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Political party
Republican
Age
53
Town of residence
Downers Grove
Current occupation and employer
I am a litigation attorney and founding partner of Actuate Law LLC, a boutique Chicago law firm that combines talent and technology to craft bespoke legal solutions for the next generation of business leaders.
Education
DePaul University College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1990
University of Illinois at Chicago, B.A., Political Science, 1987
Downers Grove North High School, graduate, 1983
Immediate family
I have been married to Shanon Tully for nearly 30 years. We have two wonderful adult sons.
Website
Civic involvement and volunteer work
Executive Board Member and Past President, DuPage Mayors & Managers Conference
Member, DuPage County Stormwater Management Committee
Secretary, DuPage Public Safety Communications (DU-COMM)
Member, DuPage County Public Health Department, Mosquito Abatement Task Force
Board Member, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
Board Member, DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau
Executive Board Member (Ex-officio), Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation
Board Member (Ex-officio), Chamber 630 Chamber of Commerce
Board Member, Hope's Front Door
Board Member, The Hundred Club of DuPage County
Advisory Council Member, Family Shelter Service
Life Member, Downers Grove Historical Society
Founding Member, Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58
Member, Downers Grove Lions Club
Board Member, DePaul University College of Law Center for Public Interest Law
Former Downers Grove Park District and Indian Boundary YMCA youth soccer coach
Previous elected offices held
Mayor, Village of Downers Grove, Illinois: 2011-Present
Commissioner, Village of Downers Grove, Illinois: 2001-2009
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
The residents of District 3 deserve representation on the County Board from a proven leader with a track record of integrity and delivering exceptional results. I have the most experience in building non-partisan consensus to cost-effectively overcome challenges and deliver quality services in the face of declining revenues, which most directly translates to the tasks facing the County Board. Some candidates might talk about freezing taxes, government consolidation, enhancing services, and promoting economic development. But I have actually delivered those results to my residents in serving as a mayor for the past eight years. I will also bring fresh creativity and innovation to the County Board on things such as cost-effective stormwater management, leveraging smart technology, intergovernmental cooperation, enhancing green fleet practices, and striking a balance between tradition and progress when it comes to land use. I also have a history of improving government transparency and public engagement on issues.
What issues specific to your district would you like to see addressed by the DuPage County Board?
Any initiative worth pursuing would be one that the residents of the whole County should benefit from. If elected, a few I would suggest include:
1. Further empower and facilitate the Sheriff’s and Coroner’s offices efforts to develop and pursue a multi-tiered, multi-prong solution to the opioid scourge in our county. This is a key opportunity for enhanced collaboration that can meaningfully redress a very serious epidemic.
2. Beyond consolidation, the County should identify and explore additional opportunities for cooperation and collaboration with other government bodies, as well as private and not-for-profit entities. Some municipalities have already successfully employed such innovative partnerships to streamline the delivery of public services.
3. Develop a Senior Citizen Property Tax Work-Off Abatement Program, giving property owners 60 years or older the opportunity to volunteer services to the County in exchange for a reduction in the County portion of their property tax.
Where do you stand on consolidation efforts in DuPage County? What additional steps – if any – should be taken?
Consolidation of government units or services can be an effective mechanism for maintaining or enhancing public services while controlling or reducing their costs. It can also streamline the number and size of government bodies, reducing complexity and bureaucracy. However, consolidation should not be done simply for its own sake, but only where it makes sense and is supported by the entities to be combined. Consolidation should come from the bottom up, from those most immediately affected, not forced from the top down. The early successes of the County’s ACT Initiative should be learned from and built upon to identify additional opportunities for collaboration or consolidation that make sense and have stakeholder support. These may include mosquito abatement districts, sanitary districts, paper public safety districts, as well as other instances where one unit of government may more efficiently deliver services provided in whole or in part by another.