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4 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger news
mokenamessenger.com
From Oct. 2
Armed robbers allegedly hit three towns in 24 hours
T.J. Kremer III, Editor
Mokena police are investigating
an armed robbery that occurred at
approximately 1:50 a.m. on Oct. 1,
at the BP gas station at 191st Street
and LaGrange Road.
The lone suspect who entered
the BP gas station in Mokena was
described as a black male, approximately
6-foot 1-inch tall with a thin
build. The suspect was described
as wearing a hoodie and a ski mask
during the robbery, according to
Mokena Police Chief Steve Vaccaro.
According to Vaccaro, the suspect
fled south on foot and managed to
escape the area despite assistance
from Frankfort Police Department
and Will County Sheriffs Deputies.
It’s believed the suspect had an accomplice
waiting for him in a vehicle
to make his escape.
On Monday evening, another
armed robbery involving two black
males was reported at the New
Lenox Speedway Gas Station, located
at 800 W. Lincoln Highway,
around 11:30 p.m.
The same suspects are believed
to have been involved in
both robberies, and police are
looking into a third possible related
incident in a neighboring
community, according to New
Lenox Police Deputy Chief Louis
Alessandrini.
Tinley Park Police Chief Matthew
Walsh confirmed an armed
robbery occurred at approximately
2:40 a.m. Monday at the
Speedway gas station on 183rd
Street, but said the investigation
was too early to determine if any
connection existed between the
other reported robberies in neighboring
communities. Walsh said
a handgun was displayed and a
minimal amount of cash was stolen.
Police said no one was injured in
any of the three incidents.
New Lenox and Mokena police
are urging anyone with information
about the armed robberies to
call the NLPD tip line at (815)
462-6111 or MPD (708) 479-
3912.
Election 2018
Steve Weber, Tim Brophy will vie for treasurer’s position
Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor
When there was no democratic
candidate on the ballot during the
spring primary, there was possibility
for incumbent Steve Weber to
have an uncontested Will County
Treasurer’s race. Then, Joliet resident
Tim Brophy accepted a nomination
as a candidate.
Now, voters will have a choice to
make on Nov. 6.
In recent interview with The
Mokena Messenger, the two candidates
outlined their priorities,
qualifications for the position and
ideas about how the office should
be run, if either is to be elected.
Steve Weber
Mokena resident
Steve Weber said he
chose to run for the
office of treasurer
again because of the
progress and results
he has had so far in
the position. Weber
“Because I’m getting
such great results, I wanted
to do it one more time,” he said.
“All the improvements I’ve made.
I want to make it easier for taxpayers
to pay [and] lower the fees.
Most elected officials raise the
fees.“
Weber, who previously served
as auditor, said working in financial
offices is something he is
good at and has been able to save
the county money and bring in
additional revenue through interest
from investments.
“I come in under budget every
year,” Weber said. “In the first
year I took that office as treasurer,
I returned $240,000 in operating
budget that I didn’t need.”
In addition to eliminating overtime
and reducing absenteeism
through the implementation of a
work week with four, 10-hour days
instead of the traditional five-day
work week, he said it has provided
his staff with work-life balance
they enjoy.
“[Being] fiscally responsible
also means we purchased our conference
table on Craigslist, used,”
Weber said. “We didn’t need a new
piece of furniture.”
If reelected, Weber said he plans
to continue providing a friendly
environment geared toward helping
taxpayers as much as he can
by reducing fees for credit card
payments and allowing people to
schedule payment throughout the
year.”
He said his license as a certified
public accountant is an important
attribute for the treasurer to have
and makes him good at investing
funds to benefit the county and
community.
“You can trust me because
[CPA’s are] the most trusted profession
and I was the watchdog, the
auditor, prior to this,” Weber said.
“I’ve got banking experience. I
used to investigate people wasting
government resources or stealing,
so you can trust me.”
Tim Brophy
Brophy, who
served on the Joliet
City Council for
16 years, said his
background and financial
experience
make him a great
candidate for treasurer.
Brophy
“I’ve had a public service calling
my whole life,” Brophy said. “I
was raised in a family that values
volunteering and community service.”
As treasurer, Brophy said he
would be the “eyes and ears and
voice” of the office, as he believes
the framers of the Illinois Constitution
intended.
“Fiscal responsibility means
doing the right thing when nobody’s
looking,” Brophy said,
“And a lot of bureaucrats, a lot
of government employees have
much to say about how other
people’s money is spent without
necessarily daily or constant
oversight.”
If elected, he said it is important
to him to conduct a review of
where the county currently invests
its money.
“I think [it’s] important that
there’s an objective public body,
maybe an advisory group, that
evaluates the opportunities that
there are for investing county
funds and objectively decides
on applying those or awarding
bids based on best practices and
not on favoritism or familiarity
or campaign contributions,”
he said.
Brophy has experience in the
banking industry and has a master’s
degree in business administration
from the University of Chicago
Graduate School of Business.
He currently works as an executive
manager of a nonprofit organization.
While serving on the Joliet City
Council, Brophy said he chaired
multiple committees, including
those for land-use and finance, as
well as the communications, technology
and information systems
committee.
“I think that you have to have
the capacity to understand everything
that’s going on in the office. I
certainly do,” he said. “...I’ve also
worked on several major projects
that involved millions of dollars
of investments. So that experience
with public funds and the
direction of public funds is one of
those critical traits and one that I
possess.”
When dealing with a large
amount of public funds, Brophy
said trustworthiness is an important
trait to have, and said his work
in leadership and volunteering can
speak to his character.
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