As a leader of a child advocacy nonprofit, I invited a handful of village leaders to attend an informational session in Oak Park. Ravi Parakkat was the only one who replied and took interest in the issues we discussed at the library Veterans Room. I was so grateful for his presence as concerned parents and Illinois lawmakers spoke about a pressing epidemic impacting our kids in schools.
After the meeting, I met with Ravi to learn more about him, his experience as a village trustee, and his vision as a village president candidate. Ravi is soft-spoken, but willing to challenge an outspoken incumbent and status quo thinker. In weighing the merits of his arguments, I’ve found that his articulation of the challenges in Oak Park are clear and his approach to solving them is focused. He is a level-headed leader with the ability to prioritize the work flow. He will be instrumental to help navigate Oak Park during these uncertain times.
As a 20-year Oak Park resident, I am looking for a leader with Ravi’s qualities to elevate our village and ensure it stays at parity with other surrounding suburbs. His personal and professional experiences, combined with local Oak Park experience, make him uniquely suited and qualified to lead Oak Park.
He brings a global perspective through his culture and business acumen in management consulting. From a local perspective, Ravi made contributions as Takeout 25 founder that helped sustain our restaurants during the pandemic. As a trustee, he has been on the ground floor seeing the gaps on the agenda; the mismanagement of the RFP process related to the new police station; and distractions with the bottomless pit of goals and smaller outcomes.
We need fewer goals for our village to execute that will lead to bigger, longer term results for the residents of Oak Park. Ravi’s fresh approach will get this done.
Tania Haigh
Oak Park