Former state superintendent seeks River Forest trustee seat

River Forest should embrace diversity and inclusiveness, says Respicio Vazquez, a candidate for village trustee.

“We are all part of the community. I do not care what the percentages [of minorities living in River Forest] are. Inclusiveness should be about everybody,” he said.

If the 56-year-old attorney wins in April, Vazquez will become River Forest’s first Hispanic elected official. 

“I don’t hide my ethnicity; I am proud of who I am,” Vazquez said. “It’s a badge of honor for me, but don’t vote for me because I am Hispanic.” 

Vazquez has lived in River Forest since 2014, is married and has no children.

He says his love for community has inspired him to run for public office. 

Vazquez served on condominium boards in Chicago and participated in various church activities in the parishes where he has lived. He said he also mentored children and young adults at a nonprofit, Casa Aztlan, in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. 

Because of his involvement in River Forest Elementary School District 90 committees, some of his neighbors suggested he run for the school board. 

But that would be a conflict of interest, he said, because the law firm he works for, Franczek Radelet, represents District 90. He can volunteer and is a member of the district’s Inclusiveness Advisory Board.

Before joining Franczek Radelet, Vazquez served as the general counsel of the Illinois State Board of Education. During his tenure, he also served for a time as the State Superintendent of Education.

He was named acting superintendent in 2002 following the resignation of Superintendent Ernest R. Wish.

In the late 1980s, Vazquez was an assistant attorney for the Illinois Attorney General and later served as assistant attorney for the Chicago Board of Education and associate general counsel and general counsel for City Colleges of Chicago.

In October, he decided to run for village trustee after being encouraged by neighbors, including Trustee Carmela Corsini, who Vazquez said supports him. 

“We got to know each other because we were both on the IAB,” Vazquez said. “I was unaware she was a trustee. She did not promote herself as a trustee.”

Since his decision to run, he said he had begun speaking with residents and reading up on village issues. He has, however, not attended a board meeting. 

“I did not want to inject myself before I got on the ballot,” he said. 

One issue that caught his interest is economic development. He had read and spoken with people about the Madison Street Tax Increment Finance district and the question of eminent domain. He said he did not favor displacing residents. 

At the same time, he recognized the importance of TIFs, as there is limited commercial land in River Forest that can be improved. The North Avenue TIF, which trustees are expected to address sometime soon, is the last commercial area that needs to be looked at. He said he would review all the information before making a decision. 

There is an advantage of building up businesses to expand the tax base, he said. A course of action that the village should follow to make development work on Madison Street is to recruit businesses that would be useful to the community, he said.   

“I would not replace existing ones with a business has just started up and does not have a history of success,” Vazquez said. 

A survey of residents and businesses should be done to see what they want and need, he added.

Another issue that Vazquez said he is interested in is historic preservation. He expressed surprise when he heard about the demolition this fall of the Mars Mansion, a development that reawakened community interest in historic preservation. 

Vazquez wondered why the Historic Preservation Commission did not have a bit more authority to stop it.

Vazquez expressed interest in environmental issues, but said he is not sure if the sustainability committee should be elevated to commission status or if its responsibilities could be wrapped into one or more existing commissions. 

To better explain and promote its positions, Vazquez said, the village needs to expand its outreach to the public. That effort should start with an explanation of the budget, he said, which trustees will adopt in April.