Michael J. Bram: 2021 candidate for Elmhurst mayor
Bio
Age: 51
Occupation: Engineering
Civic involvement: Alderman, City of Elmhurst City Council; Public Affairs and Safety Committee, Vice Chairman; Public Works and Buildings Committee, Committee Member; Finance and Administrative Committee, Committee Member. UPS Leadership Committee; Leadership Committee, Co-Chairman. Elmhurst Senior Citizen Commission; Senior Citizen Commission, Ex-Officio Board Member. Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce; South Business Committee, Vice President; Membership, Vice President; Board Member. Elmhurst Citizens Police Academy, graduate and Alumni Association, Founding Member, Vice Chairman. Adopt A Park, Crestview Park, leader and participant. UCCA, grocery delivery participant. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE), UIC Chapter, acting president, vice president; IEEE Leadership Award, Chicago Section; Chancellor's Student Service Award. Professional Engineering Society Council, representative. Awana, leader.
Q&A
Q: How do you view your role in confronting the pandemic: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents - even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state and federal authorities?
A: As one of my platform goals, I plan to confront the pandemic by strengthening the city finances. We need to ensure that our city finance goals are sustainable to endure the possible prolonged impact caused from the pandemic. I will ensure that we consider various ways to assist our businesses across town. We have already provided some assistance to our businesses, but I will work with the city council and staff to explore what else can be done. I will work alongside DuPage County and state officials to ensure that planning and communication improves, especially regarding the vaccine distribution. Clear communication with the community has been one of my strengths as a local leader, and I will bring that to the office of Mayor. Another one of my platform goals is to create a joint panel which would include government, businesses, resident representatives, and community-based organizations to not only focus on the recovery, but to prepare for future crises. There is always room for improvement, and I will ensure that we improve on issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and any other crises that may occur in the future.
Q: Did your town continue to adequately serve its constituents during the disruptions caused by the pandemic? If so, please cite an example of how it successfully adjusted to providing services. If not, please cite a specific example of what could have been done better.
A: There are some things that I feel Elmhurst has done well to serve its constituents during the pandemic. I think there is a need to improve overall communication on what is going on with the state of the pandemic and vaccine distribution. One of the items that I pushed for prior to the pandemic was an increase of online services to better serve the residents. The city needs to plan better and improve ways to provide services online. There are more convenient, but also more efficient, ways to deliver some of same services online versus in-person. For example, residents reached out to me about getting the ability to purchase yard waste and refuse stickers online. Since I requested for these services to be moved online, we are moving in the right direction, but there is plenty of work ahead of us. As Mayor, I will work with the city staff to come up with a plan to determine what services can continue to be offered as an online option which will not only be more convenient to our residents, but it will be a more efficient use of city staff time.
Q: In light of our experiences with COVID-19, what safeguards/guidelines should you put in place to address any future public health crises?
A: One of my platform goals is to utilize the expertise of key stakeholders when making important decisions for the future of our city. As we continue to rebound from the pandemic, I will create a joint panel to include government, businesses, resident representatives, and community-based organizations to not only focus on the recovery from this pandemic but prepare for future crises. It is my end goal to have solid, established guidelines when dealing with any crisis in order to best assist residents (especially seniors), and businesses. I will work with others to have Elmhurst walk away with some lessons learned on how to improve things in the future. We also need to have a clear understanding of the rules/orders from the state to ensure the decisions we make are in accordance with the direction of the state.
Q: What cuts can local government make to reduce the burden of the pandemic on taxpayers?
A: The key is to be fiscally conservative and find ways to reduce expenditures. I have always questioned expenditures and proposed many budget discussions during my 20 years an alderman. I have made the necessary decisions to reduce consultant fees when those roles could be consolidated into current city staff roles. We need to ensure that any incentives provided to developers by the city have a return on investment that is beneficial to the residents of Elmhurst. We need to make sure that we go out for bid to get the best prices/contracts for all larger expenditures. That is something I recently accomplished by one of my referrals for refuse and recycling. Cutting back is not an easy conversation to have, but I have never shied away from "easy" as I pursue what is right for the people of Elmhurst.
Q: What do you see as the most important infrastructure project you must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what infrastructure project can be put on the back burner?
A: We must continue to find ways to improve our stormwater and sanitary infrastructure. Since my referral to complete an overall city stormwater and sanitary comprehensive plan was voted on by the council, there has been significant progress. We still have a lot of work to be completed to be well-prepared since the storm intensity and frequency continues to increase. There is no infrastructure project that needs to be put on the back burner. However, we need to delay some of the plan to significantly build up our fund balances due to the large amount of current capital needs. There is a careful balance between fund balances and completing needed projects. Any "nice to have" projects should be delayed so we do not put an excessive burden on the taxpayers of Elmhurst as we complete "must have" projects and work to build up our fund reserves. One example is that we have residential lead water services in town with no current plan (or funds) to remove these lead services. This is one of many projects that needs to be given the appropriate priority while scrutinizing every single capital (infrastructure) project.
Q: Do you agree or disagree with the stance your board/council has taken on permitting recreational marijuana sales in the community? What would you change about that stance, if you could?
A: At the time of the vote, I agreed with the stance the city council took about not permitting recreational marijuana sales in the community. However, I would support bringing this discussion back to the city council for further debate and a vote. There has been enough time that has passed that we can understand the pros and cons other communities have experienced when allowing marijuana sales. Using the lessons learned from other communities would allow us to make a more informed decision which we did not have when we first voted on this topic. I have been asked about other topics like allowing hoop house structures and gambling within the community. This is something that I would like the city council to reconsider now that we have learned from past experiences from other communities and within our own community.
Q: What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
A: As a leader, I have always presented my good ideas to the city council and staff. Sometimes, they get traction and positive changes are made, like having recycling in downtown Elmhurst and developing the North York Street redevelopment project (TIF4). The North York TIF has resulted in various new businesses like Mariano's, LA Fitness and Starbucks. It has also allowed for some small businesses to come to North York like Bentley's Pet Stuff and Hand and Stone Massage. Many of my recommendations and ideas have eventually come to fruition with the consensus of city council and staff. As an example, many years ago, I presented a referral to the city council for a community bus. The city council and staff then implemented a version of this idea with the trolley years later. When positive changes are made from a recommendation that I put forth, and the people of Elmhurst are benefiting, it is a win for Elmhurst. The residents will always be my top priority.
Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?
A: I have always put the community first! I have been an elected official who cares, listens, and responds to all residents in Elmhurst all year round, not only during the campaign. I have a hard-earned and well-respected reputation of truly listening to my neighbors, city staff and fellow elected officials.
I have the vision, experience, independence, and leadership to be the next Mayor of Elmhurst. I listen to understand when communicating with residents and elected officials about the overall needs of the community, and that is necessary to lead the community in the future. We need a fiscally conservative approach now more than ever as we recover from this pandemic, and my proven record shows my ability to do so. When I challenged the city to go out for competitive bids, it resulted in a better overall deal from our refuse contractor.
Most importantly, I represent independence and integrity. This is who I am to my core, and I have not wavered from it as a resident, as a leader, as an employee, as an alderman, as a person ... and as the next mayor of Elmhurst.