Ryan Brandes: Candidate profile

Name: Ryan Brandes

City: Lindenhurst

Office sought: Village President/Mayor

Age: 45

Family: I have been married to my wife Nancy for 22½ years, our daughter Abby is 10 and in the 5th grade. We also have 7-year-old Border Collie named Siobhan.

Occupation: Deputy Director for the Housing Authority of the City of North Chicago, Illinois

Education: I have completed 9 certificate programs with continuing education credits including but not limited to Capital Fund and Government Budgeting, Procurement and Labor Standards and Agency Management. In addition to coursework from The University of Illinois at Chicago,

Civic involvement: I am currently on the Lindenfest Committee. I am a Lindenhurst Environmental Commissioner. I also volunteered with campaigns for many of the candidates that were elected this last November.

Previous elected offices held: Current Precinct Committeeman in Lake Villa Township.

Incumbent? No

Website: http://lindenhurstunited.org

Facebook: Lindenhurst United for Change 2019

Twitter: N/A

Issue questions

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

We need to make sure that village staff is using best practices in decision making and is provided the resources they need to grow the village and the value brought to the community. We need to expand the tax base and services we provide our residents, through economic development and reduce the negative impact on a resident of fees, utility costs and property taxes. A more robust base can accelerate the payoff of long-term obligations and provide the flexibility to add services residents desire.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I intend to bring a combination of my background, including my training and years of experience in governmental management, along with my passion for the community that I currently serve on a committee basis. Now is the time for fresh ideas to grow our community and provide innovative approaches to issues and concerns

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

For the last 9 years I have worked in progressive levels of management for a local federally funded agency. An effective leader has to be seen as part of the process and have the proper training to advise and direct on all aspects of the organization. I have worked to train and be a resource for those around me. I also intend to engage the community in the planning process whether it be HOA's or concerned residents. Good ideas can come from the entire community.

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 feel that the current budget levels are more than sufficient to maintain and add to the level of services that are offered to our residents. By attending village board meetings for some time now I have not seen that best practices are always followed in bidding, purchasing and contracting. A centralized trained procurement officer would be better than having individual department heads handling purchases and contracts, as that individual will be versed on proper policy and also know how to handle change request responsibilities as they arise.

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

The village has so many missed opportunities and resources that would not be very difficult to capitalize on. The village should have dedicated trained staff for community development and grants. This individual can focus on positive community growth to ultimately improve services to our residents.