Having served on the Oak Park Village Board for over nine years, I have a well-informed view of what makes for effective board leadership. I unequivocally endorse and encourage you to vote for Vicki Scaman for village president.
I have known Vicki and watched her work on behalf of our community for over 15 years. What I have observed is someone who has an impressive range of knowledge, regarding both our history and our challenges; deep longstanding relationships with a diverse citizenry; unrelenting energy to bring to any task; true respect for differences; and the ability to bring those with different opinions, information or resources together to advance any goal that improves our village. In addition she is a pragmatic problem-solver who can break a goal into achievable action steps and get things done!
Her first term is full of examples of how this unique combination of skill sets has moved our village forward. She worked closely with staff, local, and state partners to address the immediate and long-lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. She led Oak Park as it worked with the city of Chicago, nonprofit organizations, and volunteers to address the need for an organized and humane response to the migrant crisis. She has been even-handed as she creates a process to address the complex needs that require building a police station that supports staff to do their job. And yes, she knew our village well enough to know that changing how fall leaves are disposed of was a bad idea.
The national political environment is in chaos. That chaos will inevitably impact our state and our village. In these unsettling times, demonstrated effective leadership is called for. Vote for Vicki Scaman for village president.
Colette Lueck
Oak Park