Dan Brady says the city faces several big challenges as he prepares to take the mayor's office next month: public safety, water problems and what he calls a pending storm — the city's financial crunch.
After the city kept its property tax levy flat for the second consecutive year, Brady said the city will need to explore department reorganization and other steps to cut costs.
“What can we do with early outs, early retirement programs? What can we do about holding off capital purchases for the city, equipment, etc.? What’s a want and what’s truly a need and then [what are] the priorities?” Brady said in an interview on WGLT during Morning Edition.
The city has already made plans to trim its workforce through attrition over the next several years.
Brady said services to the public must be top priority but that the money has to be there. He also suggested he may use the mayor’s veto power if the city council passes a budget he opposes.
“It’s certainly something that I’ve seen in Springfield by Republican and Democrat [governors],” he said. “The reality is, we’ve got to make sure we have the funds.”
Water
Brady says the city needs to explore several short and long-term solutions to address the musty odor and taste of its water.
Brady said the city should also consider blending its two water sources, lakes Bloomington and Evergreen.
“We should be up looking at dredging and expanding Lake Bloomington right now, and the bigger vision that I think for the future is the aspects of underground water capabilities and where we can get that and who we can work with,” Brady said.
The city recently purchased additional filters to remove certain contaminants that are causing the taste and odor problems. City officials have stressed the water is safe to drink.
Building consensus
Brady won the three-way mayoral race decisively, but still had less than 50% of the vote. Brady asked those who backed Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe and Cody Hendricks to hear him out.
“My charge right now is that I show those type of people, ‘I’m going to give him a chance. He’s out there doing, he’s visible, he’s responsive, he’s an individual that’s going to be the loudest cheerleader for Bloomington that I think we can get right now and that we need right now and that we need right now with many of these challenges in Bloomington,” Brady said.
Brady served 20 years in the Illinois legislature as a Republican lawmaker, always the minority party. Brady said he likes that this office is nonpartisan. He said it's not about party but it's about solutions.
“I find myself… the far right, [and] the left, in the middle going,' I think both sides have lost their minds,'" Brady said.
Brady said he hopes to build consensus on the city council by listening.
Brady assumes office on May 1.
