May 3 marks the first anniversary of my swearing in as a trustee on the Oak Park Village Board. As I expected, the role is both impactful and fulfilling. I’m particularly enjoying learning how a complex interdependent community operates. The priorities I set while campaigning for this role were:
- Affordability and budget discipline
- Community safety
- Equitable and sustainable economic recovery
Every vote at the board table has been consistent with these promises and centered on what I believe is our community’s best interest (short- and long-term).
Board and village management:
Working closely as a board, we finalized board protocols and a comprehensive set of board goals for the first two years, which align with my campaign promises.
We hired a new village manager (Kevin Jackson), through a comprehensive search process, to execute these goals. I wish Kevin every success in this role.
Affordability and budget discipline:
As a Finance Committee member, I got to work closely with staff to create a budget that kept the tax levy increase under 3%, a capital improvement plan that prioritizes essential infrastructure investments delayed by COVID, supported the creation of an affordable housing trust fund while also clearing the way for auxiliary dwelling units to increase housing supply, and established a framework for prioritizing & distributing $39 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds.
Community safety:
We contracted Berry Dunn to perform a comprehensive evaluation of our police department policies and practices. The results from this study (expected this summer) will provide facts on where we stand and recommendations on how we need to approach the future of policing in our community. This will help us continue to be a leader in this space.
Our community lost an excellent leader in Chief Reynolds [who moved to the federal level]; however, I’m confident we’ll find a capable replacement committed to keeping our community safe.
While we have made important investments in technology (e.g. Flock cameras, Dispatch tool) to aid the department in addressing safety, cost-effectively, more needs to be done. This is critical in the face of rising crime (especially violent crime).
Equitable and sustainable economic recovery:
The pandemic continues to disrupt society. So while we have to be watchful for its next twist, our collective fear of its impact is greatly diminished. This is in large part due to the availability of vaccination and the high rate of adoption in our community. This provides us the opportunity to consider our short- and long-term socio-economic recovery.
Climate action:
We contracted with GRAEF/ERM and hired Marcela Bondie as our sustainability coordinator to help create a climate action plan for Oak Park. In June, we expect to receive practical recommendations, customized strategies and interim measures on our path to net-zero carbon emissions over the next 20-30 years.
Equitable economic recovery:
In addition, we need a vehicle to align our economy toward a clean energy future and prepare our youth and community at large to participate in that future. The sustainability incubator we are exploring is one such idea. This is our opportunity to tackle equity and socio-economic disparities as we look ahead and not just try to address them in the rearview mirror.
Tourism and small business recovery:
I also had the opportunity to work with several local tourism assets to co-ordinate the optimal use of ARPA funds to revitalize our economy and bring in revenue and support our small businesses.
In addition to all the items listed above, we as a board have thoughtfully regulated short term rentals (e.g. AirBnB), transitioned trash and waste collection to LRS, approved key developments (e.g. 7 Van Buren), and started our discussions on parking.
All this is possible because we have reduced overall board and community division. More than any single campaign pledge, this was a need called for by the whole community. It must and shall remain the foundation of everything we do as we continue to focus on our recovery.
Takeout 25, the group I started to save local restaurants and jobs during the pandemic while keeping the community safe, is now a nonprofit [501(c)6 status in progress] focused on economic enablement, food insecurity, and sustainable food systems. I serve as its board president. While the village attorney has advised me that this does not represent a conflict with my role as trustee, in an abundance of caution, I have decided to recuse myself from decisions/votes at the board table that impact individual restaurants.
I would like to thank my board colleagues, the talented village staff (especially interim Village Manager Lisa Shelly), the commissions, and the community at large for a productive year in office and look forward to year two.
