The Red Brennan Group began in 2012 when Mr. Brennan sponsored the “Compensation Limits and Budget Reductions for Members of the County Board of Supervisors” initiative. The Red Brennan group formally incorporated in 2017. Our mission statement is “We support big-hearted communities and small government.” We are a party agnostic single issue organization. By “single issue” we do not mean we work only on a single issue. Rather, we work on single issues with you! In other words, do we see eye-to-eye on an issue of concern? If the answer is yes, let’s work together!
Officers:
President – Tom Murphy
Secretary – Mr. Eric Steinmann
Major donors to the organization are Mr. Eric Steinmann and Mr. Chris Rufer.
- Mr. Rufer is a long time small government advocate that has donated to small government efforts over the course of the years.
- Mr. Steinmann was born and raised in San Bernardino County. His contributions are motivated primarily as an effort to restrain the ever-expanding reach of government footprint in the county.
Who was Kieran “Red” Brennan?
Kieran “Red” Brennan, lived in Wrightwood, an unincorporated community of San Bernardino County, for 41 years. A native of Chicago, and one of 11 children, Brennan served in the Navy’s submarine service during World War II beginning in 1944 and through the post-war years to 1952. Subsequently, Mr. Brennan spent his professional career in the computer and technology industry before retiring to Wrightwood.
Brennan served his community in a variety of ways including stints on the Wrightwood Village Council, the Municipal Advisory Council, and the Wrightwood Property Owners’ Association. In addition, he spent time teaching English as a Second Language to area residents, and served on the San Bernardino County Grand Jury.
In 2012, Mr. Brennan sponsored the “Compensation Limits and Budget Reductions for Members of the County Board of Supervisors” initiative. Also known as “Measure R.” Red believed the County supervisors had delegated much of their authority to a non-elected Chief Executive Officer. In consequence, there was no need to pay the elected officials a full-time salary with benefits.
While Mr. Brennan’s effort passed with 64% of the vote, the initiative was superseded by “Measure Q,” a competing measure, which earned 67% of the vote. This measure was placed directly on the ballot by the County Supervisors and, in effect, ensured the County Supervisors continued to earn pay and benefits that are, currently, four times the median household income for residents of the county.
Red Brennan passed away in 2013. The Red Brennan Group was started in Red’s honor in 2017. The goal of the organization is to carry on with Red’s impetus – constraining the growth of government by adjusting the incentives to serve.