It was a year of surprises for Oak Parkers — from the election of a dark-horse candidate for village president to flooding that ended with Oak Park being declared a disaster area. Neighbors came together to form a new community organization made up of Chicago residents and Oak Parkers, who fought the opening of another pawn shop on North Avenue. Residents also rallied to save a local business with a flair for the nostalgic.
What’s slated for 2014? Likely a reworked economic development strategy between village hall and the Oak Park Development Corporation — and maybe a few less parking tickets.
Interim becomes permanent
Oak Park rang in the new year with a new village manager. Cara Pavlicek was hired permanently for the position in January, replacing Tom Barwin, who resigned and eventually became city manager of Sarasota, Fla. Pavlicek served as interim manager for most of 2012; prior to taking that position she was manager of parking services. She has worked in municipal government for more than two decades, 10 as a city manager. Pavlicek’s salary is $125,000 a year.
“She has the ability to see how an organization can run more effectively, and is willing to engage in dialogue and discussion with the village board [about] the deployment of resources in ways that will be most effective in helping advance policy prescriptions,” former Village President David Pope said of Pavlicek when she was hired.
North Avenue neighbors unite
Development of North Avenue, or lack thereof, brought residents together from Oak Park, Austin and the neighborhood of Galewood to fight the opening of a pawn shop and nightclub on the 6400 and 6200 blocks, respectively, of North Avenue, Oak Park’s northern border.
Early this year, residents established the Northwest Side Community Coalition to fight the opening of EZ Pawn at 6432 W. North Ave., arguing that the business — the fifth pawn shop within a few blocks — would devalue property and invite the criminal element. The NCC, along with Chicago Ald. Nicholas Sposato (36th), sued when the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals approved the special-use permit needed to allow the opening of the pawn shop. A chancery court tossed out the lawsuit in early December, however, on the grounds that the group did not have standing because no one at the ZBA meeting who lived within 250 feet of the business testified against it. NCC says it will file a motion to reconsider.
NCC has more recently rallied against the opening of BCD Banquet Hall, 6206 W. North Ave., a proposed special events banquet venue that neighbors suspect is really intended to be a nightclub. They have recently gathered 500 signatures on a petition opposing the club.
Enter Anan
The village voted in a new leader in April, electing Anan Abu-Taleb to serve the next four years as village president. Abu-Taleb, 54, waged an election campaign against Village Manager Association-backed candidate John Hedges like none the village has seen. The dark horse candidate and owner of the Oak Park restaurant Maya Del Sol, used social networking forums like Facebook and Twitter to get his message out, and in the final days of the election, he launched a robo-call campaign, featuring an endorsement from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.
Abu-Taleb, who raised $72,000 in campaign contributions — $23,000 of which came from his own pocket — won the election handily with 58 percent of the vote. The fundraising dwarfed that of his competitor, who raised $21,229. Abu-Taleb ran the campaign on a platform of transparency, dialogue with residents and moving quickly and decisively on economic development. He has followed through on his promise to hold public forums to give residents a chance to speak with him and other trustees. He held his third forum earlier this month at the Oak Park Public Library. About 50 people attended.
Abu-Taleb, who came to the United States from his homeland of Palestine at the age of 18, said on the night of his election: “The American Dream is alive and well. I am a grateful man tonight. Thank you for this humbling victory. This victory is most gratifying because it came from you. It’s a victory for all those who believe that Oak Park’s best days are yet to come.”
Changes in parking
It might not be the full reversal of the overnight parking ban that some residents wanted, but after decades of complaints, village hall made another significant move toward easing Oak Parkers’ late-night parking woes.
In December, village trustees voted to increase the number of guest passes available to each resident from three a year to three a month. Drivers also can purchase up to seven additional passes a month at a cost of $7 apiece. The ordinance takes effect March 1, 2014. Parking on the street in Oak Park between 2:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. could result in a $30 ticket for those without a pass.
The village, in October, also aimed to ease the process for residents and visitors, launching a program that allows drivers to use a smartphone app to pay for metered parking.
Development reboot
Village trustees came to a consensus in December to concentrate responsibility for economic development outside of village hall, moving it to the Oak Park Development Corporation.
Under the new structure, OPDC will rebrand itself and take full responsibility for drumming up business and real estate development, with privately-owned and city-owned property. The village also will consolidate multiple business- and housing-related departments within village government as part of the restructuring.
Village trustees also are considering increasing funds to OPDC, from the current $300,000 a year to as much as an annual $725,000. The restructuring of OPDC also would include the installation of a new board that would consist of OPDC’s president, the village president, the village manager, a village trustee and 3-5 representatives of the business and development community.
“We are at a tipping point where you need to reinvent yourselves,” Abu-Taleb told OPDC at the meeting.
