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Full Name: Dan Brady
What office are you seeking? Illinois Secretary of State
What offices, if any, have you previously held? McLean County Coroner, State Representative
City: Bloomington
Occupation: State Representative, Funeral Director
Education: Bachelors’ Degree in Political Science and Business - St. Ambrose University, Iowa
Associates Degree in Applied Sciences - Southern Illinois University
Campaign Website: www.votedanbrady.com
Illinois has had the same secretary of state for more than two decades. How would you assess the state of the Illinois Secretary of State’s office?
Every aspect of the office needs to be assessed. There are many needed improvements with customer service at the DMV’s. Business transactions from vehicle and truck title processing, to business articles of incorporation and many other aspects of the office must be improved. The office needs digital efficiency updates to provide improved customer service, reduce wait times, and meet statutory requirements.
What do you view as the main role of the Illinois secretary of state?
The main role of the Secretary of State is providing customer service and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are being spent efficiently in its over $474 million budget.
During the pandemic, the secretary of state’s office was closed for long periods of time. Wait times have been astronomical. What will you do to make going to the secretary of state’s office less painful?
I would improve online services, emphasize online appointments, cross-train employees for multitasking more efficiently, and set priority of services to reduce backlogs in the most heavily utilized department of DMV facilities. I would also change the process of driver’s license testing, which would allow critical staff to focus on other areas of customer service.
What will you do to modernize the office?
The office needs strategic technology assessments on all S.O.S. IT areas. Improvements need to be made in the necessary areas following the assessment. This would be a first step in improving technology for all offices. Also, a task force of IT specialists are needed. Then, improvements could begin in driver’s facilities focusing on customer service, CDL testing, and formal and informal administrative hearings.
What do you think of Illinois’ current license plates? As secretary of state, would you seek to redesign Illinois’ license plates? As secretary of state, would you look to put more LLC and corporation information online?
Before I would pursue license plate changes, technology upgrades and customer service improvements must be a priority. More information on LLC and corporations will only be pursued once priorities in customer service have been accomplished and data security measures have been updated.
What will be your top legislative priorities during your term, and why?
The S.O.S. office touches more lives of Illinois citizens than any other executive branch office. My priorities as Secretary of State would focus on improved customer service relating to driver services, auto and trucking licenses, creating electronic title services, continued public education of organ and tissue donation and the role the office plays in business articles of incorporation.