Meet the Candidates, Westlake Ward 1: Brendan Delay

I will make Westlake safe from conflicting loyalties. I am a self-employed local attorney. My wife is a real estate agent. My children grew up in Westlake. I do not work for the Westlake School District or the City of Westlake.

The City Law Director John Wheeler will be retiring. His 20 years of experience as prosecutor and law director leaves a vacuum. Having an attorney next year on City Council will assist its decisions on land topics, zoning, contracts and litigation of the serious cases now filed against Westlake. The City of Westlake has engaged in negotiations with the Westlake School District to swap different large parcels of land and a building. The future will hold zoning variances, road and traffic signal modifications by the City of Westlake – with some conflicting interests. 

Westlake needs a safer new Community Center. If designed with resiliency principles the future Community Center could handle windstorms, tornadoes and ice storms. With backup generators and batteries, solar panels, and sliding window covers, and a covered walkway to the Recreation Center, it would serve as a refuge and temporary housing for those with a damaged house, or no power or the elderly. 

In 2005, I convinced the City Council to modify the plans for the Service Garage and the Recreation Center Addition for more energy efficiency. This saved Westlake money each day since then. Let's also build a safe Community Center for a model community.

Make Westlake safer from heroin and fentanyl. I propose it implement what Gloucester, Massachusetts, does:

• An addict reaches out to the police department by walking into a station or approaching a policeman on the street.
• The addict turns over any drugs and paraphernalia and asks for addiction help.
• The department assigns that addict an “angel.” This is an on-call volunteer who immediately takes the addict to an emergency room to be assessed and given any necessary medical treatment.
• The addict works with his angel to enroll in treatment.
• The department makes no arrest and tracks the progress of the addict in treatment.