Our It Takes a Village slate is disappointed and puzzled that Wednesday Journal has characterized us as without ideas for a better future for Oak Park. The campaign record to date shows that we’ve made almost all positive suggestions thus far. Among these are:
Reconsidering the village budget immediately to deal with the ongoing crisis. Budget cuts thus far have resulted from staff calls for emergency action and weren’t based on either an overall long-term plan or much real public input. We will review the entire budget and prioritize all expenditures more realistically. We expect to spend more on essential services and less on unrealistic development efforts and government grandstanding like lobbying to “cap the Ike” and false “green” initiatives. We will institute stronger controls to ensure that public funds are allocated and spent transparently.
Doing whatever we can to get vacant storefronts and offices, whether village-owned or not, occupied and back on tax rolls. We’ll make it clear that we don’t consider every existing older commercial space as just something waiting to be redeveloped for fancier tenants. This will encourage property owners and tenants to make long-term investments. We’ll help existing businesses survive these troubled times. We’ll recruit new businesses that strengthen our neighborhoods. We’ll also promote and exploit our priceless history and heritage by working with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Program.
Establishing an independent “quality control” function within village hall. We’ll log and track all service requests and measure how quickly and how well they’re processed. We’ll use these measurements to see where and how services can be improved. We’ll also funnel service requests involving multiple village departments through a clear, uniform “clearing house” process establishing “one-stop shopping” for requestors.
Promoting citizen participation by encouraging independence and diverse opinions in citizen committees and commissions and then giving those entities far more say and respect in decision-making. This will expand opportunities for citizen input, relieve the village board of minutiae, and greatly reduce chances of making stupid decisions in isolation. We’ll also hold regular neighborhood and village-wide meetings in which citizens can interact with all elected officials. We promise to do the public’s business in public.
We’ve offered these and many more ideas for a better future for Oak Park. We’ve clearly described our vision. You can read more at our Web site at www.it-takes-a-village.org.
Our opponents, whose party has controlled village government for 55 of the past 57 years, offer only continuation of costly policies that make less and less sense each day. They also feel that the public’s questioning their decisions only disrupts the smooth flow of business.
Voters, your choice is clear! Vote for our opponents only if you like being managed to benefit special interests. Vote for us – It Takes a Village – if you think Oak Park needs a new direction and share our belief that village hall can work much more effectively for you.
Candidates running for the Oak Park village board on the It Takes a Village slate include Julie Samuels, John Franklin and Kathryn Jonas for trustee, Gary Schwab for president and Sharon Patchak-Layman for clerk.