Bret Ware, candidate for Village Trustee in Pontoon Beach, IL
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More on the election for Pontoon Beach Village Trustee
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Name: Bret Ware
Political party (if applicable): N/A
Age as of April 6, 2021: 49
Campaign website or social media page: facebook.com/Friends-to-Elect-Kreher-Vivod-and-Ware-Pontoon-Beach-Village-Trustees-100604861944446/
Office seeking: Pontoon Beach Village Trustee
Are you an incumbent? Yes
Previous offices sought: I ran unopposed for a two year term in 2019 after being appointed due to a vacancy.
Occupation: A 25-year career in corporate communications for a local retailer
Education: Attended University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for 2 1/2 years.
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement: In addition to my time on the village board, I also serve as the President of the Long Lake Fire Protection District, which handles the financial oversight and administration of our excellent volunteer fire department.
Why are you running? Ultimately, to serve. I have always felt that what happens locally is much more important than what goes on in Springfield or Washington, D.C. I want to continue the progress that this board has made by developing additional revenue sources through the growth of retail and other businesses in our community. This will allow us to support and improve upon our excellent police services and to improve our infrastructure.
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? The most important issue for our community is the continued expansion of the sales tax base in our village. I believe our board has done a wonderful job in facilitating this growth with the development of the Gateway TradePort along with the upcoming 18-acre commercial development on the front side of this area. We continue to look for partners who want to bring retail and other business to other undeveloped areas in the community which will allow us the revenue to maintain and expand services, without additional property tax burdens on our residents.
Why should people vote for you? I am experienced, dedicated and motivated to keep our village a safe place to live and work, with excellent opportunities to shop, dine and raise a family. By partnering with our great mayor and this board, we have the chance to keep Pontoon Beach moving in a positive direction and I want very much to be a part of that along with Terry Kreher and Christie Vivod. I am a part of a fantastic team and look forward to keeping the momentum going.
This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 1:01 PM.