After facing defeat at the polls in 2005, it took some time for Brookfield’s VIP Party to regain its balance and its voice. But despite a second loss in 2007, one that handed complete control of the village’s Board of Trustees to the PEP Party, VIP has already begun to focus on the 2009 election.
Shortly after the April 17 election, both the VIP Party and its president, Bill Russ, unveiled new and improved websites. The sites are easier to navigate and contain more information about both the party and, especially, Russ, who served as the village president from 2001-05.
The message “Fight one party rule in Brookfield” scrolls across the top of the VIP home page, while a link to “our candidates” puts out the call to anyone interested in running for office in 2009. The link also includes the party’s campaign literature from the most recent campaign.
“You can’t wait until the last couple of months [of a campaign],” said Russ. “You’ve got to start early; you’ve got to get in now.”
Asked if he was planning another run for the village presidency, Russ said, “I don’t think any of us knows who’s going to do what two years from now.”
But it’s clear from the effort put into the websites so soon after the 2007 election that VIP wants to build interest and membership.
“Suffice to say, we’re not folding up our tent,” said Wil Brennan, the VIP Party chairman who won election as village trustee in 2001, before losing in both 2005 and 2007.
An analysis of the April 17 election returns shows that VIP still has a solid base of support within the Lyons Township portion of Brookfield. All three VIP trustee candidates in that race-Russ, Brennan and John Gallagher-came out on top in the nine Lyons Township precincts.
But neither Russ nor Gallagher won a single precinct in either Proviso or Riverside townships, while Brennan finished in the top three in just two of the 13 precincts in Proviso and Riverside townships.
Russ said that VIP needs to bolster its efforts getting out the vote in Lyons Township, where its base is strongest and try to chip away at PEP’s dominance on the north side of town. Overall in the race for the three trustee seats on April 17, just under 3,100 votes were cast in Lyons Township. In Proviso and Riverside townships, over 6,200 votes were cast. In those north side precincts, PEP also won by a wider margin than in Lyons Township precincts where VIP prevailed.
“We just have to get more people out on the south end,” said Russ, “And try to get more of a piece of the pie on the north end.”
By comparison, in 2003, when voters were also asked to vote for three trustee candidates, over 4,400 votes were cast in Lyons Township and over 7,500 were cast in Proviso and Riverside townships. VIP won two of three seats in that election.
“The [voter] apathy was phenomenal,” said Brennan of the 2007 turnout.
Michael Garvey, Brookfield’s current president and member of the PEP Party, said he wasn’t surprised by VIP’s determination in the face of its April 17 defeat. But, he said, the improved websites don’t mean that VIP’s message is going to resonate with voters.
“It’s nice window dressing, but web pages don’t win elections,” said Garvey, who lost to Russ in the race for village president in 2001 before prevailing in 2005. “Maybe they’ll get some new people, but that’s not going to change his record in the past.
“I think they’d have to bring something else to the table.”
While PEP hasn’t put the same effort into updating its website or soliciting for 2009 candidates, Garvey said his party was “pretty geared up for 2009.” The challenge for PEP, he said, was to “create a good record for ourselves and do a good job.”