Village spending is out of control, and it’s about to get terribly worse. Your vote or a decision not to vote for village board president on April 1 will significantly affect village affordability.
Our most recent tax bill showed a 23.4% increase. This is unsustainable and will inevitably force homeowners to leave. President Scaman is now working on a multimillion-dollar village campus that you don’t need but you will definitely notice on your future tax bills.
Under her leadership, a hefty pay increase for herself was recently passed. You won’t notice that on your next tax bill, but it will contribute to the “death by a thousand cuts” that leads to increased taxes and affordability concerns.
Spending in Oak Park “buys” votes. Without giving anyone a chance to weigh in, she has set aside $1 million for the Percy Julian House with no plan. Additional funds are coming for a study on a proposed Percy Julian streetscape (price TBD). These issues do reflect Oak Park values, but they also affect our taxes and undermine Oak Park affordability.
With 30 unstaffed positions, a woefully inadequate police station, an environment of distrust, and reluctance to support an adequate number of FLOCK cameras to detect stolen autos and illegal guns, public safety continues to lag because the board under President Scaman has not prioritized our police department.
We believe that Ravi Parakkat has a very different vision for Oak Park and the village board process. He offers real structure and discipline. Meet him at one of his public events (next is Feb. 28, 3 to 7 p.m. at Fat Cat Gallery) or open Sunday-morning coffee sessions (see vote4ravi.com). Hear him talk about his values and experience; then you can judge for yourself.
President Scaman is the incumbent with name recognition. She expects to win a low-turnout election and loves spending your money. Please become engaged and learn why we are supporting Ravi Parakkat for village board president. Democracy becomes dangerous when citizens are not involved.
Don & Mary Ann DeBruin
Oak Park residents for 51 years