Kankakee Times

Brad Arthur is taking his foray into the world of politics and what it means to be a town trustee literally.

“Everything starts with being transparent and honest with the voters,” the Republican candidate for Bourbonnais trustee told the Kankakee Times. “At the end of the day, there is no other reason to get into public service than to serve. That should be the ultimate goal of any politician.”

It’s a whole new world for the 29-year-old father of two, who up until this point has worked as an elections coordinator and in various recruitment and marketing roles for Olivet Nazarene University.

Arthur is convinced those past experiences will serve him well in carrying out his duties as town trustee.

“At Nazarene, I’ve sat across from parents only interested in figuring out how to pay for college for their kids,” he said. “It’s helped me learn to connect with people in the midst of making hard decisions.”

As town trustee, Arthur envisions his first order of business being leveling the tax field and lowering the overall rate residents are required to pay.

“My goal is to keep taxes as low as we can and to work with citizens in assuring all the needs of the people of Bourbonnais are met,” he said.

Arthur has earned the endorsement of the “Bring Back Bourbonnais,” a Republican group dedicated to pushing GOP principles at the local level. All of it has left him feeling better about his chances.

“It’s been a pretty positive reception,” he said of the way he has been received by voters on the campaign trail. “There’s a real excitement in the village right now because everyone seems to sense a chance for new opportunity.”

That’s where the MBA grad with the motto of listen first, react last comes in.

“I’ve always believed when your actions come after you listen what others have to say the result is a lot better,” he said. “The art of communication should entail listening first, speaking later. It’s the same with politics.”

In the end, the man who came to Bourbonnais as a student seven years ago and instantly fell in love with the area insists he wants what all its far longer residents have always wanted.

“We all want Bourbonnais to be all it can and should be,” he said. “The new interstate exchange should mean new development opportunity, that could be good for the community for a while to come with effective leadership.”

Arthur stresses what’s most needed now is honesty and forthrightness with residents.

“We represent the people, we have to hear them and listen to what they have to say,” he said.