Patty Henek, long active in River Forest schools and in volunteer philanthropic efforts, announced Monday she will run for the village board in the April election.
She will join a crowding field of incumbents and challengers vying for three open trustee seats. On Monday, the first day of filing, incumbent Carmela Corsini, former trustee and past candidate for village president Mike Gibbs, and traffic and safety commissioner Rick Gillis, all filed their petitions at village hall. Susan Conti, another incumbent, told Wednesday Journal on Monday that she will file her petitions for reelection later this week. Candidates have until Monday, Dec. 22 to file petitions to gain access to the April 7 ballot.
Current trustee Colleen Horrigan had previously announced she will not seek reelection.
Henek described herself as “having a sense of the community, connections with all different folks, [being] a good listener and able to ask hard questions.” She is supportive of the current village board, which she described as “working well.” And she agrees with Village President Cathy Adduci’s emphasis on collaboration both within River Forest and with neighboring communities.Â
Henek has been a vocal critic in the long-running debate over exterior renovations, traffic and parking issues at Roosevelt Middle School. While centered on the plans of the District 90 elementary schools, that contentious issue has, over time, involved the village board, public library and park district. The matter is now before a village commission for additional review and will, eventually, be settled by the village board.
Henek said she wanted to foster an atmosphere “where there are separate elected boards with a sense they are working for the same community. It is easy to fall into silos. I want to be open to looking at issues with a broader perspective.”
Henek said she had been considering a run for the village board for several years but only came to a final decision over the past weekend. It was a busy weekend for Henek as it included delivery day for the massive Holiday Gift Basket program that she has coordinated for several years. The program, which has its roots in the Community of Congregations and Oak Park Township, matches nearly 1,000 local families in need with “adoptive” families who purchase holiday presents for them. On a Saturday in early December, all those packages are delivered by volunteers to homes across Oak Park and River Forest.
In addition to the gift basket program, Henek has also been the lead adult volunteer on the annual LemonAid fundraiser held each September on Bonnie Brae.
Henek said she has been active in the District 90 PTO and the Community Caucus slating process as well.
In terms of local issues, Henek said she was supportive of current village economic development efforts and of the North End sewer project, though she allowed it was likely not a total solution to the village’s flooding and sewage issues and that issues in south River Forest may have to be addressed eventually.
Henek said she is running independently for the village board and will file her petitions before the Dec. 22 deadline.