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Name: Chris Brown
What office are you seeking? Mayor of Morris
What is your political party? Republican
What is your current age? 47
Occupation and employer: Mayor of Morris
What offices, if any, have you previously held? None
City: Morris
Campaign Website: brownformorris.com/
Education:
Illinois State University BS Political Science
Community Involvement: Joliet Junior College Foundation Board - President, Grundy Economic Development Council Board of Directors, Illinois Municipal League Board of Directors, National League of Cities Sub Committees, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Edgar Fellow Graduate 2022, Will/Grundy Governmental League - Legislative Chair
Marital status/Immediate family: Yes, married to Suzy Brown for 13 years, five children
Questions:
The city is already in the midst of multiple park projects. What projects would you like to see tackled in the upcoming term? Would you continue seeking out grant dollars for further projects?
Grant dollars are essential to our current and future goals. Our administration is approaching almost $30 million in grant funding the last four years. It is my desire to continue to work with our state and federal legislators, and the Morris City Council as we continue to work together to make Morris the very best it can be. City parks will continue to be a focus as we move forward with the plans laid out in our recently adopted City of Morris Master Parks Plan.
The Grundy Resiliency Project just unveiled the Advancing Grundy plan in January. What is the city’s role in the success of that project?
We worked hand in hand with Nancy Norton of the Grundy Economic Development Council, Christina Van Yperen of the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce, and local leaders on the Resiliency Project from the beginning. One or our main focuses was the economic impact the Morris Municipal Airport has on our local, regional, and state economies. Our administration will continue to foster a strong relationship with the GEDC, Chamber of Commerce, and surrounding communities.
Morris is in need of more housing, specifically affordable housing. How would you go about improving the city’s housing stock?
As we speak, there are over 30 home sites under construction in the Meadowbrook Lane area of Morris. Additionally, we are working with the developers of the Grand Oaks Subdivision which will be in the area located to the west of the new YMCA. This area will feature multiple housing options which will include single family, duplexes, townhomes, and senior living options.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has shared a plan to expand and improve the stretch of US Route 6 from Ashton Road to Illinois Route 47. What other improvements would you like to see along that stretch of road to make it safer?
The IDOT plan currently calls for sidewalks, pedestrian and bike paths, additional lighted crossings are currently planned for Liberty Street, Edgewater Drive, and Joe Schmitz Drive. Our administration worked tirelessly with IDOT to add these crossings to the plan. All of these features will make that stretch of road much safer than it is today. We also advocated for the study to continue beyond Ashton Road to Saratoga Road, which IDOT is currently taking under consideration.
What are your top three priorities for our city, and how do you plan to address them?
Continued Fiscal Responsibility - Our city is in excellent financial shape. Continuing to expand our sales tax and commercial property tax bases will help ease the burden placed on our residential property owners. Grant opportunities will stay as a focus for our administration in the future as well. The use of state and federal dollars for major infrastructure and community rehabilitation projects helps to protect other funds at the city level, particularly on general fund which has continued to grow year after year under our direction.
Revitalizing our Parks for All - With the development of our comprehensive parks plan, the first of its kind for Morris. Our administration aims to continue to develop and revitalize our parks and green spaces for all to enjoy. We have completed our renovations of Goodwill Park, West Side Park, added the Goold Park Ice Skating Rink, and also added the Movies in the Park, which is a free event for all ages to enjoy. We would like to continue with renovations to McKinley Park and Fields of Saratoga Park. I believe we will be able to accomplish this through thoughtful spending and the pursuit of an OSLAD grant when that funding becomes available. The OSLAD funding the city received for West Side Park was the first time that Morris has received that type of funding in more than 40 years. I am extremely proud of our efforts in our city parks.
Safety and Public Services - Our commitment to public safety never wavered in our first term. This is evident through the full staffing of our police department and investments in technology and crime fighting equipment like the Flock cameras that were purchased under our administration. We have also improved and enhanced our snow plowing techniques and processes, specifically in our Downtown District, which has freed up our public works crews to focus on residential streets and thoroughfares which keeps our residents safe on the roads. Additionally, we will remain laser focused on the clean up and redevelopment of the paper mill property which was the site of the lithium battery fire. Our vision for the site is to redevelop that parcel of land into open green space and park site which can be enjoyed by all of our residents, but especially our east side residents that have been looking at that blighted area for far too long. Under my direction, we have been able to complete the Phase 1 and Phase 2 environmental studies which had to be completed before the city could move forward with discussions about acquiring the property.
How do you intend to balance economic development with environmental sustainability in the community?
One of our approaches to how environmental sustainability can work hand in hand with economic development can be seen in our commitment to bringing more events and utilizing our park amenities to their fullest. A great example would be the extensive use of Goold Park and the music pavilion the last four years. All of the new events that we have helped facilitate in the park has led to many visitors coming to our area and spending money in our local stores and restaurants which helps drive our local economy.
What are your plans for enhancing public transportation and infrastructure in the city?
The City of Morris recently worked with the local leaders across Grundy County in developing the Grundy County Multimodal Transportation Master Plan, also referred to as Grundy Moves. The intent of the Grundy Moves plan is to reach consensus among local stakeholders on a set of improvements that will meet both existing and anticipated future investment needs for the transportation system. Also, the city has applied for an ITEP (Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program) grant which could potentially bring improvements to pedestrian and cycling paths for our area.
What role should the city council play in supporting local businesses and economic growth?
This issue sits at the heart of our administration. Under my leadership, our administration lead the talent search which resulted in the hiring of our city’s very first Business Development Director, Julie Wilkinson. Together, we have seen record sales tax revenue for Morris and have also seen the addition and expansion of many local businesses including Procter & Gamble, General Electric, Field Day, Keg Grove Brewing Company, and McBride’s Irish Pub, just to name a few. We also created the Business and Community Development Committee which meets on a regular basis to discuss business development, retention, and exciting new ways to differentiate Morris from surrounding communities.
What are your top public safety concerns for our community and how would you propose addressing them?
Morris continues to be a safe community to live and raise your family. This does not mean that we can’t improve on safety and our quality of life. I will continue to work with department leaders, including our Chief of Police Alicia Steffes and our Public Works Director Mike Day in bringing meaningful actions and policies aimed at public safety.
How will you ensure that city policies promote inclusion for all residents?
We have already demonstrated our commitment to inclusivity for all. One great example I can point to is the park renovations at Goodwill Park and West Side Park. According to the feedback from focus group meetings and results of the community-wide survey done as part of developing our parks master plan, it was found that accessibility with our park system and the lack of amenities available for people of all abilities was a concern. Working with our park planners, we were able to make sure that all areas of these parks were ADA accessible. We connected every feature of the parks with walkways, added accessible benches, shelters, and picnic tables, and also installed poured-in-place rubber surfacing in the play areas. The work did not stop there. We also added play and interactive elements that are specifically designed for park users that have physical or sensory challenges.
We also expanded free services and events that are available to our residents, which include: Movies in the Park, National Night Out, ice skating rink, quarterly electronic recycling events, quarterly citywide blood drives, and paper shredding services.
Do you support requiring government officials to publicly disclose potential conflicts of interest, and how would you enforce this?
I am in full support of this type of disclosure and do it every year as an elected official through the statement of economic interest.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
We are available to our constituents and local leaders every single day. We are available via phone, email, website, social media or you can just stop by city hall and schedule an appointment with myself or any member or our administration.