Brian D. Cecola: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Brian D. Cecola

City: Barrington Hills

Office sought: Village Trustee

Age (on election day): 53

Family: Married with 3 children ages 22, 20, 14

Occupation: Business Owner

Education: College-SIU Majored in Criminal Justice

Civic involvement: Barrington Lions Club Member since 2000, past President from 2014-2016 and current board member

Previous elected offices held: Incumbent Barrington Hills Trustee

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? April of 2015

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them

Property Taxes, Road conditions and Public Safety, and Protecting our unspoiled landscape.

While in office I have voted to reduce our levy each and every year and have been part of a team of trustees who are responsible for the largest levy decreases in Illinois. I will continue to reduce our communities spending budgets and levy. Our village has over 30 miles of roads which require significant attention and investment. I am the Road and Bridges chairman and have been proud to have paved more roads in 4 years as chair than at any other period in Barrington Hills history. I am working with our Police Department to install a "virtual gated community" through new technologies. If re-elected a part of my responsibilities will be to oversee this program which will protect the securities of our residents. I will continue to support ALL property owners desire for the protection of our opens spaces and the expansion of horse trails throughout our community.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I am a business owner and a lifelong resident of the Barrington area, a proud 1984 graduate of Barrington High School. My wife Stephanie and I chose to move our family to Barrington Hills where our children attend District 220 schools. My wife and I are advocates for open spaces, equestrian lifestyle, and strive for peaceful harmonious residential living. I made promises to serve our residents, improve our roadways and lower our levy in the last election. I have been part of a team that HAS DELIVERED. I have successfully assisted Barrington Hills in continuing on the path to better services and a more responsive government at lower cost. I will continue my promise to protect residential property rights while honoring our equestrian heritage. I have been part of the solution to these issues working with all members of my village. Having a professional background in Paving and Road Maintenance has been extremely helpful in my role as Road and Bridges Chair. As a former Firefighter I also understand the needs and role of our public safety officials and have connections with those who serve our residents from the multiple fire districts. I am uniquely qualified to serve as our Road and Bridges Chair and I am running again to continue in this specific role important to our Village.

Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing actions and decisions with your village board.

I enjoy a more relaxed, collegial approach to the meetings I chair. I enjoy working with the public listening to all sides of an issue and creating consensus for real world timely solutions. I am always respectful of residents, professional service providers and village staff while we together coordinate and construct answers to engineering public safety and property concerns within our Village.

How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services people want?

I have been involved with a board who has realized that residents in Illinois have had enough of frivolous government spending. We have put a stop to it and I proudly have voted to reduce spending budgets and levies every year in office. We have increased cash reserves, paved more roads and improved village services by hiring residents who serve their neighbors. . Our successful track record of financial reform and oversight should be applied to other taxing bodies in our area. We have improved our Treasurers office, Clerks office, Building Department Village website and Communications Department over the last 4 years. We are more proactive with important communications through our improved website Facebook and Twitter account as this week we have over 10,000 hits on Helpful Tips for residents to deal with extreme cold.

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

We have been evaluating securing our village residents properties and protecting our families with video technologies. I am committed to moving this idea forward with our CALEA Award winning Police Department and Chief of Police.