Candidate Profile Rerun: Brian Novak

Editor's note: This is a rerun on a profile we did on trustee candidate Brian Novak, which ran on March 25, 2013. 

You can read the original article here. And you can see all of our profiles to date here.

Independent Trustee Candidate Novak: ‘Village Needs Fresh Voice’

Brian Novak says Skokie’s goals should be community driven and talks about the need for fresh ideas on the village board.

Original story -

Brian Novak has lived in Skokie for almost eight years, stating that he came to the village from Chicago in 2005. A former small business owner and attorney by trade, Novak said he’s worked in a variety of charitable and volunteer positions in Skokie.

He’s served on School District 73.5’s school board, volunteered for Home Delivered Meals and was appointed by the mayor to serve on the Chamber of Commerce’s economic development committee. He also served as vice chairman for Skokie Voice, among other things.

Novak, 39, said his family moved to Skokie specifically because of the location, the reputation of the schools and the diverse community.

“My vision in Skokie is one that our community drives our goals,” he said. “I think it’s important that input is fostered by the leaders of the community. I think that we do a lot of things well."

Novak added that if elected, his number-one conversation with fellow trustees would be public safety.

“We need to look at the full story of crime statistics,” he said. “All of that goes back to community input and transparency. If you thoughtfully look at the responses of the community, it will drive everything. It will drive public safety, economic development, but at the same time you can’t do any of those things unless you have the needs of the community driving our goals and initiatives.”

Novak’s long-term goals

Novak said he doesn’t agree with the Caucus Party’s view on crime in the village.

“With respect to pubic safety and crime, I am not satisfied with the Caucus Party’s answer to crime,” he said. “And that’s a pretty strong statement. I’m just pointing out issues and facts and I want to offer dialogue for answers for crime overall. After reading through crime statistics, as well as comparing them to other municipalities, the answers we have been receiving as citizens I am not satisfied with and I think residents aren’t satisfied with, either.”

Novak added that he’s also for expanding the village’s neighborhood watch program and having a discussion about adding additional public facilities in the community.

“Our village says that we’re the village of vision and the village is missing the vision part,” he said. “The leadership needs to acknowledge what we do well and acknowledge what we need improvement on. And working with the community is what I want to do to make that happen.

“It’s time for a fresh perspective to work alongside the Caucus Party on the village board,” Novak added. “And that’s where I come in.”

Do you think we should hire more officers?

Novak said it is time that the village acknowledges that crime is indeed an issue in Skokie.

“Longtime residents will say safety is not a perception issue,” Novak said. “I think we need to acknowledge that issue. I feel certain types of crime have increased in Skokie. My family feels less safe than we did eight years ago, because we’ve seen our neighbor across the street move after he got robbed. Because we had a friend move from Logan Square to Skokie and say that he’s seeing similar crimes.

“We need to recognize data – public safety is more than crime statistics,” Novak added. “If you look at the numbers, people are reporting crime less often. And it’s evident in our community survey as it shows a decrease in our feelings of safety at night. And I think we need to address that issue.”

In the end, Novak said he is running because he doesn’t see himself represented on the board.

“I think we need new energy,” he said. “I feel like everything changes, including Skokie. The Caucus Party has been in control of all six seats for 40 years. And we need to make room on the board for at least one independent voice.”

Read our previous candidate interviews here.

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