2017 Election: Scott Bush, Northbrook Village Trustee

Name: Scott Bush

Age: 38

Town of residence: Northbrook

Position sought: Village Trustee

Family: Wife, Alison, and four children, aged 11, 8, 5 and 5.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: Yes I work as a firefighter/paramedic.

Education: I have an education in paramedics and fire science along with a hands on education in running a service based business in the North Shore.

Occupation: Firefighter/Paramedic, Lead Operator to A.D. Bush Concrete Const. Co. Inc., a 46 year old Northbrook company, Owner of Bush Home Guardian Services LLC

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Position: I was the president to the fire department's Foreign Fire Tax Board for 6 years.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I believe the state budget issues are some of the most pressing issues that our village board will face. My pro-active business approach will help foster an environment that will attract businesses that help keep our tax basis strong. But there is one other pressing issue that can not be ignored, that issue is the potential 2 mile long railroad holding track that the Hiawatha line wants to install between Northbrook and Glenview. This is one of those issues that the local authorities have minimal to no say in and need to rely on our legislature members to weigh heavily on pushing back against the rail company.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I cannot speak to all the differences, but several of my opponents believe high density projects are what would best serve our community and I am against high density

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

This is not a question I wish to answer at the current time as I find it divisive and I am wanting to keep things clean.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

I believe that we need to bring a pro-active mindset to the board and actively seek out businesses that will be proper fits to our changing community.

I believe that Skokie Blvd. is a gateway to Northbrook and feels that it’s remaining potential developments should have components in them attracting visitors to shop and dine in what could be known as a “Gateway District”.

I believe in respecting existing neighborhoods and that high density does not represent Northbrook's charm or history.

If you gain this position, what accomplishment would define your term in office as a success?

This is a question that none of us could answer at this time as a lot could happen in a 4 year term. What I could tell you though is that I would not let our community down and stay true to myself, my family, and my community by showing that a firefighter/paramedic can make great decisions in the community he raises his family all while keeping conflicts of interest in check.

Please share with voters a story about wisdom gained from a mistake you made in your life or career.

Firemen are huge pranksters, especially with the new guys. One time when I was new in my career I came into work as usual and started to check out the apparatus that I was on for the day. I took my bunker gear and placed it in its appropriate spot and moved onto make sure everything was in place on the rig. Well what would you know, right out of the gate we get a call for a fire alarm. I go to put my bunker gear on and head off to the call, when I got out of the rig I noticed that someone had placed a large pair of underwear on the outside of my gear, but it was not noticeable when in a hurry putting it on. I was the laughing stock for the next few weeks, and learned that inspecting our gear first thing every day is just as important as inspecting our apparatus. It was a really funny day, well it was at my expense.

Why should voters trust you?

Voters should trust me because I have proven myself to be a trustworthy and respectable fireman that protects their lives on a daily basis at work. I am the only candidate that had to compete against over 350 people on a written exam, physical exam, polygraph exam, psychological exam, and be approved by a village board appointed police and fire commission.

Share a quote that defines your philosophy:

"The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense." Thomas A. Edison

What questions should be asked of current government employees accountable to your board?

Is the level of service that you are personally providing our residents at the same level of service you would expect to be provided to you and your loved ones?

Do you feel like you have a high department morale, and if not what can we do to help it improve?

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board)?

I would address the fiscal spending the same way I address it with my businesses. Any village expenditure should be met with a revenue to pay for it. With this mindset you will not have deficits that could potentially harm community stability. We currently have a AAA bond rating and an ISO class 2 Insurance rating that all feed into business development and security.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As a firefighter/paramedic I am taught that real life decisions need to be made that will directly affect the outcome of our pt.'s lives. As a trained firefighter/paramedic we are taught to make the best choices for the most amount of people, not just a select few. For 6 years as the president of the Foreign Fire Tax Board I had drafted budgets and kept purchases inline with the budgets approved

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Never give up. When you see something that doesn't seem right then act on it and make a difference.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I know that my fellow trustees and I will have disagreements on projects or potential policy issues at times, but I will always address those disagreements with an open mind. Being a village employee I will hold myself to the highest of standards and integrity. If my name is to be attached to the village board and decide on Northbrook's future, I will make sure I conduct myself in a manner that my children would be proud to see.

More via Scott Bush's campaign website

Photo submitted by Scott Bush