We were very pleased Wednesday Journal chose to cover the founding convention of the New Leadership Coalition (NLC) and we are excited about the potential represented by a new political organization in Oak Park.
However, we were quite surprised by the account of the actual election for NLC officers. The WJ article recognized that the NLC is a coalition, bringing together the Village Citizens Alliance (VCA, the group that elected Robert Milstein trustee in 2003) and Citizens for Change (CFC), a newer Oak Park group, as well as other organizations and individuals not previously affiliated with either the VCA or CFC. However, WJ erred significantly in its report of who was elected to office on Jan. 8, claiming that NLC members affiliated with the CFC won five positions while NLC members affiliated with the VCA won only a single position. In fact, as was explained at some length to the WJ reporter, CFC-affiliated individuals won five positions, VCA-affiliated individuals won three positions, and the remaining two positions were won by individuals who joined after the NLC was formed.
The NLC has always been, and is still today, open to all residents of Oak Park, and we seek and encourage anyone interested in our organization to visit our website or get in touch with Frank R. Vozak, Membership Committee chair.
Rose Meyer
External Committee chair,
New Leadership Party
