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PEP Village Board Candidates

Brigid Weber
for
Village Clerk
Catherine A. Colgrass-Edwards
for
Village Trustee
MIchael J. Garvey
for
Village President
Michael A. Towner
for
Village Trustee
Brian Steven Oberhauser
for
Village Trustee

 

Michael J. Garvey is a life-long resident of Brookfield. He and his wife of 13 years, Barb, have three sons, Jake, Luke & Joey. Prior to being elected Village President in 2005, Mike was elected twice as Village Trustee after having been appointed to that position in 1998. He serves as the Village Board liaison to the Brookfield Zoo, the West Central Municipal Conference, and the Brookfield Library. He currently presides over the Infrastructure Committee and the Board of Local Improvements, overseeing much of the street and alley improvements in the Village. As Village President, Mike has led the way by hiring an experienced professional Village Manager who oversaw the implementation of a TIF District along Ogden Avenue, brought in over $6.8 million in grant money including our OSLAD grant which provided us with the wonderful improvements in Jaycee/Ehlert Park. We now have new streets, new alleys, a new and up-to-date computer system, Certified Building and Code Inspectors, and a Health Inspector for our food establishments, just to name a few of the improvements that have been brought to Brookfield.

Mike was chosen by his fellow local elected officials to be President of the West Cook County Solid Waste Agency and helped negotiate a new 10-year disposal contract for the region.

Before serving on the Village Board, Mike was Chairman of the Brookfield Plan Commission. Mike has practiced law for the past 17 years in the private sector and is a partner in the firm of Stringini & Garvey, P.C. Mike has argued successfully before the Illinois Supreme Court. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the DuPage County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science from DePaul University and went on to achieve his law degree from the University of Illinois-Champaign.

Besides taking care of Village business, Mike has volunteered in many capacities in Brookfield. For the first four years of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in Brookfield, Mike served as Co-Chair of the event and he continues to volunteer every year. He is now a 2 ½ year survivor of eye cancer. He is a regular volunteer at Project Nice and Meet the Creek, volunteers for the Kiwanis Club, Brookfield Little League, and Brookfield Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the St. Louise Parish Dads Club.
   
Brigid Weber is currently Brookfield’s Village Clerk and is seeking re-election to that position. She is a member of the South and West Clerks Association for Municipal Clerks, and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. Brigid is employed as an office manager for a multi-million dollar real estate firm in Elmhurst. Brigid and her husband, Mark, are 23-year residents of Brookfield, and have two daughters – Emily who is attending the University of Illinois–Springfield and Mary who is a student at Riverside-Brookfield High School. As our Village Clerk, Brigid has seen to it that you can now see meeting agendas prior to meetings taking place and you can listen to past meetings all online. Technological improvements in this area have allowed Brookfield to modernize this entire position, all thanks to Brigid. Further, Brigid has been a long-time volunteer in Brookfield. She volunteers with the Brookfield Relay for Life, our Holiday Celebration, and Monsters on MainStreet, Project NICE, Meet the Creek and more. Prior to that, she was a regular volunteer for 11 years at Brook Park and S. E. Gross Schools.
   
Catherine A. Colgrass-Edwards is a life-long resident of Brookfield, raising her son, Michael, through Congress Park, Park Junior High and Lyons Township High Schools. Her father, Michael Colgrass, was the Postmaster in Brookfield for 38 years, and was also very active in the community. Cathy was the Parks & Recreation Director in Brookfield for nine years. Prior to that, she had worked in employee benefits. While Parks & Recreation Director, Cathy tripled the capital projects budget through increasing profits in recreation programs. She brought in more than $1,000,000 in grant money over a four-year period, which enabled 5 of 9 of the Village’s parks to be renovated between 1996 and 2001. Cathy also helped to create the Master Plan for Parks & Open Space in Brookfield.

As an incumbent Trustee, Cathy serves as Liaison to the Plan Commission, Beautification Committee, Conservation Commission, and is the Village of Brookfield’s Senior Citizen Liaison. She is also a member of the Board of Local Improvements and previously served as Liaison to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Cathy is Co-Leader of the Brookfield Aging Well Team, which is a group serving older adults in the community. One of her special talents as Trustee has been her ability to hear and understand both sides of every issue.

Growing up in Brookfield, Cathy graduated from S.E. Gross and Riverside-Brookfield High Schools. Previously Cathy was on the Special Events Committee, was past Co-President of Congress Park School PTO, was a Little League volunteer, and she currently volunteers with the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, the Brookfield Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club, Project NICE and Meet the Creek.
   
Brian Steven Oberhauser is seeking his first term for Village Trustee. Brian teaches history at Gemini Junior High School in Niles. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Sociology from Northwestern University, and a minor in the Business Institutions Program. Brian and his wife, Jennifer, have lived in Brookfield for eight years. Jennifer is a life-long resident of Brookfield and serves as a Trustee on the Brookfield Library Board. Brian has volunteered at the library by providing assistance to the Library Advisory Committee during their community survey. Brian has served as Secretary on the Brookfield Conservation Commission and is currently serving as the Vice-Chair for the Beautification Committee. He has been a regular volunteer for Project NICE, Meet the Creek, Kiwanis Park Clean-Up Days, RB High School Service Days, and Adopt-A-Spot.

Previously, Brian worked in Washington, D.C. as an intern for a United States Senator and has done work for domestic and international political campaigns. He has performed general and business related research for management consultants. Brian has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America, was a Manager for Northwestern’s Football Team, and served as President of the Northwestern Speech Team.

Brian’s education and experience plus his love for Brookfield makes him a great candidate for Village Trustee.
   
Michael Towner Michael Towner is a 16-year resident of Brookfield. He and his wife, Ramona, have two sons, Patrick and Matthew. As an incumbent Trustee, Michael has been liaison to the Playground and Recreation Board, Special Events Committee, and Plan Commission. He currently serves as liaison for the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Department of Public Works, and is a member of the Board of Local Improvements. Michael works for UOP, a Honeywell Company in McCook, which is a chemical engineering company. A 27-year employee in the Research and Development Department, Mike develops, coordinates, and implements research projects for the oil refinery industry. His experience has allowed him to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds. As a team leader, he works and directs engineers, managers, and technology experts.

Michael has volunteered as a Little League coach and a Cub Scout aid and also volunteers for Project NICE and Meet the Creek. He and his wife are parishioners at St. Louise de Marillac Church, as well as members of the Brook Park School Council.

As Trustee, Michael works hard with the entire board to make the TIF district along Ogden Avenue a reality. He also applies his knowledge and leadership skills to instill sound fiscal and business policies for the Village.