I am pleased and honored to endorse Catherine Adduci for re-election as River Forest Village President.
Long before Cathy became Village President in 2013, she garnered a strong business sense. A former executive with a Fortune 500 company, she realized that every community needs to have a thriving business community to offset the tax burden of residents.
Under her leadership, River Forest has formed the Economic Development Commission. This commission harnesses the knowledge of local business people to help trustees find how they can better use underdeveloped land and create commercial opportunities. The village, since then, has created two TIF districts, and a business district along Lake Street that one day will become River Forest’s downtown.
Equally as important is her support of small business, a vital part of any community. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she issued executive orders that helped businesses offset effects of the pandemic. She has been a big booster of Takeout 25, a program that by encouraging residents to spend $25 a week on takeout, has helped local food establishments remain open, saving jobs. It’s important to note our entire region benefits from this kind of innovative approach.
Finally, she understands and appreciates the hard work of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce and realizes that our business communities thrive with a vital Chamber by their side.
The pandemic must be stemmed and our economy must be gotten back on track. With a forward-looking and forward-thinking leader like Cathy Adduci at our side, we will all come out better together on the other side.
