The Village Manager Association (VMA) is recruiting candidates for the spring 2017 Oak Park village elections and invites all interested citizens to learn more about the process.
In 1952, Oak Park made history when voters rejected partisan politics and adopted a Village Manager form of government. At that time, affairs at village hall were characterized by patronage and corruption. Oak Parkers instead elected village trustees to concentrate on policy decisions and hire a professional manager to carry out policies and administer the operations of village government.
In 2017, Oak Parkers will again go to the polls to elect a village president, three village trustees and a village clerk.
Since that historic election in 1952, the Village Manager Association (VMA) has devoted itself to the job of seeking highly qualified candidates to endorse for election. Each election cycle, the VMA brings together a broad-based selection committee of volunteers representing all segments of our community to interview potential candidates and endorse the best ones. The VMA works to recruit candidates based on the highest standards of leadership, personal character and integrity, a history of involvement community affairs, and an interest in community issues.
The VMA is currently recruiting candidates to endorse. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a candidate, please contact us at selections@vma-oakpark.org to learn more about our selection process. Additionally, if you are interested in participating in the VMA selection committee, we will hold meetings in October to interview candidates. Please visit our website, vma-oakpark.org to learn more about the VMA and our selection committee process.
As a community, we don’t all agree on every issue, but we can agree that having qualified candidates to run in village elections is extremely important. We encourage you to become part of the process.
Lynn Kamenitsa
VMA president
