tracks, safety at railroad crossings is an ongoing concern. Some of the younger parents have discussed traffic in school zones as well. Again, I believe this is a ""squeaky wheel"" issue in many cases. We need to address utility failures in a long term manner. That means upgrading equipment and demanding better and faster service. The railroad is expanding and public safety measures and education need to be a priority. Our children are our most precious assets. We have to protect them. I will work with the police department to make sure laws are being obeyed and look for traffic alternatives to make those areas safer.In these tight economic times, municipal budgets have to be prioritized. Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?The budget can always be trimmed. Transparency is a good way to help this process of trimming, and I support the Village's initiatives to promote and improve transparency in all areas of Village government. Another area I will focus on is exploring opportunities to partner with private companies, when they can perform services better and cheaper than government, along with ensuring that the bidding process for outside services achieves the greatest value for Lombard taxpayers. Before we look to spend more money on government services, we need to promote economic development in the private sector.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?If elected, I will immediately begin greater electronic communications between the Village government and District 4 residents through regular email updates. I will also explore the use of ""Government 2.0"" applications, such as mobile phone-based applications that serve a variety of purposes, from immediately informing the village about a pothole or street light outage to taking a survey of residents about any number of topics. We need to get our Village government communicating with residents via their preferred methods of communication, such as email and text messaging, not merely in print. All of these efforts will also hopefully open the door for more Lombardians to become active and involved in our community life.