The Wednesday Journal sent questionnaires to each person running for public office in 2025. The Journal’s questions are in bold and the candidate’s responses are below.
Political experience
Current Trustee (elected 2021); Tri-Board Member Collaboration for Early Childhood; Village Board Personnel Committee; Village Board Finance Committee
Community experience
Oak Park Spring Neighborhood Clean Up Project; Pro Bono Legal Work; 2024 Oaktoberfest Volunteer for OPALGA
In light of recent incidents of gun violence in Oak Park, how do you plan to prevent gun violence and promote safety?
Gun violence is a public health issue. I support measures that address the underlying causes of gun violence and will advocate for permanent supports to continue the Village’s alternative calls for service pilot program. This program allows mental health clinicians to respond to mental or behavioral health related calls and connect individuals with continuing resources. It makes appropriate resources available and decreases the likelihood of violent actions resulting from low and high risk mental health situations by identifying individuals who may be at risk for gun violence due to untreated mental health conditions and reducing the stigma associated with mental health support.
Have the combined levies of Oak Park taxing bodies pushed taxpayers to a point of property tax saturation? What should the response of the village board be to control property tax levels?
I consistently voted to maintain an average property tax levy of 3% or less throughout my term, including one year with no levy increase. I will continue to support Village levy increases that are sensitive to the property tax burden without sacrificing core services. We should maximize other sources of revenue, such as sales, liquor and hotel/motel taxes, so that residents as well as visitors contribute to our revenue base. Increasing non-property tax revenue reduces the reliance on property taxes and keeps levy increases inline with the Village’s affordability goals.
How will you promote affordable housing development and aid those experiencing homelessness in Oak Park?
I support incentivizing affordable housing development in two ways 1) easing zoning restrictions in residential and commercial districts to allow for multi-unit homes (referred to as “Missing Middle” in a recent housing study) while maintaining the integrity of those districts, including our historic districts, and 2) promoting adaptive reuse of existing structures that can be redeveloped as affordable housing.
What are your thoughts on the proposed Village Hall remodel?
Village Hall plans should prioritize the building’s maintenance and structural needs. As good stewards of a municipal building, the Village Board is obligated to ensure the building is safe and well-maintained. However, final design or construction decisions should only come after an assessment of the property tax impact resulting from any remodel plans. This will ensure a community-centered focus for the overall project by considering staff and community needs as well as taxpayer cost.
How will you help Oak Park reach its sustainability goals and are the current goals too ambitious?
The current goal of a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2030 is ambitious. I support the continued roll out of our climate action plan, Climate Ready Oak Park (CROP), to reduce GHG and get us as close as possible to our 60% reduction goal. To further our efforts, we should identify anticipated greenhouse gas reductions for each goal within CROP and use these as benchmarks to measure our efforts an annual basis. In addition, any gaps in our residential energy efficiency efforts should be addressed so that all types of residential structures, including multi-family units, can participate in such programs.