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Joliet City Council candidate Brooke Hernandez Brewer submitted this questionnaire, answering The Herald-News' questions about the 2017 Joliet City Council race.
Name: Brooke Hernandez Brewer
Political party: Nonpartisan
Age: 38
Address: 1101 Richmond St, Joliet, IL 60435
Marital status: Happily married for 15 yrs on 06/01/17
Significant other: Kevin Brewer
Profession: I am currently making my position as Joliet City Councilwoman at Large, my full time job
Employer: People of the City of Joliet
Email address: brooke@brookeforjoliet.com
Website: brookeforjoliet.com
Children: We have been blessed with 3 beautiful daughters;
Katherine (Kit) Brewer (10)
Elizabeth (Eliza) Brewer (5)
Margaret (Margo) Brewer (3)
Education: St Paul the Apostle Grade School
Providence Catholic High School
Joliet Junior College
SIU Carbondale
Why are you running for Joliet City Council?
I have always had an active interest in my community and when I was asked to serve on the City Council I felt it was my responsibility to accept. It was honor to be asked and I believe I have a point of view different from other city council members which helps bring diversity to the governing body of a diverse city. I have enjoyed the job so far and believe I have done a good job of learning and executing my duties, which is why I want to run for election.
What are your qualifications to serve as a council member?
I believe the desire to serve the city as a council member and the willingness to put the time and effort into doing the job correctly is the most important qualification for any candidate. There are so many people with different levels of education, life experiences and family histories that we have literally thousands of qualified residents who would do a great job on the city council. The difference between the members on the city council is that we applied for the job and were willing to submit to the scrutiny that comes with being a public servant.
What are the greatest challenges Joliet is facing in the coming years?
Like all municipalities, we need to deal with shrinking financial resources from our state and federal government while trying to maintain current service levels. We need to keep trying to do more with less from the state.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities?
The public safety of our residents is always the city’s top priority and my top priority, so we need to make sure our police officers and fire fighters have adequate training, equipment, supervision and support to do their job.
My second priority is to make sure Joliet residents have a social service safety net that will be available for those families that temporarily fall on hard times. I would like to make sure that we have a central source of information which allows our residents to have a social service “one stop shopping” source of information so they aren’t shuffled through multiple levels of government bureaucracies just to find the resources to feed their children.
My third priority is to begin the process of quickly compiling information regarding our current water resources to determine how fast we acquire a long term abundant water supply since the well water run source is running low (and will become too expensive to draw from the underground).
What steps should the city council take to rejuvenate downtown Joliet as an economic and community hub?
I believe the city should emphasize the development of modern residential high rises to draw single younger people to live in downtown Joliet. Residents living in the downtown will provide constant foot traffic need to support commercial businesses and provide a vibrant atmosphere which will attract visitors from other areas of the county and from Joliet. Joliet would need to include sufficient parking to accommodate visitors and the new county courthouse building.
How can the city council accommodate the growth of the transportation and warehouse industries in Joliet while maintaining a high quality of life for all residents?
Most of the increase of warehousing is not in the heart of residential Joliet, but south of I-80. Any traffic congestion caused by increased activity is one of those “good problems” since I think we all agree it is better to have more jobs and crowded roads than no jobs and deserted streets. In order to enforce traffic safety, I believe we should test a single automated red light camera at the most dangerous intersection in Joliet to make sure both pedestrians and motorists are safe. If it works out, we could expand the program to problem traffic safety areas.
How involved should the city council be in the management and funding of the Rialto Square Theatre?
If the city taxpayers are helping fund the operations of the Rialto, so the City Council has an obligation to ensure that the money is not being wasted. It has become very clear in the last few years the management of the Rialto was substandard and it the theater cannot serve its purpose to the community if it goes bankrupt. The city officials stepped in to demand accountability and responsible fiscal performance, which is our duty to our taxpayers and the community. Hopefully they will be able to improve the operation of the Rialto to provide quality entertainment while becoming self-supporting.
If private entertainment facilities can do it, so can the Rialto Board.